Did a review a few months back on it, here is is for ya

Product review of; Ashley 2” Exhaust Systems for the Mk3 Fiesta

When people start modifying a car usually the first thing they do is fit an exhaust. But the majority of the time people will only buy the back box, which in fairness does make the car sound nicer, but doesn’t really do that much for the performance. So the next step up is of course the full system replacement. Even better, but this will still give you only a moderate gain in power. To get maximum gain of bhp from any exhaust you need not only a decent system but a decent manifold too.

Ashley have been around for decades and have quite an impressive pedigree when it comes to making exhaust. So what makes them different from other aftermarket exhaust manufacturers? Quite simply they are cheaper than most other people out there. To give you an example a typical system with manifold will cost you around £230. When compared to maybe Mongoose or Scorpion your looking at maybe £400 an extra £100 to £150. But why? Simple they are not Stainless Steel. So now the prices are sorted out what about the systems themselves?


The Full System for the Mk3 Fiesta XR2i, as received and unwrapped.

When you received the parts they are all individually wrapped in PVC, okay nothing new about that. The full system for the XR2i includes all the items shown in the picture above and the fitting kit which contains the manifold gasket and clamps needed with the exception to the clamp bolts and springs to attach the exhaust to the manifold. These however you can take from the original system.

The manifold shown above is the typical 4-2-1 two inch system. This on its own should retail for about £100. You can see the manifold and collector pipe that is clamped together with your typical slip joint. It’s not bolted together like the original ford manifold, which if it seizes together it is VERY hard to get out, as myself and a friend had to remove both the front bumper and the radiator to get it out! Almost at once looking at the manifolds you can see the differences. The pipe walls are thinner and manifold is lighter. Fitting it is easy enough, just like the original ford unit, with the exception that you don’t have to bolt the manifold together. However this is also where the biggest weakness with the manifold lies, no matter how much adjustment you do to it, the collector pipe always seemed to blow, which was very irritating. Don’t know if it was my fitting skills but in the end I just used some sealant to stop it.

So now onto the system, the unit shown above is the typical 2” straight through system with a 3” tail pipe. Both boxes are de-baffled and like the manifold painted black. Easy enough to put together but not so straight forward when it comes to bolting it to the manifold. A section of silver pipe provided (shown in the first picture next to the mid silencer) needs to be cut to length and then the original clamp from the standard exhaust used to bolt it to the manifold. But after this is completed the system was very easy to hook onto the car and no problems found once done. Being non-stainless steel however meant that as soon as that nice looking black paint is scratched off it will rust which at this stage is really only the main problem with the system. But then again what do you want for just over £200? When you compare it to the original you see the pipes have more gentle bends in it and you are missing a silencer and again the whole unit feels lighter than the original.

So you have bought the system and fitted it all, so what is it like? Well the 3” tale pipe looks good and sits nicely in place of the old one, and being a 3” unless you know what you are looking at its very stealth. Starting the car up the change in note is very audible, is a little quieter than other units on the market but still give the car a nice burble. But additionally noise from under the bonnet is very audible. The exhaust gasses can be heard whooshing as it leaves the block, which is very satisfying. As for performance improvement there does feel like a loss or torque at the lower rev range but at mid and higher revs the response is much more eager and performance is noticeably improved. Before the system was fitted the XR2i would top out at 110mph in 5th, after the car would hit 115mph before topping out.

Certainly not for the person that wants to the noticed but if you’re into making a stealth street racer then this system is definitely for you. Its subtle looks still give way to the improvement in power. The noise is improved enough to give you a little smile but not enough to wake up the neighbours after that cruse down Southend. But the lack of non rusting stainless steel-ness will mean replacing in the future and maybe not as durable as the original or its higher priced counterparts, but is definitely value for money. Overall 3 out of 5.