In the RC world, one of the things that we think about most is getting the absolute best power from our vehicles that we can. One element that is crucial to having the best power possible from your vehicle is a well matched exhaust system that can complement the power of your motor. Alot of times, you can have the best motor out there, but if you haven't paired it with a good exhaust, you can kiss all the horsepower and abilities of your motor goodbye. On the flip side, if you have a old motor, or a motor that does not create alot of power, you can wake it up or give it a good kick in the rear by adding a great exhaust. The question is, which one? This is where the Buku comes in.
Direct quote fromDave, the owner of Buku Performance Products:
Buku Performance Products was conceived from a passion for technological innovation. We are focused on developing products which are truly innovative and that help the R/C enthusiast to obtain the highest levels of performance. We believe that innovative thinking and objective testing are the foundations for the finest R/C products. Every product we develop is the result of thorough research and engineering, followed up with the most exhaustive real world testing. Our devotion to fundamental research and objective evaluation ensures that out products will not only be unique in design and function but also truly superior in performance.
After I had tried several exhausts on my Savage X 4.6, I was ready to find an exhaust that really worked. I was getting tired of false claims of increased power, when mostly every exhaust I had tried only made the truck look good, and perform worse. After doing some hard research, I gave Buku a call. When Dave answered the phone, I was astounded at how professional and educated he was on the product. After having a good long talk with Dave, I was sure that I had found my exhaust. Dave was able to give me a in depth explanation of the exhaust and how it functions, and also seemed very down to Earth, like he was sure about his product and was not just trying to sell me something to put money in his own pocket. At the end of our conversation, I felt confident in my decision to give the Buku a shot, and couldn't have been more anxious to test it out.
Two days later, my exhaust came in the mail.I was very happy with the packaging and presentation of the exhaust. The exhaust is sent in a small cardboard box, with the exhaust itself protected very well by foam, and all the extra parts and gadgets in their own smallsection of the box, also well protectedby foam inserts.Included with the exhaust are a very sturdy mounting wire, a tuning plug, several zip-ties, a larger convergent cone, an extra ring (both explained later), a very detailed and comprehensive instruction booklet, a light, medium, and hard stiffness tuning springs, and a tuning and adjustment wrench. Don't forget, there are also plenty of stickers included to deck out your ride and pit area. After reading every bit of the instructions, I was very confident and was sure about the processes I needed to take to make sure I got the very best performance out of my Buku exhaust.
The mounting process for the exhaust is a breeze, and you can use virtually any header design with the exhaust. Not only are there plenty of holes for spring coupling type headers, but the exhaust is also compatible with regular rubber coupler systems. The best of both worlds! The included mounting wire is hard to work with, partially due to the fact that it is very thick. I recommend using two pairs of pliers to make your bends. Althoughit isthick and hard to bend, it only insures that the exhaust will be mounted sturdy and strong.
Before you start your vehicle up with your newly installed Buku exhaust, you may want to become familiar with the exhaust and how it works by dis-assembling it. Whats that you say? You have already installed it on the truck? No worries! Using the large end of the included tuning and adjustment wrench, you can easily un-screw the end of the Buku, and all the components will easily come right out, in this order: End cap, tuning spring, convergent cone, and there is a small ring inside that you may need to pull out, which can easily be done with one finger. In a nutshell, here is how the exhaust works.
While at idle, the spring tension holds the Tuned Assembly at the shortest tuned length. By remaining at the shortest tuned length, the total volume of the pipe is effectively reduced allowing full exhaust pressure and maximum fuel flow to be achieved very quickly. This results in improved throttle response. When the throttle is opened, the Tuned Assembly will move almost instantly to the full tuned length, dramatically improving low-end torque and mid-range power. The power increase is likely to be more than 10% over a well designed mid-range pipe and more than 20% over a high-speed pipe.
The Tuned Assembly will remain at this full length until the motor reaches the point where the extended tuned length is no longer beneficial. It is this point where a fixed low-RPM torque pipe will fall flat and fail to deliver any further performance. The Buku Power Exhaust System, however, will automatically respond to this condition by reducing the tuned length to a point that optimizes performance. Ultimately, the Tuned Assembly will return fully to the shortest tuned length throughout the acceleration and remain there until the engine RPM is reduced. This automatic adjustment of the tuned length will happen continuously during operation and even through gearshifts, always adjusting to produce maximum power.
Those paragraphs alone almost explain exactly how the internal components work. It is recommended to use the lighter spring tensions with less powerful motors, and the heavier ones with more powerful motors for the optimum all around performance. Although, this brings up one of the great thingsof the Buku, you can tune it! If you have an extremely powerful motor, but are running in an area where space is tight, and you are most of the time not at full throttle for long periods of time, you can use a light spring to give you even better low-end torque, or put in both of the rings to give you a punchierthrottle. Granted, you will loose top-end performance by doing this, but since your not using it anyways, it doesn't matter. The thing is, when you go to an area where you do have the option to be at high speeds frequently, you don't need another exhaust! Just a quick swap of your components in your exhaust, and it islike you have a completely different motor!
Back to running your vehicle. You have your exhaust installed correctly on your vehicle, and have read all the instructions. Insert your tuning plug into thestinger closets to the header of the exhaust, gently sliding it in, and rotating it until you feel it slide in between the coils of the spring. Once it is completely in, lock it onto the exhaust using the hanger attached to the plug. Once you have made sure it is snug, you are almost ready to start your motor. At this point, your exhaust should be looking exactly like this. (Except mounted to your vehicle). Once you have completed these steps,I recommend setting your motor back to the factory needle settings. Since the Buku is so different and makes such a difference in power, you will need to completely re-tune your motor. Don't worry, the Buku makes tuning the motor very easy. It will seem slow and sluggish when you turn it on, but this is regular for any motor running at stock settings. Let your motor get warm, and your ready to tune. Follow what is stated in the included instructions, tuning for high speed first, then tuning for your low end. It should become extremely noticeable once you have tuned your high end needle, you should see a very drastic difference in your performance. Top speed should be increased greatly, also should your you acceleration from about halfway through the RPM band up. Once you have tuned your low end, be prepared to learn how to drive you RC again. The power increaseshould be very evident, and if you are anything like me, you will be giggling like a little girl and smiling at the sight of your car performingup totwice as well as it did before.
Now, your pretty psyched arent you? Guess what, you can squeeze out even more power by fine tuning your exhaust. Don't worry, it isn't complicated at all, and it is very easy to get your exhaust back to stock settings if you mess up. On the end cap of the exhaust, there is a larger %26quot;nut%26quot; that unscrews the end cap which you used earlier, and then there is a tuning nut. Adjusting this nut either stiffens or loosens the spring inside of the exhaust. The stock setting for this nut is turned completely clockwise until it stops, which anyone can remember easily. Turning the screw Counter Clockwise will give you better acceleration, most of the time only loosing minimal to none top end performance. I quickly learned that if you go too much on the tuning screw, you will eventually get to a point where you loose performance, but if you are patient and do it by small increments, you can squeeze even more performance out of the exhaust. Tuning with the springs, rings, and convergent cones can be a little more tricky, although still quite easy. Its pretty basic. If you have a high end motor that produces alot of power, for the best overall performance, you will probably want to use the heavier convergent cone (the one with the red tip), and a heavier spring. The more rings you use inside the exhaust, the punchier your throttle response is, at the expense of top end performance, and vice-versa.What do I recommend? Experiment . Have fun with it. There are a lot of combinations to try with the exhaust, and each one will give you different results.
My Personal Experiences:
The moment I fired up my Savage X 4.6 with the buku installed, it was a true thing of beauty. The exhaust has a different sound than most others at first, it was mean, and sounded ready to go. I ran a couple laps up and down my street to get my motor warm, and then brought it in for its first HSN tune. This was the first and only tune I did at 1/8th a turn, considering it was so rich. I gave it a little gas to clear out its throat, and punched the throttle. The gain in top-end performance was already noticeable, and I was happy. At this point, the top end was about the same as before the exhaust was installed, which means now while my savage was running fat as a pig, I was getting the same top-end results as I had been getting before when it was tuned perfectly. After a few more 1/10th and 1/12th turns of the HSN, my truck was a whole new beast. Even with not having touched the LSN, it accellerated decently, and the top-end speed was completely insane. It was so insane that at full speed, it was hard to steer because my tires were barely touching the ground. I estimated a good 10-15mph gain in top-end speeds. Then came the low end tuning. This is when my whole truck woke up. The first turn was 1/8th of a full turn, which was almost enough. The truck was VERY fast at this point, even with the tuning plug in, it was roaring off the line, and the top end was still amazing. I removed the tuning plug, and things got crazy! I hit the gas, and my Savage instantly flipped onto its lid. This is when I grew a huge grin all across my face. So, with the conclusion after tuning the truck and removing the tuning plug that I had to re-learn to drive my Savage, I was happy! You can't beat the power that this exhaust produces.
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I am very pleased with the entire performance and diversity of the Buku exhaust system. After using it for almost two months now, it has held up great, stayed consistent, and the tuning factor makes my truck able to adapt to almost any condition and any area. I love this exhaust dearly, and will never go back to any other exhausts on my vehicles again. It is a true innovation, and we should all give Dave a big round of applause for making such a great product.
Buku Offical Site: http://www.bukupower.com
Price: $109
Hits: Best Performance gains out of any exhaust I have tested, tune-able, and very adaptable.
Problems: Tuning takes time to get used to, and the mounting spring can be a hassle.
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