# Shooting flames out of the exhaust???



## GTI 20th AE #1421 (Dec 7, 2006)

ok people i know this is called VWVortex but i have a question related to Subaru's. i have been watching videos on them and have noticed a couple in which the car shoots flames or "fireballs" out from the exhaust. now i understand this has alot to do with compression and all that, but can any vehicle do this for example our VW's?? i know this is not just Subaru's that do this i have seen the Dhalback Golf and several Audi S4's do this as well. but how does a turbocharged car do this?? dont FI motors need low compression? now i have a 24v VR6 Jetta and would like to know if this could be done to my car and how. also without one of those flame thrower kits that only let fuel run through your engine and mess things up
anyone have any ideas, advice, or seen this on a jetta??
thanks to anyone who chimes in on the subject


----------



## GTI 20th AE #1421 (Dec 7, 2006)

*Re: FV-QR (eurowner)*


_Quote, originally posted by *eurowner* »_http://forums.subdriven.com/

yeah man but what do i do with this??
i mean can no one tell me anything on this subj.???


----------



## MikeWO (Nov 21, 2007)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (GTI 20th AE #1421)*

I don't remember the details, but I was talking to a buddy who was saying when he turbos his 2.0 ABA, if he keeps the cam he has now it will shoot flames on deceleration.
I'll have to ask the details again, but it's a place to start http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## Boogety Boogety (Jun 22, 2003)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (GTI 20th AE #1421)*









I mean. do you _want _to shoot flames out of your exhaust?








Jeeez... the things I read here that people want to do to/with their precious cars...








Years ago, and I mean _years _ago, back in the mid 60s, I bought an old Studebaker Champion for the lordly sum of $150. Slow as molasses, heavy as a battleship, drank 30-cent gas like it was lemonade, but man, it had that propeller-looking front end, everybody loved the ol' Champ.
You could come off a stop, get to about ten-twelve mph, and turn off the engine while on the move... pump the accelerator wildly six or eight times... and turn the ignition key back on to on. A _huge _backfire blast would ensue, with a four-or-five foot flame emanating from the tailpipe. It sounded like those carbide cannons they have at parades and on the Fourth of July. Scared more than one traffic-directing cop across the Mexico border in Reynosa... I stopped doing it there when one was so terrified, he pulled his weapon in wild panic and aimed it at our rapidly-, and prudently-, departing Champ!








And then one fine day, I was showing off for some hottie and pulled the ol' backfire trick... and blew my ratty muffler clean off the car... I went home with the Champ sounding like a tractor...















Finally sold the Champ three years later... for $150! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


----------



## GTI 20th AE #1421 (Dec 7, 2006)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (Boogety Boogety)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Boogety Boogety* »_








I mean. do you _want _to shoot flames out of your exhaust?








Jeeez... the things I read here that people want to do to/with their precious cars...








Years ago, and I mean _years _ago, back in the mid 60s, I bought an old Studebaker Champion for the lordly sum of $150. Slow as molasses, heavy as a battleship, drank 30-cent gas like it was lemonade, but man, it had that propeller-looking front end, everybody loved the ol' Champ.
You could come off a stop, get to about ten-twelve mph, and turn off the engine while on the move... pump the accelerator wildly six or eight times... and turn the ignition key back on to on. A _huge _backfire blast would ensue, with a four-or-five foot flame emanating from the tailpipe. It sounded like those carbide cannons they have at parades and on the Fourth of July. Scared more than one traffic-directing cop across the Mexico border in Reynosa... I stopped doing it there when one was so terrified, he pulled his weapon in wild panic and aimed it at our rapidly-, and prudently-, departing Champ!








And then one fine day, I was showing off for some hottie and pulled the ol' backfire trick... and blew my ratty muffler clean off the car... I went home with the Champ sounding like a tractor...















Finally sold the Champ three years later... for $150! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

i dont want my car to do this but i do want to know how others achieve this and if anyone has seen a 24v VR6 do it. cuz i would like to.


----------



## thetwodubheads (Dec 6, 2004)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (GTI 20th AE #1421)*

It has nothing to do with compression, but everything to do with tuning.
Stock cars can do it if the cat is removed and the car is running like crap.
Most likely the Subarus you saw doing it had some form of "Anti-Lag" programming, or were very rich on air fuel mixture. If too rich, when you let off the throttle to shift there is a slight moment when their is even less air passing into the motor, this will cause some un-burnt fuel to pass into the exhaust (or turbo, either way it's hot), this extra fuel then ignites from heat and if there is no catalytic converter in the way will come out of the tail-pipe. Now 'anti-lag' on the other-hand has to do with ignition timing. It is programmed that for a rev-limiter, the spark is retarded back, to the point it actually fires the spark plug right as, or after the exhaust valves open. This will cause the burning air/fuel mix, to continue burning in the manifold pre-turbo to spin it up for a quick start, or no loss of boost during shifts. Again, if no cat is there to catch the flame, it will continue to travel out the pipe.
It wouldn't be wise to put this on your car, it speeds up deterioration, and can melt stuff. If you were hell bent on getting it to work, find a large set of 'race' cams, and have a chip tuner program you a very rich deceleration map.


----------



## dallas04gli (Jun 25, 2007)

you can also do it if your cat is really hot, and you are running really rich, for example with a wot box on launch


----------



## wulfpack (May 22, 2007)

*Re: (dallas04gli)*

I have a BT 1.8t with no cats and it will shoot a 3 foot fire ball when I dont have the muffler on


----------



## VDub for Great Justice (May 24, 2007)

*Re: (wulfpack)*

it cant be that hard to rig up. Run a line from your gas tank into the tip or your exhaust and rig up some sort of ignition. Push a button and squirt burning gas out of your exhaust!
what could possibly go wrong?


----------



## JonnyPhenomenon (Jan 27, 2005)

*Re: (VDub for Great Justice)*

_disclaimer: I am no expert on Subarus. so I dont claim to be 100% accurate here. most of this information I learned from a friend of mine who knows a lot more._
what you are seeing is called anti lag. a quick reprogramming of the ECU (wich is free for subarus, not like a million bucks like APR or GIAC) will cause the motor to retard the timing to a point that is actually After the compression stroke. This keeps the turbo spooled up between shifts. useful with huge turbo setups that lose spool between shifts.
its really hard on the turbo and engine, not something you really want for every day use, but your ecu can be programmed so you can turn this on and off by the cruise control stalk with the car stationary. 
lots of cool stuff you can do (for free) to a stock subie. like Launch control and flat foot shifting to name a couple.
the software to reflash is free. the cable is a standard OBD2 to serial cable, and a little pigtail you dont even really need to put the ecu into programming mode. (a jumper wire will work too).
now I ask, why are we ******* around with these VWs??


----------



## 20VT*J4 (Aug 28, 2001)

*Re: (JonnyPhenomenon)*

Anti lag is not the only way to shoot flames...as posted above, remove cat while running rich can easily do it as well.
OP, why post this _again_? Didn't like the answers in the other thread?


----------



## Skid-Mark (Aug 24, 2008)

When in doubt, roast a few Hot Dogs with those exhaust flames.


----------



## R32R1 (Jul 1, 2008)

*Re: (Skid-Mark)*

mkiv vr cat-less w/ a tune can
mkiii 2.0T cat-less can


----------



## VeeRsixx (Jan 5, 2004)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (Boogety Boogety)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Boogety Boogety* »_








I mean. do you _want _to shoot flames out of your exhaust?








Jeeez... the things I read here that people want to do to/with their precious cars...








Years ago, and I mean _years _ago, back in the mid 60s, I bought an old Studebaker Champion for the lordly sum of $150. Slow as molasses, heavy as a battleship, drank 30-cent gas like it was lemonade, but man, it had that propeller-looking front end, everybody loved the ol' Champ.
You could come off a stop, get to about ten-twelve mph, and turn off the engine while on the move... pump the accelerator wildly six or eight times... and turn the ignition key back on to on. A _huge _backfire blast would ensue, with a four-or-five foot flame emanating from the tailpipe. It sounded like those carbide cannons they have at parades and on the Fourth of July. Scared more than one traffic-directing cop across the Mexico border in Reynosa... I stopped doing it there when one was so terrified, he pulled his weapon in wild panic and aimed it at our rapidly-, and prudently-, departing Champ!








And then one fine day, I was showing off for some hottie and pulled the ol' backfire trick... and blew my ratty muffler clean off the car... I went home with the Champ sounding like a tractor...















Finally sold the Champ three years later... for $150! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

Most excellent !!


----------



## Boosted_Bunny (Apr 23, 2003)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (VeeRsixx)*

yeah it's definitely a lot to do with a rich fuel mixture... the unburnt/unused fuel passes through the hot exhaust then hits the cold air temps outside, compresses a little more and voila! flames... F&F stylz.
..that or you could by a kit that does it.. now in several colors!


----------



## Sven7 (Sep 6, 2008)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (GotHerFast)*

In Dope Shizzz (Golf/Jetta I forum)


----------



## manys (Oct 27, 2007)

*Re: (VDub for Great Justice)*


_Quote, originally posted by *VDub for Great Justice* »_it cant be that hard to rig up. Run a line from your gas tank into the tip or your exhaust and rig up some sort of ignition. Push a button and squirt burning gas out of your exhaust!
what could possibly go wrong?

In fact this is similar to how they did it in the 50s/60s (as seen in the movie "Grease"). They wouldn't bother with the fuel line, but my understaning is that they'd install a sparkplug in the exhaust pipe and flip a switch to get the flames to shoot.


----------



## werksberg (Nov 20, 2007)

*Re: Shooting flames out of the exhaust??? (GotHerFast)*

I bought one of those kits to put on my Bug go kart, but have not got around to doing it. Something about having to pay the bills first before getting to play with the toys...and then too tire to do so.....


----------

