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Tue Feb 03, 2009 5:40 am

I finally got the bug back up and running. Its odd, the body is perfectly rust free and for the most part pretty straight, but the driveline/suspension is in shambles... piece by piece!

But curious, whats the opinion of the VW crowd on stinger exhausts? The car has an open header at the moment which simulates the sound of my lawn mower on steroids.
Not something I'm particularly fond of.

I like the looks of the stinger but haven't heard one in person. But the rest of the exhaust systems, they just don't have a look I care for. I don't want to add something that will turn peoples noses towards the sky though...

I do know to stay away from EMPI .... the Tri-mill Euro exhaust has a fantastic sound though.

Tue Feb 03, 2009 6:45 am

Running an open exhaust is not good for a street engine. When running the valves are HOT. So hot they have gone past glowing orange to glowing white.

When you shut the engine down, cold air is allowed to travel up the open exhaust and cool the hot valves too quickly. This causes the valve to warp. That leads to a burnt valve or valve seat.

As for running a stinger with a baffle, this can also be a pain. You have to remember its there ALL the time. You need to be careful where you park. You can't walk around the back of the car without tripping over it.

There are several different stingers and they all sound different depending on the baffle used, the length of the pipe, the diameter and also the amount of taper to the pipe.

Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:03 am

I'll throw my 2 cents in... I run a stinger because I like the way it looks and sounds and 95% of my driving is interstate or country roads. I don't like the way stingers sound on stockish engines but I love the way mine sounds when I wind it up running through the gears. I've never been pulled over for the stinger but I keep the RPM's down in town. I live in Florida and drive it 45 miles each way to and from work and I personally have not had any valve related issues. I am currently looking for a different exhuast simply becuase I go to work before 6AM some mornings and I usually push the car down to the road and start and pull away with the RPM's as low as I can to keep happy neighbors. Anyway, if you like the way it looks and sounds I say run it. If you are driving it normal it's not any louder than a Harley or any of the kids running around with 4" mufflers on their Hondas and Scions. Sorry for the long post. Good luck.

Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:31 am

I cut a stinger in half and welded an old glass pack onto it. Sounds really good. Not quite as open as a stinger, quieter, more backpressure(the good kind of backpressure) and it's huge. It sticks so far out the back of the car, it looks sweet.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:58 am

buzzboy wrote: I cut a stinger in half and welded an old glass pack onto it. Sounds really good. Not quite as open as a stinger, quieter, more backpressure(the good kind of backpressure) and it's huge. It sticks so far out the back of the car, it looks sweet.

Picture! Picture!

I have a stinger on my 1600dp. when tuned right, it sounds awesome.
I also find my self running through town at lower RPMs.
Plus, if your horn is as quirky as mine....not working when you need it to and working when it shouldn't....the stinger can double as a "Move your ass!!! The light is green!!!" horn. ;)

Wed Feb 04, 2009 9:38 am

heres my motor out of my car with a stinger that i'm quite fond of. I'm yet to take it apart and figure out what size it is. got the bug from a guy in exchange for my motorcycle. but ya, here she is.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 10:59 am

hahahah g&r thats what i do with my baja, i have stinger on it too and i somtimes push it down the street to avoid getting the 5-0 called on me :P

Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:34 am

Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:04 pm

I only run an open stinger on my '70 Bug when bracket racing at the local 1/8 mile strip... and that's mainly because I haven't got a tach yet. When running against uncorked V8s, it helps me hear the engine a little better than with the single QP that's usually on there.

FWIW, the Bugpack stinger/baffle combos are probably the quietest ones out there. AS mentiontioned in this thread, it depends on the pipe diameter and baffle style. The EMPI stingers (had one of those in my younger days before discovering what garbage their parts really are) with the fiberglass-wrapped baffles are definitely louder, while the Bugpack baffles, wrapped in fiberglass and tin foil, seem to tone down the noise appreciatively.

I'm not so much a fan of stingers on stock engines anymore, as I think mufflers have quite a bit more going for them in terms of style and performance. I know my 1776 is a bit more sluggish with the stinger on the bottom end versus the muffler.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 12:14 pm

I currently run a stinger. I hate it. It's too loud and the baffle has come out of it twice. Pea shooters work the best for my low car, but I have a 1776 now with a merged header.

BTW...Be very careful backing up if you're parked on an incline as the stinger becomes a kick stand digging into the asphalt.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:24 pm

gdc73 wrote: buzzboy wrote: I cut a stinger in half and welded an old glass pack onto it. Sounds really good. Not quite as open as a stinger, quieter, more backpressure(the good kind of backpressure) and it's huge. It sticks so far out the back of the car, it looks sweet.

Picture! Picture!
She's a monster. Previous owner(of the stinger) bent it upwards(louder?) and I continued with the theme to add to the ground clearence(I broke my old header that way).

I have been told to remove the weather cap and I agree. I will cut the flared tip off the glasspack and weld a smaller diameter 90* bend onto it to solve the rain issue and possibly quiet it down a bit.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 3:57 pm

I'm sorry man, but someone has got to say this, damn, that is god-awful ugly. I know times are tough but geez what the hell were you thinking?

Having been in the VW scene for 30+ years I gotta say, street use of a stinger is punk. Specially on a stock motor. I've done it, I was once a punk kid, I thought that making noise was cool. I made fun of the folks who tripped over it, and the little kids that burned themselves on it. It was funny. But now that I'm no longer 16, I realize what a jackass I was. But the real kicker is that running a stinger will actually decrease your street performance. They are designed for racing, when the motor is ran WFO. So driving around on the street with an stinger will not only piss of your neighbors and anyone within ear-shot, but will demonstrate to most folks that know a little about VW performance that you know nothing about VW performance.

-jeffrey

Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:30 pm

Well aware that it's ugly as sin. I am working on designing a new exhaust for it but I don't know what yet.

Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:25 pm

jhicken wrote: I'm sorry man, but someone has got to say this, damn, that is god-awful ugly. I know times are tough but geez what the hell were you thinking?

Having been in the VW scene for 30+ years I gotta say, street use of a stinger is punk. Specially on a stock motor. I've done it, I was once a punk kid, I thought that making noise was cool. I made fun of the folks who tripped over it, and the little kids that burned themselves on it. It was funny. But now that I'm no longer 16, I realize what a jackass I was. But the real kicker is that running a stinger will actually decrease your street performance. They are designed for racing, when the motor is ran WFO. So driving around on the street with an stinger will not only piss of your neighbors and anyone within ear-shot, but will demonstrate to most folks that know a little about VW performance that you know nothing about VW performance.

-jeffrey

=D>

I've always said, to each his/her own, but I agree 100%...(and yes, i was a punk with a stinger too... but not a stock engine which made the thing even louder...)

Wed Feb 04, 2009 7:12 pm

Stingers are very dangerous on a street car and should never be used. Imagine the horror and liability if a child tripped and fell on your scalding hot stinger and badly burned himself and scarring himself for life. Could you live with that? What if that child were yours?

I agree 100%, stingers are punk ass bullshit on a street car.

Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:11 am

vwracerdave wrote: Stingers are very dangerous on a street car and should never be used. Imagine the horror and liability if a child tripped and fell on your scalding hot stinger and badly burned himself and scarring himself for life. Could you live with that? What if that child were yours?

I agree 100%, stingers are punk ass bullshit on a street car.

How about everyone just watch where your going. Man you can walk into a vehicle hitch, you can trip on a curb, you can trip on a cart at walmart. How about watch what the hell your doing and take personal responsibility for your actions and let people put the mods on there cars that they want to and leave them alone.

Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:43 am

Anyone with a stinger knows full well it extends well past the normal dimensions of their car. If one parks their stingermobile near where kids normally play and it burns one of them ... well, let's just say the stinger owner wouldn't want me on the jury of that civil case.

I'm all about personal responsibility, too, but that goes for those who depart from the norm as well. Parking it safely and responsibly is just as important as driving it as such.

The trailer hitch, curb and shopping cart attempts at being analogous fail. Next case.

Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:13 am

For real? Stop the bitching and slamming on each other.

Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:22 pm

Damn y'all made me feel so bad about myself that I broke down and bought a single quiet pack today.

Thu Feb 05, 2009 7:13 pm

you know you wanted it :P