I've read a bunch about this exhaust, and it seems that everyone that purchased one is extremely happy with it. Several of these guys were in
England.

I found some old posts on another forum from a couple of years ago in which the guys promoting the pipe were claiming some huge dyno numbers. About 42hp 40ft.lbs. That sounds a bit much, doesn't it?
Even if the actual numbers were about half, at $2K, it's still a very inexpensive way to get that much safe power. I understand the quality
is very high.

Do any of you have this setup, or know someone who does? What do you
think, or what have you heard?

 

These numbers are of course not right, and to be honest, you shouldn't buy an exhaust for a possible hp increase unless money is no issue, but then there are other better possibilities ;-). But when it comes to sound, then that is a different ballgame of course and most seem very pleased.

I had this exhaust, and even with my twin-screw kit (so pumping out much more hp then stock cars) a dyno test didn't reveal any significant hp improvement. It could have been about 10 hp more compared to my stock exhaust, not more.

For me the sound was too loud but I must admit that I am picky and I drive about 20Kmiles a year, so don’t want a boom box all the time. As it didn't give me any other benefit (so more horses), I sold it. I now have my stock exhaust and sports catalysts, and this is working very fine for me, I love the combo as it gives more sound from the stock exhaust, but not too loud.

 

Thanks for the excellent feedback. You are obviously pleased with the ts supercharger. You must be one of only a few that has gone this route.
How has it been holding up, and would you mind sharing the rough costs of
getting it installed and tuned in. Have you done other modifications?
What were your final dyno numbers? And, lastly, how many miles did you
have on your engine when you installed the ts? I know that I'm asking
a lot of questions, but there is little chat on this set up here. I've read all
55 pages in recent days and seen little about it. Thanks in advance, Avos.

By the way, have you lowered yours? What springs?

 

Wow, that's a lot of reading. You are truly a dedicated new forum member!

 

I started at 70Kmiles, and so far I added about 100Kmiles in different configurations, and all is holding pretty well. Important is to treat your engine/drivetrain well, and this is my street setup. For track/sustained long power runs (more than a ¼ mile) I would recommend a power nudge lower, and some other changes. Here is a thread where I announce the kit & some more details (or PM me): https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=243827&postcount=1

Besides the LSD I have just made some very small updates, can’t really call it modifications.

I haven’t lowered mine, but it is playing in my head for long now, and I might go for progressive springs. Reason I hesitate is that I have a convertible, and anything making the suspension stiffer will only transfer the forces to other parts of the car, and the body isn’t known for its strength ;-). This is also the reason why Jaguar only provided the extra handling pack for coupes.

 

Hi Ed,
I was one of the first to install the Mk-II. I did the install on jackstands in my driveway; I did need to drive to a muffler shop to have the studs removed from the Cats as I could not get the leverage on my back. I have a XK8 convertible.
I have three inserts: Growl - which I use mostly during the 3 months the top is up; for concrete city life I like the quieter Purr is appropriate. Roar is essentially a glass pack and provides a wonderful sound (top down only) and burble. I have one of the few sets of straight pipes and they are fun to use when all the Harley riders break out the bikes at Easter to make a lot of noise; they can still be driven quietly with a very light foot.
Other than the superior sounds I have noted a 1 to 1.5 MPG improvement due to better breathing. Swapping the set of inserts takes no more than 15 minutes.
-Mike.

 

Hey Mike - Did your Mk-II system come with three inserts or did you pay extra for them? I see that Mina Gallery sells the system, but doesn't list inserts or even give you a choice of sound levels. Where do the inserts go? Are they different mufflers or something that slides in?

Thanks.

 

Hi Mike, I am awaiting delivery of a Macleod M11 system, Growl configuration, here in the UK. Like Larry I am interested in the inserts that you mention and how they are installed.
It would be great to have a choice of sound levels.
Cheers,
Dave

2000 XKR
1990 4.0 XJ40

 

Talk about disappointment...I ordered a Macleod MkII exhaust from the famous Mina Gallery. Six weeks, several emails and promises of delivery only to be told eventually, we screwed up, you will not be getting your exhaust and we are not sure whether we will be stocking Macleod exhausts anymore, and hey we are really sorry.
Anyway anybody considering ordering a Macleod from Mina should contact them first.
The point is where can I get one from.
Last resort, I have a local manufacturer who could make a custom cross flow exhaust for me, but how critical are the design dimensions.

 

Dave: I know that when Macleod was developing the system he tried a lot of different stuff before he settled on this configuration. There's another forum where he wrote a lot about it back then. I really don't know how critical the dimensions are, but he put a lot of work into it. Apparently he marketed it for a while and then Mina picked it up and seems to be the only outlet now. Maybe something is changing there and Macleod is going to do something different. Or maybe he's bagging it altogether. I hope not. Maybe another forum member knows more about it.

I have replaced the forwardmost muffler on my XK8 with a MagnaFlow cross-pipe, leaving the rest intact. Didn't get as much growl as I had hoped for, so I am contemplating replacing the back half with the Mina system. It, however, is designed to work with the muffler I removed, so it may end up being too loud, but the configuration will be similar to Macleod's. Wonder if anyone here has done this???

As far as good engineering and quality materials, I don't think you could beat the Macleod system, though. Hope it hasn't disappeared forever.

Cheers,

 

Larry, Thanks for your reply. I get the impression that we may have seen the last of the Macleod exhaust. I have checked around on the net, but with little success. As you rightly say and from what I have heard myself this product was of a very high standard, and although a little pricey, was great value.
There are several off the shelf XK exhausts available here in the UK, but none that are cross-flow. Your MagnaFlow cross-pipe idea may be an option for me if I decide to get an exhaust custom made.
I think I will ask Santa if he can help, I'm sure his elves could get their MIG welder a going for little old me...I live in hope.
Cheers Dave.

 

I believe there were a few production runs of the MKII system. To keep costs down they were made in batches and some sold from Bill directly, and some went to 3rd parties like Mina. If demand is high enough, I'm sure Bill would do another production run, but I'm sure he'd want to know at least a fair amount of them would be sold to make it worth while.

Also, I followed the design and development from a previous site. He put a lot of time and work into the system. It is higher cost, but they are made by a good person that put everything he had into making the best system. Its not just something that was thrown together.

 

In reading the old entries on the other site, I get the idea that Bill posted a lot of the "specs" as he was experimenting and developing, but those posts are no longer around. My biggest question is if he used a mass-produced muffler. Knowing what muffler he used, I could get pretty close to having his sound, if not the quality and just down-right elegance. Any "old-timers" here remember what he may have used??

Thanks,

 

Something along the lines of this one, perforated pipe with glass pack:
http://images.minitruckinweb.com/tec...ow_muffler.jpg

 

There was/is three different mufflers available for three different sound levels, so they're not all the same. Not sure if all three are of the straight through design.

The mufflers look custom made, no welding seams, polished stainless. They actually look too pretty to put underneath a car.