Yeah, you managed to write a doctoral thesis without answering my question. Let me make my question a bit clearer...
What is it about the Cobra exhaust that apparently does not allow them to scavenge? The lack of that ungodly huge crossover canister (or whatever the hell it is) under the frame? Too much restriction? Not enough restriction?
It has been stated before by me that I think the exhaust you mention is ugly as ****... If I am going to pay a HUGE amount of money for something, it had better look good.
His thesis was actually quite good I thought.
To dumb it down for you.
Cobras are 4-4.
No crossovers.
Four individual cylinders doing their own thing from exhaust valve to exhaust tip.
Without the benefit of another cylinder helping out its buddy by "scavenging"
This isn't theory. Its scientific fact. Cobras lose horsepower against stock or any other aftermarket because of this. Only an H-D exhaust designer like Cobra could have come up with that.
If you don't like the UFO slash cuts just shop around. There are plenty of choices out there.
Once you get away from heavy as **** stock system, and away from ineffective Cobras, and weed out the various slip ons that do make better power because they keep the stock collector, but are still heavy as **** because they keep that collector; Then your in to the various full systems.
Once there, your choices are 4-1, or 4-2.
They all are about equal really.
The 4-1's making a little better top end power at the sacrifice of a little mid range. Vice versa on the 4-2's
Marks
UFO
Dale Walker
Several Euro makers$$$$!!!!
There are others, just not sure who's still making them for the Vmax.
As for the slash cuts being ugly compared to the Cobras, I don't get that.....I don't have an opinion on the slash cuts other than to say you probably couldn't find a Vmax exhaust that looked more similar to the Cobras than the Slash cuts.....
In the end its really just a matter of taste, what ever blows your skirt up is what's right for you.....
If you really like the Cobras then do it....but your performance will suffer...for some folks that's not a big deal, you just don't see many in the Vmax community willing to give up power