Upgraded Aston Martin V12 Exhaust,tThe standard V12 Aston Martin exhaust sounds great already, but it can be improved upon. Firstly with a decat and then with an X-pipe.
Decat
My car came already decatted and remapped. The standard exhaust comes with 6 catalytic converters, 4 in the manifold and 2 secondary cats under the car. Removing the cats has a number of advantages; less restriction in the exhaust, less weight and a better more raucous sound, with the exhaust valves open the decatted exhaust is hard sounding and noisy but fairly quiet with the valves closed (see link for modification to exhaust valve control).
X pipe
The standard V12 exhaust consists of 2 separate exhaust system, one for each bank of 6 cylinders, using an X-pipe joins them together under the car to add a little power and make the sound more exotic.
Balancing the exhaust pressure from bank to bank is just one of the many ways an X-pipe improves overall exhaust flow. With a conservative factory camshaft, the exhaust seemingly flows out the tailpipe in one continuous stream. In reality, however, exhaust waves travel in pulses, which become much more noticeable as camshaft duration increases. Consequently, reducing the detrimental effects of these pulses can positively impact horsepower and torque. “A balance pipe serves two distinct functions. First off, it takes the left and right banks of an engine’s exhaust and provides a crossover point to equalize flow from side to side,” Blane Burnett of Hooker Headers explains. “Secondly, balance pipes smooth out uneven exhaust pulses. Any given engine generates low- and high-pressure exhaust pulses due to the effects of the firing order. As these low and high pulses move downstream through the exhaust piping, they travel at different speeds. Having an exhaust crossover helps draw these pulses out into a more balanced pattern, which ultimately improves engine output. A nice side benefit is that crossovers also decrease in-cabin exhaust drone.”
I bought my X- pipe from Gary Penhall of AMS Edition, great quality work