Late +2 Peco silencer

[JimE]

I made an inquiry with SJ Sportscars about the late S 130 silencer they have for sale. Steve told me it was NOS and was the only one he had which he has now sold. I said that some +2 owners had expressed an interest in the later silencer as it produces a good sound. He said that had he know there was a demand he would have had some new ones made up using the original as a template. If anyone has kept a used original Peco silencer, and not consigned it to the rubbish bin, and there is a genuine demand for it, then it could be reproduced although the connecting pipe would need to be modified to get a better fit if desired. I had to cut mine and reweld after lining up in situ. Food for thought. Jim

[Grizzly]

Interesting.... I would put my name down for one (depending on price of course). I also inquired a couple of times but i never got a reply.

I saw the picture Sjsportscar had on their web site and i didn't think it was an Original (i thought that was a reproduction) the reason i say that is i've never seen one just aerosol'd black before? i have had a few +2 Peco boxes pass through my hands and they have all been grey hammer finish. i even have a 2 seater Peco back box that is Grey Hammer finish too.

[Bud English]

Mine is just like the picture, but is flat black except for the chrome tip. That all appears to be original. I'd never seen another so had nothing to compare it to. I even thought the 18GA outer shell might have been a heavy duty repair done at some point, but I can see from the photo that it's original. It's built like a tank and weighs almost as much. No added lightness here. I think the heavy construction may help produce the sound that I really like.

I'm debating building one from scratch with these dimensions except for a 2" input or modifying this one by putting in a 2" primary tube. Overall it's in good shape except for the badly pitted and rusted chrome tip and some road rash on the bottom at the front. I'm leaning toward the mod. Exhaust is one of the things I'm working on while the shell is at the paint shop turning yellow.

[JimE]

The one I have fitted to my car is as per your photo but I painted it black as that is how Lotus had them made. This is the 3rd one I have fitted to my car which I have had nearly from new. My Europa Special had a very similar silencer so Lotus were clearly using the same supplier at the time. Jim

[Grizzly]

Must admit i've always toyed with the idea of having an identical one made from stainless, only problem is the one fitted to my +2 would almost definitely fall to bits if i tried to remove it plus i wounder if it would sound as good if it was Stainless.....

[Elanintheforest]

I love the sound of the Peco, but was never convinced by it's appearance!

It looks too bulky and 'aftermarket' for the slim and elegant lines of the Plus 2. This was my car a few years back, and whilst the silencer looked a bit tatty so stood out a bit more, it was mounted as high up as I could get it.

I also really doubt that it's superb sound could be replicated with a stainless steel box. They always seem to sound very harsh compared to mild steel boxes. The S4 twin pipe silencer is a great example. One of the best sounding systems on an Elan in mild steel, but almost painfully harsh (not just loud) in stainless.

[draenog]

I have a Peco exhaust on the car at the moment. I was planning on replacing it over the winter with a NOS Lotus oval silencer as judging by the soot marks it is starting to leak. It was on the car when I got it and I've never liked the look. Soundwise it's always been pretty loud but that could be because it's knackered (my brother in the house with the doors and windows shut can tell when I take the car out and when I come back). I'll keep it in case anybody wants it for a pattern.

[Grizzly]

Elanintheforest, i agree.... From my personal experience Stainless has allot of down sides (my problem was the extra radiant heat from the stainless) but yes they always seem more raspy/loud, the appeal of the Peco box was always it's very round burble that wasn't intrusive in the cabin, but that said i've had two MS Peco boxes fail in my 30 year ownership of the +2 so it would be nice to have a bit of Longevity.... I forgive the weight and look of the box as that is a trade off for the sound but one problem i always seemed to have was because it didn't stick out very far, i used to get exhaust gasses finding their way into my boot in traffic (boot rubber may have had some thing to do with that too)


I contacted a friend yesterday who worked for one of Peco's outlets to see if he could have a word (would have been great if they did another run of them) but seems Peco went bust in 2008 not sure if that means making copies is easier or not but it's sad to see another old school manufacturer go under.

[gus]

If there is a difference in sound from the stainless, it is most likely poor build quality rather than the material.

Stainless also has poorer heat transfer properties than mild steel, so I doubt again, that it is a materials issue if heat is an issue

There is a lot of science in silencer design, now, at least. In the 70's it was probably mostly luck.

[Grizzly]

Gus, in theory you are correct... Yes Stainless takes longer to heat up but once it's hot radiates heat WAY more than Mild steel (i have witnessed this on more than one occasion), in theory you should be correct on the MS v's Stainless sound as well but in reality the Stainless system is very rarely the same wall thickness and MS might be a bit heavier but almost every time sounds better like for like.

[gus]

Well, I am going to have to disagree.

Stainless steel, especially polished, has a much lower emissivity than mild steel, as well as a lower thermal conductance.

So it is practically as reflective as lo E glass when polished, where old rusty steel is much more the perfect radiator.

and steel is twice as thermally conductive.

so stainless is both an insulator and a reflector, compared to mild steel

again, I am sure the effects you witness are real, the reasons are other than material related.

I have run a stainless exhaust in my plus two for 30 some years, and have had no heat issues.....

[gherlt]

I got an Elan S4/Sprint original Peco silencer, unused.
I suppose no similarity to the +2 one ?

In any case, for sale, location Spain, if somebody is interested, please PM me.

[JimE]

I am interested in your original silencer. Jim. PM sent.

[Grizzly]

I have a 2 seater Peco fitted to my 2 seater and it's very different to my +2 version (Much Louder).

[Bud English]

I'd bet those don't have the third, internal tube. The +2 box is like taking that one, cutting the tail pipe 1/4" from the box, and adding a 2" deep chamber at the end of the box with a 3" baffled tail pipe mounted in the middle. You can see what I mean, looking into the +2 box with a light. You can see the offset internal tube. Not having taken the one I have apart, I don't know if the internal tube is perforated or not. I'm guessing it's not.