+1
Don't mean to highjack your thread but, I have a question.
Will you notest any different in turbo spool time replacing the stock uppipe for
a aftermarket catted uppipe? Just wondering? Will you fail a emission test
with your uppipe not being catted?

 

there are no aftermarket catted uppipes. The whole purpose of buying an aftermarket uppipe is to get rid of the stock cat in the stock uppipe. You should notice your turbo spool roughly 500 rpms earlier if u went with an aftermarket up.

If u live in CA u can pass smog without a cat in the uppipe so long as they don't do a thorough visual inspection. But there are people who have pass the sniffer test with the remaining 2 cats in place.

 

The up-pipe cat is only needed for a cold engine......as long as you keep your stock downpipe and swap it in when it comes time for smog then you'll be fine.

A gutted stock up-pipe will also pass ANY visual test because you can't see inside it.

The scooby medic is giving you bad advice. NEVER use an aftermarket up-pipe, because it has NO performance advantages over a gutted stocker, but will require many hours of labour to swap in the case of a state ref ticket.

A stock, gutted up-pipe can be bought on Ebay for $80, the guy that guts them even buys back your old one for $40 (get a tracking number to confirm he recieved it). Just do a search on eBay on the keywords "WRX gutted up-pipe".

In summary:

Stock, gutted up-pipe - undetectable, cheap, same performance

aftermarket up-pipe - easily detectable, expensive, same performance.

hope this helps.

 

Thank you for your insight Mudman.

 

not sure if it is the same guy or not, but the guy at nasioc(he was one of (???) selling them on ebay) stopped doing it.

 

aftermarket uppipes are not that expensive. and to gut the stock you still have to remove it right? so while removing it you might as well install the aftermarket one. and either way you cant see it...

 

Actually there are hi-flow catted uppipes. Random Technology makes one.

http://www.randomtechnology.com/subaru.html

http://www.subarureview.com/showreview.php?id=1100




FYI

I'd never buy one...but they do exist. I got a Bosal uppipe. Has heatshields and all so it looks just like the factory one...except no cat.

 

just buy an 06 and you wont have to worry about having a catted uppipe.

 

1. Aftermarket up-pipes are far more expensive than the $40 it costs to get your stock pipe gutted

2. If you get a state ref ticket and the inspector knows his way around a Subaru turbo system he WILL see it.

In summary, A stock, gutted up-pipe is cheaper, better fitting, impossible to detect and provide the same performance on a VF series turbo.

 

id get a new uppipe before spending the day cutting all that stuff and out and inhailing it. sell the stock to someone else and let them do it

i found my catless aftermarket pipe for 50 bucks just make sure you install it right

 

...best option IMO is to find a used STi uppipe...

 

I was looking for an STI factory up-pipe but all the ones I found were outside of California and had more surface oxidation than I was willing to accept, plus they wanted $125 shipped for them (or more). I thought that was outrageous as for a little more money you can get brand new aftermarket ones, not used-pulls.

At a glance the piece looks like a factory unit with heatshields et al, just no EGT bung as there is not pre-cat here. This is what I wanted, especially living here in California where we need to do visual smog inspections. This part should blend right in.

 

Thanks for the info I will be calling JSC speed soon to see
about those highflow catted uppipes.