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Review: Beluga Racing Catback Exhaust

robeeeerob

Go Kart Champion
(Scroll down to Post #2 for soundclips/videos)

Comprehensive review for...

"Beluga Racing VW GOLF GTI MK6 MKVI 2.0T 10-14 High Performance Catback Exhaust"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201345302196?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Manufacturers website: http://belugaracing.com/

Intro: I want to start off by assuring readers that I *was in no way affiliated with Beluga Racing prior to or during the install and initial review periods (edited 5/29/2015)*. I was in the market for an after market CBE that had the dual canister/suitcase set up (e.g. Neuspeed, BillyBoat, SPM, etc.), but priced more within my budget. Came across the Beluga Racing CBE via ebay, and decided to give the $350 a shot. A big reason why I am doing this writeup is because this particular exhaust barely has any reviews online (I found 1 only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw334sANBco), so I figured it would be a huge help for other Mk6ers in the market for this sort of CBE (style and price). It is important to note that this is my first time handling an aftermarket CBE up close and personal, installing one, and even having one at all installed on a car I own. I don't have any experience with any other aftermarket CBE products, so I will simply be comparing to and referencing my general knowledge of products made with similar materials I've worked with first-hand, as well as the manufacturers statements.

Proof of purchase (screen shot cropped to hide personal info):

*Note* Price was $340 for me because I utilized Ebay's MakeAnOffer feature. $340 was Beluga's counter offer, which I accepted.


And here, we , go...


5/14/2015
Just received the exhaust today. Arrived MUCH sooner than anticipated, shipped from Texas to Southern California: Ordered Monday (May 11th), arrived today (May 14th). Their estimate was arrival on Monday, May 18th, so very awesome Beluga Racing! :D




The box it came in was 45 x 30 x 7 inches



Weight of box:


Wrapped well enough for me, none of the pieces had scratches or dents:

















This is the end that connects to the suitcase and tips:



This is the end that connects to the downpipe (slight bigger diameter):












Tips looked really great! You can see they are slanted:


There are no logo imprints on the tips, which I prefer (more discrete if a cop walks around the car to inspect IMO, haha):



Welds on everything looks pretty decent:





3 clamps. Depsite their unattractive look, they actually feel quite sturdy:



Came with instructions (nice touch), but I probably wont need em ;)
Also 2 business cards from Beluga, and a decal:



5/16/2015
Install Day

A bunch of BEFORE pics. Captions to come....


























Got her out.:


Surprisingly, stock CBE Weighs abt the same as Beluga (felt so much heavier!)





Notes:
-stainless steel finish looks really great on all the pieces
-the exhaust tips and canisters looked very even
-all pieces have a sturdy, strong feel to them. I was pleased to find that when I knocked on the 2 canisters with my knuckles, they sounded like there's definitely material in there (something very connected and filling, not loose or hollow). Majority of the total weight (like 80-90% of the 30-ish lbs) is in the canister & tips section, which leads me to believe that that canisters are well constructed and will resonate sound effectively
-The tips look like over-sized OEM tips from the rear (when tucked as far back as possible). I love this, because it's more discrete (less likely to attract authorities visually)
 
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robeeeerob

Go Kart Champion
INITIAL FITMENT THOUGHTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip31DsP5Nck

OEM cat back for comparison (cold start up)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RufGm4IExbk

BELUGA RACING CBE SOUNDCLIP (1st startup- cold start)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtF9BK1788E

BELUGA RACING CBE SOUNDCLIP (City Driving/Low RPM)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZBoLIzIZs

BELUGA RACING CBE SOUNDCLIP (Aggressive Freeway/High RPM)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2rnQfYPx2Q

ADDITIONAL SOUND CLIPS/VIDEOS FROM OTHER MEMBERS:

-from Mr_Clay (thank you!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keOPHoKECMo&feature=youtu.be


-from Antimatter (thank you!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAXm6YCPcwo&feature=youtu.be


BELUGA CBE 1-Month UPDATE:
-No Issues. Still running great, and sounding great!
-Granted, I still need to get under my car to do an inspection to see if I have any leaks, or any other issues (again, sorry guys- I know I'm WAYYY over due for that Final Fitment video, haha! I haven't forgotten, just been busy).
-Fitment is still spot on, just the way it was when I first installed CBE.
-Recently, I took out my rear seats for a track day, and though this isn't an "issue" for me, I did notice that aside from the louder and more noticeable tone of the exhaust, it was very slightly raspy (something I never heard when rear seats were in the car), but I would assume this is common for any after market exhaust when seats and rear liners are taken out? Those rear seats and linings provide a huge amount of sound dampening. Still no drone when driving civilly, surprisingly :D. Very minimal drone when under WOT (normal for ANY aftermarket CBE, imo). Curious to see if slight raspy-ness is remedied when rear seats are put back in.
-NOTE:
my definition of "slight raspy-ness" might simply be considered "rawness" to others, and I might jsut be over-analyizing the sound


_____________________________________________________________________
FINAL FITMENT and 2-month Chk-In:
7/14/2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5TxqhXuuW8

-Fitment: Fitment is still on point. The exhaust is still not hitting or rubbing on anything. Nothing has come loose. Recently (about a month ago), I had thought that the vertical position of one of the tips had moved (either the driver's side had gone up a millimeter, or the passenger side had dropped a millimeter), but it turns out it was just my perception that day. Since install day, the passenger side has hung lower than the passenger side by about a millimeter or less, and that is unchanged up to this point (which is a plus, because it means the exhaust hasn't moved and is solid in place). I made an adjustment that I did to a client's CBE: put a 2.5" hose clamp around the passenger side exhaust tip bracket to pull it up about a millimeter. To me, It now sits more close to perfect than ever before after this adjustment.

Driver side (before adjustment to passenger side)


Passenger side (before adjustment to passenger side)


Actual adjustment


Driver side (after adjustment to passenger side)


Passenger (after adjustment to passenger side)



-Sound: Still sounds awesome. Actually, to me it sounds better than it did in the beginning. The sound has changed slightly, but in a GOOD way. It has matured: it sounds more raw, guttural, and throaty than ever before. It hasn't necessarily gotten louder, but WOT runs are more pronounced than before. Under 2500/3000 RPM, she's still nice and quiet and civil. No drone still / extremely minimal drone still (and a few others that have ridden in my car confirm there's really no drone at all, but this can depend on ear/noise sensitivity). I still plan on putting together some additional sound clips. Also, the slight rasp I had noticed about a week or 2 ago when I had my rear seats out went away when i reinstalled seats and lining.


-Cosmetic: The tips and canisters still look great. However, I noticed that the stainless steel of the Beluga isn't as shiny as the bigger brand names' exhausts. Additionally, the piping (all piping, aside from the canisters and tips) are starting to show discoloration. The discoloration is the common browning we normally see on most exhaust. Small con in my book, but again... this is normal for many exhausts.








-Leaks: There was a tiny leak I discovered where the midsection pipe connects to the canister piping. Leaks small leaks can be normal with any after market exhaust that isn't one big connected exhaust piece (like OEM), however it did bug me. I realized I may have simply not tightened the clamp enough, as I was able to get a couple more turns in. Additionally, piping that has the flex-slits on the ends is prone to slight leaks, which is kind of sucky. I added Permatex Exhaust Sealant in the areas where the leaks were, so I will see how it looks in that area after another month or 2 to see if the clamp tightening and sealant resolved the leaks. There were no leaks at the connect of the downpipe to CBE.

Midsection (leak) front side


Midsection (leak) back side


No leaks at DP to CBE connection:


-CONCLUSION: Unlike some other Ebay products that companies sell, this Beluga CBE is great quality, especially when factoring the price. For $350, you cannot go wrong. Fitment on this piece is WAY better than many other CBE's I have seen and personally worked on (some are big name brands *tisk tisk*). My final thoughts are in-line with my initial thoughts. This is the CBE for you if you are 1) on a budget, 2) want an exhaust that is on the mellow side, 3) like the dual-canister/muffler look from the rear. :w00t:
_____________________________________________________________________


To-Do list
Rokblokz Mudflaps - Pics
CBE from different angles - Pics
12 month check in
 
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steemax

Go Kart Champion
We demand an unboxing with super 10k high def pictures!
 

songyun

Ready to race!
did you buy from ebay?
 

steemax

Go Kart Champion
Wait did you get the dual can version or the single resonator?
 

steemax

Go Kart Champion
YUP! My favorite style for our cars. I don't like the look of the no-canister/suitcase CBE's, and prefer the duals over the single suitcase (e.g. Unitronic, Eurojet, stock)

Agreed, that's why I went with the SPM catback... love the dual can look. Although if you are lowered be care full. I've slammed mine against speed bumps many times by accident lol.
 

robeeeerob

Go Kart Champion
Agreed, that's why I went with the SPM catback... love the dual can look. Although if you are lowered be care full. I've slammed mine against speed bumps many times by accident lol.

Thanks for mentioning the slamming, this brings up an interesting thing I've realized:

You can see that the Beluga CBE has the tips (and canisters) going out like a "V", whereas SPM/Neuspeed/Billyboat are sideways "L"s. Basic logic says that the L style (which I actually prefer the look of better than the V) will be more prone to scrape (perfect world assumption, that both styles hang exactly same height from ground) since they are closer to the rear of the car. So in essence, the Beluga prob has slightly better clearance (again, assuming the exhausts were the same height from the ground, haha) :thumbsup:

Additionally, you'll notice that the canisters appear to be thinner than Neuspeed/BillyBoat/SPM ones. That's great for clearance, but for me... slight con, because the CBE for my purposes is also LOOKS: I want the canisters to be as visible as possible ;)



 
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2013R

Drag Race Newbie
I almost bought this thing a few times. The main issue that will come up with this catback is the front connector is straight 2.5". It might leak a bit since the factory pipe in front of it is 2.37". You might get lucky if the oem sleeve can seal both ends successfully.

then again, if you have an aftermarket downpipe, it could be a different story all together. I see you have an SPM downpipe? Same issue likely, since that downpipe would use a factory mate down reducer.

looking forward to the review.
 
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