Phoenix

New Exhaust on the block: the Phoenix

A recent release (2000) onto the MGF exhaust market is the Phoenix exhaust system. The company that manufacture it come with big claims for their product. It looks good, and like the other systems tested, is well made and attractive. An unusual stylistic feature is the allen key bolts on the tail pipes. Interesting to say the least! A plainer version is also available.

The performance tests were commisioned by the company, and performed with the help of a local member of the MGOC on his own car at an independent rolling road. Below are two of the power curves recorded.

This first curve demonstrates two potential problems when comparing the results between different rolling roads and different cars. Both the black and the green results are recorded from standard MGFs, although what immediately becomes clear is that the green curves are significantly lower than the black curves: the black curves are the results from the MG World exhaust system tests, the green curves from the Phoenix tests. The problem could be with the rolling road, or with the car being tested suffering from a loss of power. Both sets of tests were performed on good faith- so it means that when one looks at rolling road results (even the ones here!) one needs to be wary of absolute power gain quotations- but look at the power gains, and consider what the causes of an unexpectedly low standard curve might be, and indeed how a particular 'good' result might have been achieved...

The Phoenix tests appear to have been well designed and conducted (from what I've been told). They even compared their system with the (by then) acknowledged 'gold standard' exhaust system: Mike Satur's Daytona system (although I personally cannot confirm this). The power curves between the Phoenix and the Daytona are practically identical (the Phoenix claiming a marginal, but insignificant, upper hand).