how to know if donuts are leaking

[CaptCaper]

Knowing the gas tank has to come off to access the exhaust donuts, that will be your first challenge of being able to start the sled while you have everything off. As for determining if they are bad other than a visual inspection, if they are real bad meaning there is hardly any donut material remaining, a telltale sign would be that your flex pipe/donut clamps are loose and can be spun.

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The reason guys like copper donuts is that they will last much longer (ie. not deteriorate like the OEM ones) and just like the OEM ones, they too go on dry as you just slide them onto the flex joint.

I read some post by a tech guy who said he saw were copper ate at the lips of the header pipe. And he always puts on OEM ones for his machine but will do copper for his customers. I got oem this time. They lasted near 7k now if it is what I'm thinking. It may be something else but I hope it's the beginning of donut issues. I am leaning towards a clamp is loose and giving the tin sound combined with the slight exhaust sound starting. I'll keep this post updated as I'm tearing into the machine tommorrow.

 

[RobX-1]

Yeah, I read that too about some being leery to running cooper donuts but have also read where others have had the header lips crack with OEM ones as welll so who knows. Thought there might be a correlation between cooper donuts and titanium headers but have seen posts where they still crack with OEM donuts. IMO, it's how soon you detect/catch the donuts detoriating as they do act as a buffer between the flanges of the flex pipe and the flanges of the headers/EXUP. If the donuts are that bad, I could see the flanges getting damaged.

 

[CaptCaper]

Yeah, I read that too about some being leery to running cooper donuts but have also read where others have had the header lips crack with OEM ones as welll so who knows. Thought there might be a correlation between cooper donuts and titanium headers but have seen posts where they still crack with OEM donuts. IMO, it's how soon you detect/catch the donuts detoriating as they do act as a buffer between the flanges of the flex pipe and the flanges of the headers/EXUP. If the donuts are that bad, I could see the flanges getting damaged.

I'll post back and maybe with some pictures of my 2016 xtx. WIfe has a 2013 with oem donuts and about 5500 miles. She rides smoother then me. Ha . Maybe hers will last alot longer. My Attaks had them fail around 4k and her Vector 2010 about 6k.