Exhaust... (hopefully this won't ever have to be talked about again)
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Exhaust... (hopefully this won't ever have to be talked about again)
Okay okay so I know that there are constantly posts about exhaust systems etc. And I realize that opinions vary. But I'm sick of having a swirl of varied opinions and reading things that lack in realibility and are mainly people going back and forth with brand names (trust me, I've done lots of reading in serveral forums simply by doing searches), so.... Here's my question:
I have a stock '02 WRX... I'm not looking to go crazy with performance mods... but I want a little more umph. Based on my knowledge, the best place to do this and the first place to do this is the exhaust system
What is the best exhaust system to get the maximum power gain (Without jeopordizing the well-being of my car of course. Also, I'm not looking for it to be loud necessarily... don't care about sound all too much... so long as it doesn't sound like crap). If you can recommend brands, that's great. If not, simply tell me specifically what I should look for in an up pipe, down pipe, and cat back in order to accomplish this goal.
*Note... I'm not going to spend any more than 2k on performance mods. From my understanding ECU upgrade would be the smartest move after exhaust.
I'm not going to claim to know a lot about cars (I just enjoy them a good bit and read a lot about them. Very little hands on experience), so correct me if I'm wrong about any of this... I'm only 18 but I don't want to be stupid about my car. I'm not trying to make it any hot rod and I realize that the WRX is not made to be a drag car. I'm simply looking to up the horsepower of my car and a bit of the handling (probably with Tein adjustable flex coilovers... already have Pirelli's and Rota Subzero's 17"). Take some driving classes... and just to be able to really enjoy driving the car.
So please, if you honestly realize that you don't have the knowledge/input to answer my question then lay your ego down and don't respond. I want to hear this from the guys that have been around cars for a long time and truly know their stuff.
Thanks for the help and I apologize for the long post.
-Jordan
I have a stock '02 WRX... I'm not looking to go crazy with performance mods... but I want a little more umph. Based on my knowledge, the best place to do this and the first place to do this is the exhaust system
What is the best exhaust system to get the maximum power gain (Without jeopordizing the well-being of my car of course. Also, I'm not looking for it to be loud necessarily... don't care about sound all too much... so long as it doesn't sound like crap). If you can recommend brands, that's great. If not, simply tell me specifically what I should look for in an up pipe, down pipe, and cat back in order to accomplish this goal.
*Note... I'm not going to spend any more than 2k on performance mods. From my understanding ECU upgrade would be the smartest move after exhaust.
I'm not going to claim to know a lot about cars (I just enjoy them a good bit and read a lot about them. Very little hands on experience), so correct me if I'm wrong about any of this... I'm only 18 but I don't want to be stupid about my car. I'm not trying to make it any hot rod and I realize that the WRX is not made to be a drag car. I'm simply looking to up the horsepower of my car and a bit of the handling (probably with Tein adjustable flex coilovers... already have Pirelli's and Rota Subzero's 17"). Take some driving classes... and just to be able to really enjoy driving the car.
So please, if you honestly realize that you don't have the knowledge/input to answer my question then lay your ego down and don't respond. I want to hear this from the guys that have been around cars for a long time and truly know their stuff.
Thanks for the help and I apologize for the long post.
-Jordan
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Posts: 4,755
From: Santa Rosa, CA
Car Info: 02 Subaru WRX w/ JDM Spec C
the SEARCH feature will get you your own personal results, pertaining to every exhaust made, also we have a parts review section https://www.i-club.com/reviews/.... also please dont patronize this club by saying you need knowledge from those who are knowledgable, cause whoever were to respond to this would be knowledgable...obviously this subject has been dicussed one too many times that questions like this would be looked down upon. now i understand you are new to this it seems, but we have other ways around this then asking. ALso do your own research is a easy way to accomplish things. also on the front page (home page) there are many vendors listed for you to browse. now after you have researched and their are questions unanswered in your research please feel free come back and ask.
oh and welcome to the club
ps just realize i wasnt trying to lecture you, just questions like this can be avoided. cause in my nub years i have been told many times also.
oh and welcome to the club
ps just realize i wasnt trying to lecture you, just questions like this can be avoided. cause in my nub years i have been told many times also.
Last edited by nic3krnnamja83; Jan 23, 2005 at 12:42 AM.
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 10,029
From: Sacramento CA
Car Info: 02 Impreza WRX sedan
Origami posted by Space Monkey
What is the best exhaust system to get the maximum power gain
What is the best exhaust system to get the maximum power gain
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
I'm no expert but I think most TBE's will give you close to the same performance gain. I love my TXS DP but I wouldn't say that it's the best.
Last edited by MO REX; Jan 23, 2005 at 02:05 PM.
Many people go with the Helix uppipe and downpipe so you can look into those. then you can choose whichever catback you like.
some quiet exhausts might be: Greddy Evo, Borla hush, stromung
a little louder would be: HKS, Blitz NurSpec, Apexi GT-spec
some quiet exhausts might be: Greddy Evo, Borla hush, stromung
a little louder would be: HKS, Blitz NurSpec, Apexi GT-spec
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 152
Turbo magazine did a review back in 02 or 03. The overall winner on top, which id like to move to was the Greddy EVO exhaust. For the sound, it had the most power gain out of all the tested exhausts. HKS beat it by 3 hp on top end but is argueablly very loud.
I like loud but somedays, i'd like to hear myself think and hear the radio without cranking it.
I like loud but somedays, i'd like to hear myself think and hear the radio without cranking it.
Originally Posted by fastnoypi
Turbo magazine did a review back in 02 or 03. The overall winner on top, which id like to move to was the Greddy EVO exhaust. For the sound, it had the most power gain out of all the tested exhausts. HKS beat it by 3 hp on top end but is argueablly very loud.
I like loud but somedays, i'd like to hear myself think and hear the radio without cranking it.
I like loud but somedays, i'd like to hear myself think and hear the radio without cranking it.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,023
From: Phoenix, AZ
Car Info: Subaru Impreza WRX 2002
You might want to look into the APS 3" turboback as well; you can get it in a dual-tip version that is extremely stock-looking, but there is zero performance cost (the combined diameter of the dual tips is actually larger than the single-tip model diameter) and a really polished sound. I've heard that they clunk badly on wagon models, due to how they are mounted, but I've heard them run and it is an extremely "pure" boxer sound.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 152
Originally Posted by MO REX
The Evo had the 3rd worst gain in HP and torque of the 12 tested http://www.mattrandolph.com/wrx/cat-...omparisons.htm, http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/02...ust/index.html but like you said, it is quiet and loved by many.
Originally Posted by fastnoypi
3rd worst? sounds like it was on the looser list ..hahaha.. i know that was just a weird pick of words but 3hp and 2ft/lbs off from HKS's numbers are nothing a butt dyno can notice..half twist of a boost controller can take care of the 3 hp differnce
I was just trying to point out that the Tanabe and M2 were the only Cat backs in that comparison that produced less HP and torque. Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather have the Evo than the Blitz or the Skunk 2 since the additional 10+ db would be a lot more noticeable than 4 HP or 5 ft/lbs of torque. The way I understood the original post was that he wouldn’t be using a MBC or EBC, he is looking for max performance and didn’t care about db levels and that is why I pointed out the HP and torque thing.
BTW, I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm not saying the comparison is bunk but it's kind of hard to believe that a cat back would produce an additional 15 ft/lb or 14 HP with the stock DP.
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 152
Originally Posted by MO REX
BTW, I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm not saying the comparison is bunk but it's kind of hard to believe that a cat back would produce an additional 15 ft/lb or 14 HP with the stock DP.
But absolutely true on the switching up from stock, even from the point of an axel back switch up you can free up some ponies.
I've been able to monitor the hp difference with my custom JUN axelback section vs my stock via my blitz powermeter-id. I lost a significant amount of hp when i went back to stock temporarily (for cross country trip) but noticed an increas in midrange torque with the obvious quietness associated.
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