I'm getting a little tired and annoyed with a really loud exhaust(can't believe that I'm saying this) but I'm interested in putting my stock axle back or cat back back on with a helix downpipe. Is this going to make it quieter with the same little rumble. Is there any drawbacks to doing this? Everything should meet up right...right?

 

You'll be fine, it'll be A LOT quieter. I have that setup now...you'll still be able to hear the rumble just not as much.

 

IIRC, there's gonna be a leak issue between the downpipe and the stock catback. It's minor, but not something that you want permanently.

 

What are the drawbacks of having a small leak over a long time? Is it going to sound funny? Smell nasty? or hurt the motor? It's not something that a gasket would seal up?

 

Its loud.. I have a Helix DP and an SPT catback (same as stock). I developed a leak a while after putting the downpipe in. Its pretty loud and very noticeable. I got an exhaust shop to put a gasket in there and its been fine ever since. I have no idea what gasket it was though.

 

IIRC, the gasket won't seal it properly b/c most aftermarket dp's are 3 in. while the stock catback is 2.5 in. Therefore, the two components don't mate up perfectly and cause an exhaust leak. An exhaust leak adversely affects exhaust flow and exhaust flow pressure, and can result in possible engine management issues (dependent upon the car's setup and existing engine management program) and possible power loss as well. But having such a setup will not cause severe harm, especially if the setup is only short term.

As an aside, if you kept the stock 2.5 in. dp and put on a 3 in. catback, the gasket WOULD ensure proper flow. Think of a garden hose analogy: a hose that starts wide then mates to a narrow hose is a worse situation than a hose that starts narrow then mates to a wide hose.

 

throw a copper gasket and spray it was copper seal, you should be fine

 

If you wanted to switch things up, you could get a TurboXS Stealth-Back system that is designed to work with the stock RMA.