The Time Valve stainless systems are hand built to order by a second generation skilled fabricator welder whose father founded the business. The quality and craftsmanship is obvious and hard to beat. Internal construction is the same as Mercedes systems. You can drop a marble in the front end and it can roll right out the tail pipe at the other end. It is continuous and open from one end to the other, with no baffles to restrict exhaust gas flow and engine power. The pipes are perforated where they pass through the mufflers which are packed with a fiberglass like material to absorb sound (as are the original systems). This fiberglass material can also absorb moisture from engine cold starting condensation. The moisture mixes with corrosive gases and then can be trapped in the fiberglass packing until the system gets hot enough to purge all the moisture. This moisture is what kills the original OEM plain steel exhaust systems in a short time, especially if the car is driven on mostly short trips. It might take twenty or thirty minutes of driving to dry-out the exhaust on a cold start, damp humid day. Stainless systems do not suffer from this dilemma.
Some minor concerns of the Time Valve System are that they do not have the front cross over feature (the originals do), they come with the connector pipes already welded to the center muffler and the tail pipes are a tiny bit smaller diameter which cause the factory chrome tips to fit a bit loose. Using some high temperature silicone adhesive on the inside of the chrome tips, before sliding them on, is easy and works great.
Lastly, the two connector pipes between the two mufflers are correctly made but instead of being two loose, separate pieces (as is Mercedes), they come from TV pre welded to the center muffler making weld-up or clamp-up installation much easier. The problem is TV has been welding them in backwards for years. It works fine either way, in fact, they snake around the axle tube with more clearance the TV way, but there is less clearance where they pass by the right rear tire. Tire clearance is not a problem unless you decide to use wider tires than spec. I solve this issue by just ordering my connector pipes not welded and separate. I then do all the weld up myself and install the connector pipes correctly.
If you're doing a weld-up installation you will save yourself some welding by asking them not to put the compression slots in the pipes where the clamps go on clamp-up systems.
In my opinion the fit, quality and longevity of the TV system far outweigh the minor issues. I've been using them for at least fifty years.
