I approached Vortex exhausts on the Sunday at the Autosport show as I had a slight feeling that these guys could be some help to yours and my cause of tuning.
I had spoken to Blue Flame on the Saturday with some eagerness of taking advantage of there product and discounted off of purchasing a system from them at the show but something was drawing me to the Vortex stand, like a moth to a flame and I felt compiled to push myself upon them as in such a way of saying “look guys I’ve been used as a Guinn pig before for UK tuners” i.e Pumabuild quick shifter and Helix autosport clutch and flywheel that I had a this strong feeling that they could bring something to the party, and that was before I looked at or even read anything on there stand…lol!
I explained to them of what I had done to the our vehicle and how other companies have tried and managed to draw some power from it and to what lengths people on here have gone to to get 200bhp and at what cost.

I also went on to explain my passion for going on the track and working towards undertaking my ARDs test in the future, and to what spec my vehicle is at the moment. lol
I passed on my details and left it at that with a glimmer of hope that they would contact me in the near future; they did in a way of an automated email stating that my voucher was still valid and that I could contact the team to book in my vehicle, so I thought that was that so I concentrated on my next purchase Leda competition coilovers and remote reservoirs.

Then one day while I was chatting to my boss on the phone another caller was trying to get though, it wasn’t till I googled the number 30 minutes later till I found out it was Vortex exhausts, so after a explosion of excitement and my lass telling me to get off the phone to her and ring them back, I did and had a lengthy conversation to a very nice chap called Barry who’s words will ring in my ears for years to come “I’m very interested in your vehicle” so I booked the ST in and waited for Tuesday the 9th feb and it couldn’t come quick enough until Friday night at work before after I had planned to clean the car inside and out and get it presentable for the coming Tuesday I badly sprained my ankle and that was that until Dan my van driving bestest buddy stepped in on Monday night and offered to drive a car that isn’t a van or drives like any ordinary car at 4am to get to junction 30 on the M25 for 9am that morning, and he did and found the car in his words “very different to a skoda Octavia” lol.. bless him.

I arrived that morning with no hopes of power gains or how brill it would be, I had of course being looking at you tube and looking on Vortex’s website and even researching if they imported there goods as when I picked up the piece of exhaust the Vortex part I just thought of an aircraft engine but with out the moving parts and thought, brilliant!!! but dose it work will it cause a sucking effect and help alleviate the exhaust gasses and make the engine burn more efficiently, well if it don’t I have a new shiny exhaust if anything.
We sat down with Barry and a coffee as I was pushing bear on 26 hours of being awake at that point and he explained what he wanted to do with my car and what to expect, more power, better fuel economy the usual sales pitch, so I thought (yes I’m sometimes very pessimistic) but I am a tangible kind of guy.lol

So as we were having a nice chat and I was ordering the biggest breakfast Baggett in history the guys had been out in the ST and had done a 0 – 60 mph test and plugged some computer stuff in to the ecu and a sticker on the back wheel and a sucker to the side of the car measuring the wheel speed and acquired some data to get a starting point before the Vortex exhaust went on.

Barry then explained that a 2/12” system was to be put on and showed me where his Vortex part would sit and then let me choose the tail pipe design, (that took the most time and pictures) as I left the design boss at home sleeping so lots of picture messages and emails rammed with pictures of random arms holding tail pipes up to the back of the car, then we/sorry she found one she liked and it’s not a bad decision to be fair.
Well about 4 hours later and a bit of a snooze in Barry office as the boys Dan and James had gone for a walk to the Lake Side shopping centre, (good excuse to take your girls shopping guys and park your car wink wink) I went o see how the fitter was getting on but the car was out testing, 30 minutes passed and I heard this nice tight burble and then my saw my bright headlights and though yep here she is and that sounds nice, the tester got out of the car with a very pleased grim on his face and walked over to me and shook my hand and said what a lovely car you have, (hhmmmm what’s he done to it I thought) and the computer tester guy got out and seemed very pleased with himself also.?


So I said to the tester come on jump in the passenger side and give me directions I want to see for myself what you are both grinning about.
I started her up and though yeh she’s ticking over real smoother and I drove upto the end of the road and found straight away that gear changing was more slick and that the car felt so transformed in not just responsiveness or a nice sound emitting from the rear but how it seemed effortless to go from gear to gear, It felt like someone had installed an new smoother engine and not told me.
I then was directed to a straight and was told just open her up in all the gears and wow what a noticeable difference bottom end has more get up and go and top end just wants to keep pulling, (I’m not talking like it feels like a turbo has been strapped to it)
But it was just a totally transformed car.

I got back and the guys put her in the air and I got a few pictures and then copied the map from the ECU and sent it to a Guy called Koch Fahrzeugtechnik from Germany he’s meant to be a pope or the tuning world.
Vortex and I are waiting to here from this guy to see what he can do but in the mean time I have been asked to monitor the fuel consumption level on my normal usage and driving and also the drivability of the vehicle and how much throttle input I use compared to how it responded before, so I thought no better person to drive the way home again was Dan, we brimmed the car to where it was before we left and kept a record of 28 litres of fuel we had used on the way down and the manner of the way we was driving, we then drove another 240 miles back the same route and speeds back and filled up again at the same place as from where we had sett off but his time only being able to put 22 litres in her, that couldn’t be right but all 3 of use witnessed this and I still can’t believe it.

Power wise I have been told a figure but alike the fuel consumption I still don’t believe it as we all know how thirsty the ST170 really is. I’ve been told close to 200bhp but I will hold the exact figure close to my chest until she’s been on rolling road as I’ll take her to Dennis Vasseys at Barnetby if I get over the bridge tomorrow.
All gears have more noticeable power foot down in 6th is surprising but all gears have more of an edge and flicking through the gears and engaging in each gear and putting the power down makes you want to have a gearbox full of more gears due to the pick up and you never want to run out of road.
Throttle position and pressure is a extremely noticeable in regards to less pressure is needed to get to a desired speed and maintain it. Also as we travelled along the A1 not just Dan felt that his gear changes were a lot smoother and slicker but so did James and myself, Dan felt more relaxed and enjoyed the drive unlike before.

The noise on motorways is nothing we actually forgot about it until we stopped for a Macdonalds in Lincolnshire and had to slow down for a round about and the exhaust said hello again.
My dearest drove all 4 of use to Bridlington last night to take Dan back and she straight away noticed that it had more power and the sound when she was having some fun wasn’t intrusive and over powering to the inside of the vehicle, the only way I know she is having fun in the car is when she wriggles deep into the sparcos and grips the steering wheel with both hands at a 9:15 position and don’t say nothing and starts hitting apex’s and lines on corners that make me a proud man.

Cold startup this morning was interesting I knew she was going to have a little noise as the ST170 breaths heavy but it was nice to listen to it until she was warm and then she quietened down as just pured.
Right picture time: phew I hear you all say.lol

















And for some video: please excuse the warm up my friend didn't know how to use the camera.

 

Can you advise how much power you made on the rolling road then?

 

On another forum he's admitted he lost 4bhp after fitting this exhaust.

 

So after all this development the car lost power?? Are you pleased with the results
Am i missing something, you expect 200bhp from an exhaust and remap?
As far as i am aware no ST170 has made 200bhp+ without forced induction or ITB's, ITB's might only get you close to 200?

 

i'm not in the least bit suprised he lost power with that zorst.

i didnt bother reading all the blurb but looking a the pics the quality is shocking. the welding is shit, i'm a hobby welder and can do better than that!! the bends and angled joins look restrictive and it looks a rather narrow bore too.

glad i bought milltek! even if the first one did rust