Cheap stainless steel exhausts - any good?

Technical Area Engine, Transmission, Exhaust etc
2

A friend has acquired a serviceable 2004 1.6, but the exhaust needs replacing.

He likes the idea of a stainless one so he can forget about it.  There is no desire for additional performance or noise,

£200 sounds like a good deal, provided it fits and is properly made.  Otherwise of course a waste of money.  Mild steel, standard,  aftermarket parts from mx5parts for comparison look to be c. £180.

I’d be grateful for a steer on this, especially as I might end up giving a hand.

Trawling the web, I can see a lot of ‘performance’ systems but nothing in s/s that is nearer to a stock replacement.

He has spotted this:

?http://r.ebay.com/DxhHvs
 
Given it is described as a 'race/sport' system I would be concerned anyway about the noise - he (and especially I suspect his wife) won't want a lot of racket.  I'm not too keen on the chavvy 3.5" tailpipe either.
 
Any general advice, comments, or suggestions for alternatives?  He is happy to fit it himself (plenty of space and tools).
 
Incidentally, it looks extremely similar to this 'Japspeed' item - 
?
http://r.ebay.com/qwg1eQ
 
I'm sure this has come up before, but my searches have come up with mainly old posts containing dead links.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
3

I had the same requirement when I bought my 2005 Mark 2.5 Arctic about two years ago. I bought the Japspeed item off EBay (NOT the sport version) which is currently still available for about £240. This fitted perfectly with a new set of poly hangers from MX5 Parts. This item makes no claims about performance or noise enhancement and has a very pleasant exhaust note when pulling hard but otherwise is quite inoffensive. I have been down the Larini and Borla routes with previous MX5’s both of which were either very nice or very noisy depending on your perspective. It’s a fit and forget item other than giving it a good wipe over with Solvol or Peak to keep the bling factor. Dont worry about the tail pipe its quite short and doesnt look out of place on the car.

Hope this helps. 

4

That does help, Ian, thank you.

Have since come across Cybox, who manufacture off the peg and custom exhausts in Liverpool.  Has anybody had a 2.5 exhaust from them I wonder?  They look as if they are sleeve jointed so a bit of butchering might be required as the cat downpipe terminates in a flange.

5

To round this off, my pal bought a stainless cat back system for his 2.5 from Cybox, £215, after calling them and talking it through.

I haven’t seen it yet, but he says it fitted perfectly on the existing hangers and it did have a flange at the front of the mid-section.  It’s a bit louder than standard but “not unacceptable”.

If there’s any more to add I’ll edit this post.

EDIT:  The exhaust did come with a flange to fit the downpipe.