# Project TTS-SF: Part 10 - Waiting to Exhale



## [email protected] (Apr 9, 2004)

by: Jason Crouch

Welcome to installment 10 in our 12 show series for the TTS/SF project car build-up for Fourtitude.com. In our last installment, we traded out 4 items to coincide with all of the new power mods that Project TTS/SF had seen during the initial 8 webisodes of this series. With our next installment of Project TTS-SF, we really wanted to give the Audi a voice, via the Meisterschaft GTC valved quad exhaust. 

Outside of the Audi S3 and the Volkswagen Golf R (which has not made it to our shores yet), the 265 hp variant of the 2.0T has only a handful of options for a full exhaust system. That point is driven further when you look at the actual number of TTS’ in the states, which is unfortunately a smaller number than the 200hp 2.0T TT. So upon contemplating all the options and watching many exhaust sound videos from the UK and Europe, I narrowed my selection down to one manufacturer who was thinking outside of the box. GT Haus/Meisterschaft located out in the Chicago area of Illinois was doing some things that I considered to be much like the TTS - cutting edge. Their premium exhaust systems are designed and tuned to provide the maximum performance gain without sacrificing the exotic exhaust note. 









GTHaus/Meisterschaft combines cutting-edge technology and finely-tuned craftsmanship, utilizing state-of-the-art plasma cutting and laser welding equipment. Beginning with the highest grade T304 and T316 Stainless steel from POSCO and Premium titanium alloy from Shin Nippon, all attention to detail is given to the production of every unit, from start to finish. No detail goes unnoticed, from the high grade glass wool pack utilized for these Meisterschaft units in order to withstanding extreme temperatures, to each bend and weld. Application, fitments and fine finish of each unit are all carefully pre-tested, with strict quality control measures at every point of production, ensuring only complete perfection from the GTHaus Meisterschaft systems and this exhaust was certainly no exception.

Clearly we’re talking about a pretty unique and special system and that calls for having a shop that is equally as special, to handle the install of this valved exhaust system. In the Bay Area there is a shop that has created some of the most complicated engine swaps and high horsepower builds that the Audi and Volkswagen scene has ever witnessed. They are absolute legends and for this unique exhaust system, I wanted a unique installer. Enter Ken and Tim from Tomas Sport Tuning. These two have been working their tails off to help build a scene. Every GTG I go to out here, these guys show up. So they’re not just sitting at their shop waiting for the business to roll in, they are personally, deeply embedded in the scene. They keep it really real and that’s why myself and everyone else in NorCal and beyond have nothing but love and respect for what they’ve created.









Tim Tomas is a full-blown perfectionist, which I can really appreciate and watching him preplan the work before getting out any tools is how all shops should operate. As those of you who follow this series already know, this TTS is running the awesome APR divorced downpipe and midpipe which worked out great for assisting the exhaust gases in getting out of the engine. However the idea of enlarging the passageways to further expel exhaust in a car with this much power is really a given. This Meisterschaft system with the higher flow components really aids in the TTS breathing out.

So to understand the GTC valving, it is essentially an electronic cut-off. When the car is in what I call “civil mode” (which is about ¾ of the time) the exhaust passes through a series of two mufflers and then out the passenger side twin tips. This happens because the valve is closed. As it passes through each chamber, it muffles and deadens the resonance giving it a slightly louder and gruffer tone than the stock TTS exhaust system. However when the valving is opened, the exhaust gasses pump out of the downpipe and straight through to the rear mufflers at which point it is only muffled once and thereby has a thunderous tone which amplifies the DSG crackle in pretty much the best way possible. I like to call this, “action mode”!









Check out the accompanying video to get a better feel for how this Meisterschaft system works and sounds.

*RESOURCES:*

Installation shop - http://www.tomassporttuning.com/

Meisterschaft - http://www.gthaus.com/









*Tune in to the next installment here on Fourtitude:*
To see what we had the guys at Audio Images do to secure this car and we’ll also cover some countermeasure technologies on Project TTS/SF.


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