# APR TT-RS RSC Exhaust?



## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

With the nasty cold-start chain rattle resolved, the main thing that's still bugging me about my TT-RS at this point is the drone around 2000 RPM. I didn't think it was going to be a problem, but I find myself trying hard to stay out of e.g. 4th gear around 40 mph. At the end of the day, I'd really like to get rid of the drone.

From the looks of it, APR's RSC exhaust for the TT-RS might do the trick, but I haven't been able to find a whole of information on it. Has anyone here had experience with APR RSC exhausts for other models? Also, does anyone know when the TT-RS version is due out?


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## joneze93tsi (Aug 8, 2008)

Blasphemy!

5 cylinder drone is like a heavenly song to my ears.
I have the flapper mod & secondary cat deletes and it can make some beautiful noises!


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

The 5-cylinder wail is just fine with me - I love it. The drone at certain points in the rev range with the OEM sport exhaust, however, is not; it has the acoustic appeal of an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner, as far as I'm concerned.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

On other makes and models drone is just eliminated, period. The TTRS will be the same. 

It's pretty amazing because when you get on the exhaust, nothing is lost or modified. You hear the engine, just as if it was a race car. But when you drive like a sane individual, you can go through your neighborhood with out looking like a teenager. It's quite and civilized. Oh, and do you need to talk to your wife while in the car? Well, with no drone you will not find yourself reaching for the stereo knob to turn down the exhaust because it's really quite when you want it to be! (Raise your hand if you've tried to turn down the radio and then realized it was just a loud exhaust). :laugh:


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

fourtunes said:


> The 5-cylinder wail is just fine with me - I love it. The drone at certain points in the rev range with the OEM sport exhaust, however, is not; it has the acoustic appeal of an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner, as far as I'm concerned.


I'm with you 100%.


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## - Jeremy - (Feb 23, 2006)

I ran cat deletes and no flapper for a while but the 2k drone was quite harsh. It actually didn't bother me much, but it made body panels and stuff rattle at the back of the car. So, I re-enabled the flapper but I really dislike the flapper actuation. It has a mind of its own and it will still automatically engage itself between 2k and 3k RPM. Even when it's in sport mode. Maybe mine is different than others, but mine definitely re-activates itself even in sport at certain RPM ranges in second gear. First gear seems to be fine.

Also, the exhaust has definitely been tuned to eliminate sound in the 2-3k range. There's a strange "hollow" spot in the rev range. The full Milltek exhaust fixes that problem, but I'm afraid it drones as well. I'm hopeful that the APR exhaust solves all of these problems. I also hope it's TüV approved!

- Jeremy -


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

- Jeremy - said:


> Also, the exhaust has definitely been tuned to eliminate sound in the 2-3k range. There's a strange "hollow" spot in the rev range. The full Milltek exhaust fixes that problem, but I'm afraid it drones as well. I'm hopeful that the APR exhaust solves all of these problems. I also hope it's TüV approved!


 I cannot guarantee the downpipe will be TüV but the catback sections should meet Euro 4 sound levels, which are ~90dB if I recall correctly.


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

- Jeremy - said:


> I ran cat deletes and no flapper for a while but the 2k drone was quite harsh. It actually didn't bother me much, but it made body panels and stuff rattle at the back of the car. So, I re-enabled the flapper but I really dislike the flapper actuation. It has a mind of its own and it will still automatically engage itself between 2k and 3k RPM. Even when it's in sport mode. Maybe mine is different than others, but mine definitely re-activates itself even in sport at certain RPM ranges in second gear. First gear seems to be fine.
> 
> Also, the exhaust has definitely been tuned to eliminate sound in the 2-3k range. There's a strange "hollow" spot in the rev range. The full Milltek exhaust fixes that problem, but I'm afraid it drones as well. I'm hopeful that the APR exhaust solves all of these problems. I also hope it's TüV approved!
> 
> - Jeremy -


 Mine has the same mind of its own, especially during a 1-2 shift with a little gas. The flap seems to open for a second, then close again.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Marty said:


> Mine has the same mind of its own, especially during a 1-2 shift with a little gas. The flap seems to open for a second, then close again.


 The flap does open even when not in sport mode. You can hear it on the dyno. After a set RPM, it's open. When I have a chance, I'll ask engineering if they can pull up the maps to see when it opens.


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

This may be a naive question, but what effect, if any, will the Sport Button have on the RSC exhaust? Is there still going to be a flap, and will it open/close automatically? 

I can't quite figure out when the flap decides to open/close with the OEM exhaust, either. I regularly find, when I've come to a complete stop, that the flap decided to close itself, and that it then remains closed for as long as the clutch pedal is depressed: release it and the flap opens, at least until I set off. In low-speed stop and go, e.g. when navigating a parking lot with lots of speed bumps, the flap opens and closes all the time, and rarely in a way I like. I've also observed the behavior Marty describes.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

fourtunes said:


> This may be a naive question, but what effect, if any, will the Sport Button have on the RSC exhaust? Is there still going to be a flap, and will it open/close automatically?


 The button will not have an effect on the exhaust. 

The flap is there to keep the exhaust quiet when driving around town. Pushing the button opens the flap so it's full on sound. When you go WOT or drive aggressively, the flap opens even if the sport mode button is not clicked. 

The RSC exhaust is quiet in the lower RPM's around town and doesn't drone, therefor it wasn't necessary to install the valve as it would be unnecessary extra cost.


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

OK, thanks. That works for me.


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

Actually, I have one more question: a few German TT-RS owners have been forcing the OEM flap open by intercepting the control signal to the magnetic valve that controls the vacuum pressure to the flap. This works fine, but causes the ECU to log faults. 

With the RSC exhaust, is the magnetic valve still wired up?


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

fourtunes said:


> Actually, I have one more question: a few German TT-RS owners have been forcing the OEM flap open by intercepting the control signal to the magnetic valve that controls the vacuum pressure to the flap. This works fine, but causes the ECU to log faults.
> 
> With the RSC exhaust, is the magnetic valve still wired up?


 I don't remember, but it doesn't cause faults.


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

Alright. Thanks again. 

Do you have an approximate ETA (this month, next month, a few months from now) for the exhaust (I assume the answer will be "It'll be done when it'll be done", but I thought I'd ask anyway)?


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## mtbscoTT (Jan 14, 2003)

fourtunes said:


> Actually, I have one more question: a few German TT-RS owners have been forcing the OEM flap open by intercepting the control signal to the magnetic valve that controls the vacuum pressure to the flap. This works fine, but causes the ECU to log faults.
> 
> With the RSC exhaust, is the magnetic valve still wired up?


 Why do they bother with this circuitous path, when a simple tywrap around the vacuum line at the flap does the same thing?


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

mtbscoTT said:


> Why do they bother with this circuitous path, when a simple tywrap around the vacuum line at the flap does the same thing?


 Because they want to be able to switch it on/off from the cabin. See my post at the end of the TT-RS Flapper mod How-To thread.


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## fjork_duf (Jul 13, 2001)

[email protected] said:


> The button will not have an effect on the exhaust.
> 
> The flap is there to keep the exhaust quiet when driving around town. Pushing the button opens the flap so it's full on sound. When you go WOT or drive aggressively, the flap opens even if the sport mode button is not clicked.
> 
> The RSC exhaust is quiet in the lower RPM's around town and doesn't drone, therefor it wasn't necessary to install the valve as it would be unnecessary extra cost.


 This is somewhat of a nice by-product of replacing the stock exhaust. That way you can still have the awesome sound without having to be on the harsh suspension setting at all times.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

fourtunes said:


> Alright. Thanks again.
> 
> Do you have an approximate ETA (this month, next month, a few months from now) for the exhaust (I assume the answer will be "It'll be done when it'll be done", but I thought I'd ask anyway)?


 At this point I think it would be foolish of me to set an ETA till I know for sure when it will be in your hands. Again, I'm terribly sorry about the length of time this exhaust has taken to prepare. It's embarrassing to say the least.


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> At this point I think it would be foolish of me to set an ETA till I know for sure when it will be in your hands. Again, I'm terribly sorry about the length of time this exhaust has taken to prepare. It's embarrassing to say the least.


 And that is a understatement right.


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

[email protected] said:


> At this point I think it would be foolish of me to set an ETA till I know for sure when it will be in your hands. Again, I'm terribly sorry about the length of time this exhaust has taken to prepare. It's embarrassing to say the least.


 And almost 2 months later... how are things going?  I'm with fourtunes: I'd love to get rid of the drone in the car around town.


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## canuckttrs (Feb 5, 2012)

stock exhaust sounds perfect to me. they can take as long as they like


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

Marty said:


> And almost 2 months later... how are things going?  I'm with fourtunes: I'd love to get rid of the drone in the car around town.


 What drone!?!? You all know what I'm running...problem solved and added functionality.


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## [email protected] (Jul 29, 2008)

Marty said:


> And almost 2 months later... how are things going?  I'm with fourtunes: I'd love to get rid of the drone in the car around town.


 I was told it should be ready last week. :banghead:


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## fourtunes (Sep 16, 2011)

Very close, then? Do you have a price point, yet?


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## trichards69 (Feb 8, 2012)

*AWE Switch path is your solution....*

The flapper can be opened or closed via switch in the ashtray without enabling sport mode. I have had mine for two weeks now after having a full milltek cat-less system for 3 months. The AWE system sounds better and the connivence of the switch is amazing. Oh...and it's available now.


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

trichards69 said:


> The flapper can be opened or closed via switch in the ashtray without enabling sport mode. I have had mine for two weeks now after having a full milltek cat-less system for 3 months. The AWE system sounds better and the connivence of the switch is amazing. Oh...and it's available now.


 This is the APR RSC thread, not an AWE thread. I don't see how you can honestly claim (subjectively) that one "sounds better" than another without hearing both in person. 

The AWE system just looks like another set of pipes and another random muffler setup (no reason to believe it's any louder or quieter than stock, but they're usually louder in this case). At least the APR system is actively engineered and advertised to cancel specific drone frequencies, with supporting *quantitative* data. Kudos to APR for stepping up on that.


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## YYC Dubber (Jun 23, 2011)

before this thread requires a flame retardant suit, I would like to ask Arin if they have a ballpark price for the system...


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## trichards69 (Feb 8, 2012)

*awe system*

When I said it sounded better, I was referring to the Milltek system I had on my car for a while. I have no idea what the APR system will sound like. I'm sure it will be amazing. More of an impulse post than anything else.


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

The Milltek Sport Race system is still the best sounding exhaust out there.


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## Poverty (Feb 17, 2012)

no its not, it sounds like a tractor at idle


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

R5T said:


> The Milltek Sport Race system is still the best sounding exhaust out there.


 And gray is the best looking color out there!


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## JohnLZ7W (Nov 23, 2003)

Marty said:


> And gray is the best looking color out there!


 That is a correct statement


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I concur!


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

Poverty said:


> no its not, it sounds like a tractor at idle


 That's also the case with that scorpi-something exhaust the AWE the APR and so on.


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## Poverty (Feb 17, 2012)

my scorpion doesnt sound like a tractor on idle


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

Bringing this thread back from the dead!

How many folks here have an APR RSC exhaust on their TT-RS? Anybody put one on a a car with a stock downpipe / midpipe?

I'm curious if the exhaust is actually quieter than stock when cruising around town (less drone and low frequency vibrations), and how it compares to stock volume-wise at higher loads / full-throttle.

Can anybody comment from first-hand experience? 

After driving up-hill for a few hours this last weekend, I'd be happy to reduce the volume of the stock sport exhaust a bit when cruising under a bit of load.


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

JohnLZ7W said:


> That is a correct statement


Brief interruption Gentlemen...

JohnLZ7W, this is just so beautiful...!

...right, carry on with your exhaust note discussions Gentlemen...


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

[email protected] said:


> Brief interruption Gentlemen...
> 
> JohnLZ7W, this is just so beautiful...!
> 
> ...right, carry on with your exhaust note discussions Gentlemen...


They forgot to paint his car.


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## MSS Automotive (Mar 20, 2013)

Marty said:


> They forgot to paint his car.


...:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> The flap does open even when not in sport mode. You can hear it on the dyno. After a set RPM, it's open. When I have a chance, I'll ask engineering if they can pull up the maps to see when it opens.


i think you can remove all flap movement from the engine software and make the flap, button operation only. 
It will be quiet all the time, and loud after the push of the button.


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## 1QWIKWHP (Oct 19, 2012)

Marty said:


> Bringing this thread back from the dead!
> 
> How many folks here have an APR RSC exhaust on their TT-RS? Anybody put one on a a car with a stock downpipe / midpipe?
> 
> ...


I have the complete system on my car and can say there is no drone also the car isn't obnoxiously loud when driving around town, after it gets past 4k it opens up a little louder but nothing crazy. To be honest I'm not crazy about the sound but there really isn't any TTRS exhaust that sounds great but I have to say the APR fit and finish is the main reason why I chose them. You have to realize I'm coming from a B7 S4 with the Fast Intentions full exhaust non-res and hands down has to be one of the best sounding exhausts for any Audi nothing like the sound of V8. Just my .2


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

1QWIKWHP said:


> I have the complete system on my car and can say there is no drone also the car isn't obnoxiously loud when driving around town, after it gets past 4k it opens up a little louder but nothing crazy. To be honest I'm not crazy about the sound but there really isn't any TTRS exhaust that sounds great but I have to say the APR fit and finish is the main reason why I chose them. You have to realize I'm coming from a B7 S4 with the Fast Intentions full exhaust non-res and hands down has to be one of the best sounding exhausts for any Audi nothing like the sound of V8. Just my .2


Thanks! So is the exhaust quieter than stock below 4000 RPM? What about the sound don't you like?


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## 1QWIKWHP (Oct 19, 2012)

Marty said:


> Thanks! So is the exhaust quieter than stock below 4000 RPM? What about the sound don't you like?


It not going to be quiter than stock once you replace the dp, if you just kept stock dp and just did the cat back it most likely pretty close to stock but then lose out on the power gains from dp. Because of APR's dp you just hear a lot more from the engine which is not a bad thing for me. The worst part of the sound is only from under 4k and it has the diesel tractorish kinda sound:laugh:


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## TTRStud (Jul 18, 2013)

Call me crazy but I like the diesel tractor-ish sound. It's interesting how much attention it attracts simply because bystanders can't digest that such sound could possibly come from such a small car. Tap the gas and hear that turbine wheel spinning...Ahhh what a symphony! 

On the note of droning, I think all exhausts, including OEM, will have some droning properties, given that metals can be tuned for resonance, but what this does is move the resonance frequency from one point of the rpm range to another. After reading through this thread, people seem to be experiencing drone at around 2000rpm with the oem sport exhaust. I have 034 2nd cat bypass pipes mated to a Borla Atak exhaust, and the resonance has moved up to around 2400-2800rpm depending on load/boost levels - this leads to some resonance inside the cabin, which I'm still deciding whether I want to live with, or address the issue by swapping out 1 component at a time with its oem counterpart. I get the feeling that the secondary cats also act as resonators, so the culprit is probably the cat-bypass pipes...but who knows, maybe the Borla had some resonance of its own. 

One thing is for sure: the car sounds gloriously good...and for whoever said that there isn't a single exhaust for the ttrs that sounds good, I suggest you listen to the Borla Atak (with all due respect since this is not a Borla thread).


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## Black BeauTTy (Jun 11, 2011)

I was the development car for AWE and we did the exhaust build in stages. There is definitely more sound produced with the secondary delete pipes installed. The cats almost act like resonators. Put them back on and see if that helps the tone for you.


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## 311-in-337 (Feb 19, 2003)

Black BeauTTy said:


> I was the development car for AWE and we did the exhaust build in stages. There is definitely more sound produced with the secondary delete pipes installed. The cats almost act like resonators. Put them back on and see if that helps the tone for you.




Agreed. The secondary cats act as resonators, kinda.

Once I replaced the secondary cats with actual resonators...tractor sound was gone! :thumbup:

Like I stated in a thread I started, Borla ATAK + AWE mids with resonators installed = PERFECT tone/sound.


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

So nobody else has one of these RSC exhausts on their TT-RS?


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## 1TT1 (Sep 27, 2007)




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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

1TT1 said:


>


Thanks, I've definitely watched that one a few times.  Though it unfortunately mixes the downpipe / mid-pipe change with the RSC swap for stock, so there isn't a great video with the sound of a stock TT-RS with an RSC cat-back.

Plus, videos have a hard time capturing the low-frequency resonances, so I'm hoping someone out there who can hear the stock "drone" has swapped in an RSC and can comment on the difference there.


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## IPSA (Dec 25, 2011)

Ful RSC>

At idle sounds a bit boat like. Under load sounds great. No real resonance, there is a bit of a raspy sound in the down pipe as RPM's build .Kind of a neat sound. Also has nice back pressure sound on decel.

Have a few thousand miles on it and seems to be less boat like at idle now.Also takes 17 lbs out of car if i recall correctly.


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