Exhaust Questions.

[jrschultz]

I'm going to replace my entire exhaust from the turbo to the muffler including a new high flow cat. My plan is to have a custom cat-back made. Here are my questions: Should I get a 1st Gen DSM GSX downpipe or a 2nd gen DSM GSX downpipe since I'll be having an exhaust shop make the rest? Any recommendations as far as ebay goes? Megan racing, OBX, other? For those that went with a custom cat-back what was your cost? I'm doing 2 1/2 inch.

 

[GVR47111K]

Go 3 inch.

 

[rdomeck]

I made a full 3" from the turbo back for my car out of mandrel bent stainless pipe all tig welded. I run a fabrication business and figure I can do these for $750-900 depending on what cat and muffler are used. I'm in Indianapolis, so a little bit of a drive, but not to bad. Could do it in one day and you could drive home!

For some reason I can not find pictures of my VR4 exhaust, but here is one of a Dodge A100 I did recently.

 

[jrschultz]

I don't have time to drive to Indianapolis at the moment, but I'll keep it in mind. On that subject though...I plan to stay at stock boost. Isn't 3 inch overkill for that?

 

[rdomeck]

Planning on stock boost for now? What about a year or two when you want more power? 3" doesn't cost much more in material and makes sure you will more than likely not outgrow it in size! I may have to pull mine off and make a few system to sell. Seems like what is out there is priced pretty high for what it is.

 

[AWDPower]

I'd say that the noise factor should be a big part of your decision. You may not need a three inch exhaust, but if you don't mind the added noise, it can pay off later if you more heavily mod the car. That said, if noise is an issue, you can still make a lot of power on a 2.5 inch system. I've got a 2.5 inch system on my car, and it's undersized for my turbo. But my car also sounds good and isn't too loud, and I think I'm okay with the HP trade off. That may change though once I get my car to the track, I'm curious how much (or how little) I'm leaving on the table.

 

[jrschultz]

Which Ebay downpipe should I purchase as a start? I'm having an exhaust shop fab up the rest.

 

[holeshotmoe]

What O2 housing do you have. The angle of the downpipe mounting flange will need to differ depending whether you have the stock, Evo3, or other housing.

 

[KiNgMaRtY]

Definitely go with the 2G 3" Downpipe at the very least and then have a 2.5 catback if you are worried about noice. I had a 3" RRE Stealth full turboback exhaust on my 2g and it wasn't much louder than stock.