hello everyone I just finished installing my helix catted downpipe on my 05 wrx. at the same time I installed a sti upipe and flashed to stage two(i'm still running my stock catback) I used all new gaskets and torqued all the bolts to spec and I dont have any leaks. I ran into some problems with the install of the downpipe. first off one of the stock nuts would not fit on the bellmouth (the lower right hole if you were looking at the downpipe from under the car facing the front of the car) I had to eventually grind down the nut in order to get it to fit. not fun. luckly i was at work and had the resources to do so. ok here is my other problem with the downpipe. its hitting the crossmember. does anyone know of a fix before i try and grind out a little of the crossmember? I really only want to grind down the crossmember as a last resort.
I already tried to loossen the j bracket and pull the dp down and tighten it and it still knocks.
the downpipe hits when I shut off the car and sometimes when i shift and when I drive over bumpy roads.
I contacted gruppe-s and they have yet to reply to me in 2 days.
thanks in advance for your help
besides that I am enjoying stage two. love second gear now

 

it really doesn't matter what company u got it from, but in my experience, the helix catted dp doesn't fit very well. I have it on my car and when it was installed, there was a 1/2 inch gap between the dp and the turbo. It had to be forced together in order for it to mate up. Since I didn't do the install (had a shop do it, but they showed me the fitment issue) I don't know if I had the same problems as u are.

 

my pipe fits ok from the turbo. The only problem I have now is the downpipe sits about 1/32nd from the crossmember. so it usually rattles when I shift and when i drive over bumpy roads. do you think i should grind down the crossmemember? how many people have done this?

 

the newer helix downpipes aren't as good as the older ones, it hits the crossmember.

 

Yeah I got the version 1 Helix Catted Downpipe with stock catback. No problems here. Hopefully you can resolve your problem so how.

 

the way i didit, cuz i had the same problem is me and some of my class mates pulled the DP the left and the botled the mount nut ( the one in the middle of the DP) it wont look like much, but is enought so it wont hit the cross member

 

yeah i did the same as hayakunai. i have an 05 wrx wagon and i installed a perrin downpipe (full 3") with an sti catback and it rattled against the tranny mount (crossmember) just like you, but when i put in a hks hi power most of the unwanted vibrations went away. i believe most of the unwanted vibrations came from the turbulence from a full 3" downpipe to a narrow catback (around 2"). i may be wrong, but you might want to look into this.

 

the way I fixed it was actually bending the transmission bracket a little bit. Not to much, but it moved it so slightly it is not hitting the crossmember anymore. Its a pain, but it will get rid of the loud knocking sound and prevent any damage to the DP.

that or sell it and buy a Titek.

 

Hey guys,
We do realize that the clearance is a tad bit tight, but when installed correctly, the down pipe will work. We've put these on our own cars and haven't run into these issues. If you follow the correct torque pattern, the fitment should be quite alright. Hand-tighten the bolts all around, then go over the bolts and torque them down evenly so as to prevent leaks. If you have any other questions, feel free to call in or shoot us a PM.

Happy Motoring,
Gabe

 

Gabe,
I am not trying to say you dont do your job correctly, but I got the V3 downpipe installed at Gruppe-S and it had fitment issues. It is a Helix problem, not Gruppe-S. The best way to fix it is to do a slight bend in the transmission bracket on the downpipe. It fixed the issue on mine.

 

lol i have the same car an 05 wagon

 

Hey,
I completely understand that this is one of the ways to stop the rattle. I personally have done this on an install outside of work as a remedy, but be warned as this is bending an item on the car and it is at your risk. If there is anything else you guys need help with, once again, feel free to call, post, or PM. Thanks!

Happy Motoring,
Gabe

 

i thought helix/gruppe-s were the same owners...i could be wrong tho

 

Gruppe-S is a distributor for Helix. Not the same company. Not sure what happened to the V3 downpipe from helix, but it is not as good as a fitment compated to the V2. It is what I am running and is a good downpipe though.

 

ohhhh, weird, cuz i read nasioc that the helix website was under the same name as the gruppe-s's website. Oh well. I did see multiple threads popping up about the v3 fitment being really bad and a guy i know tried to return it cuz it wouldn't fit.