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Evilla Motorsports Forte5 axle back exhaust install and review

7K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  carl_2112 
#1 · (Edited)
I once again tapped Evilla Motorsports, this time for their axle back exhaust for the 2nd gen Forte5. The exhaust arrived today, and the first thing that struck me was how light it is. It's very well constructed, too.

The installation was so easy I don't have much to write about it. I just backed my car onto ramps in the street (my 300zx project is still consuming my 2-car garage) and did the work there. There are just 2 nuts that need to be removed to disconnect the original exhaust. I sprayed some PB Blaster on them, but my cordless impact driver removed them with ease.

After removing the 2 nuts, I moved to the back of the car and slid the 2 sets of prongs out of the rubber hangers, and the oem exhaust was out. It was that easy to remove.

Installing the new exhaust was just as easy. I fed the pipe into place and pressed the pair of prongs into the rubber hanger. Then I moved to the connection point, aligned the two pipes up, placed the gasket in between them and fed the two bolts with washers and lock washers through the holes. I hand tightened the two nuts, then moved to a socket on top to hold the bolt in place while using another socket wrench on the nut to tighten it. I went back and forth a few times between the two to evenly tighten them.

Here's a comparison of the oem and Evilla exhaust:



Since there was such a big difference in weight I decided to go ahead and weigh them both.

OEM: 25.4lbs



Evilla: 11.2lbs



And here's how the new tailpipe looks:



The moment I started the car I knew I made a good choice. The sound is so much nicer than stock. It has a very smooth note, not obnoxious or too loud. I revved the engine a few times then shut it down to clean up.

I've done a few short drives now, and it really is a huge improvement over stock. When cruising at any speed you don't even hear it, but step on the throttle, and it rewards you with a very pleasing sound. Coupled with my CAI I really love the way my car sounds now.

I also installed paddle shifters and took a little video of testing them where you can hear the new exhaust as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9coVXcIkAg

I highly recommend this exhaust upgrade if you're looking for one!
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Just a quick follow-up on this. After a bit of driving I noticed the exhaust was getting a bit louder, and I suspected there was a leak where the new exhaust was joined. So today I took it apart to inspect it, and sure enough, there was clearly a large exhaust leak. The new exhaust came with this gasket, which you can see was compromised.



This could have been an installer failure (mine). I ordered a new Kia gasket, which was a multi-layer metal gasket, very different from what came with the new exhaust.



Well, it turned out the gasket I ordered was not the correct one. The internal opening was larger than the original, and the bolt holes were too far apart. I still need to figure out where that went wrong. So I decided to reuse the original gasket for now. I cleaned it up on my wire wheel and used some max temp Permatex RTV on both sides. I also sanded both exhaust surfaces to make sure they were flat and clean. I let it sit all day before driving it at all, and after a short drive the exhaust is once again awesome.
 
#3 ·
I finally had a chance to stop by the Kia dealer today to figure out where I went wrong with the OEM gasket I ordered. As I suspected, the gasket I ordered online after much searching, including using my VIN to filter out products, was for the 1.6 turbo, not the 2.0 NA.

Part # 28751 1M000 is the correct exhaust gasket for the 2.0 NA.

Part # 28751 1M100 is the correct exhaust gasket for the 1.6 turbo.

Lesson learned about looking up parts online.
 
#4 ·
I've been suffering from more exhaust leaks where the original and aftermarket flanges meet. I've tried with and without max temp RTV, and I've used new OEM gaskets every time.

Well, I finally got smart and took a closer look at what's going on. The main issue is this exhaust is really made for the 1.6L turbo car, which has a slightly larger diameter exhaust than my 2.0 NA, and the different flange sizes just can't mate up right.

This is the new flange. You can see the internal pipe is welded at a slight angle, which crates a gap under where the gasket sits.



This is what it looks like with the OEM gasket placed on top. You can really see the gap there, and hot exhaust gas will be traveling right into that.



So what's my solution to this mismatch? Cut about 3" off the ends off my original exhaust and the new one, then attach the OEM end with the flange to the new exhaust since I know the OEM flanges mate perfectly.

I couldn't find a single pipe connector that allowed me to insert the original end into the new pipe, but I found 2 connectors that stepped up in diameter perfectly allowing for a perfect fit, along with 3 proper sized clamps to hold it all together.



Here are the two sections joined back together perfectly with yet another OEM gasket:



I positioned the 3 clamps such that I could still access their nuts easily. This is looking up from below:



And now, finally, I no longer have an annoying exhaust leak. The exhaust sounds awesome.

If you have a 1.6L turbo car I would not hesitate to get this exhaust, but if you have a 2.0 NA I would only consider getting it if you are willing and able to make a similar modification or take it to an exhaust shop and have them fabricate something that will work.
 
#5 ·
It's interesting that you have this problem. I have an SX with the 1.6L and I have dual exhaust. I don't see that they have that option. They do ask you to specify 2.5" or 3" pipe. I wonder if you got an exhaust for a 3" pipe. While I agree that my car's exhaust note is basically non-existent, I drive the car a lot and would be reluctant to put something aftermarket on it. It would also have to have dual exhaust.
 
#6 ·
When I ordered mine they didn't have any selectable options at all, so it's interesting to see they have various options available now.

Mine came with a 2.5" (outside diameter) pipe. My OEM exhaust is 2.125", and the OEM 1.6's exhaust is slightly larger, maybe 2.25". There are 2 different gaskets for the 1.6 vs 2.0 exhaust.

The flange that came on mine was clearly made to match the flange on the 1.6's slightly larger exhaust.

I'm not sure about a dual exhaust option.

But I really do love the sound of the exhaust now. The oem was so quiet all I heard was the CAI coming from the front. Now it's a nice balanced sound unless I'm really on it, and then it just sounds nice, not obnoxious or too loud.
 
#7 ·
My exhaust saga finally came to a successful close. My frankenclamp solution still leaked. The middle clamp pinched the pipe adapters in two places causing new leaks. But the flange joint no longer leaked at least.

This morning I brought it to a welder who lives nearby, and he took care of it once and for all. No more leaks!

 
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