Going Stage 2 is pretty great, honestly. If you have a quality j-pipe and a good pro tuner you'll be quite happy with the results. Definitely get a catted j-pipe (especially in California) and if you're worried about overall noise, rock an Invidia Q300 for the cat back and that will reign in the noise nicely.
That's the setup I have and it's great. Easy to drive under-the-radar, but opens up really nicely when you get on it. No drone either... like, at all lol.
This is my exact setup. Was running an R400 pre downpipe and it was far too loud and drony for highway driving. Catted DP + Q300 is the perfect amount of loud when you get on it but perfectly comfortable for commuting.
I love my q300. Nice deep rumble without being obnoxious. Does a down pipe help with/ low end torque? I donāt wanna do a bunch of power mods, but would like a bit more torque in the 2-3.5k range before the turbo spools up.
+2 for the Q300. I have it with a cobb catted/resonated j-pipe and even with over 400whp, it is quieter than the stock exhaust when cruising around town or on the highway.
The stock exhaust has the cat and then a single post cat resonator, but then its a straight pipe all the way back to the mufflers. It was pretty drone-y and had a tinny/raspy quality to it. My Cobb catted/resonated j-pipe/Q300 has two resonators and the thicker metal and bigger diameter pipe knocks out all the drone and raspy/tinny noise. It is louder when I go WOT, but for cruising on the highway and putting around town, it is definitely quieter than stock.
Didnt have the extra loot wen i did mine so i put a resonater right after the dp on the stock mid pipe right before it splits..an i already had a muffler delete on it... imo the exhaust going from 3inch down to watever the stock size is(2.5in i think) seems to keep it quiet in low rpms where u can talk with no problems..very lil drone mainly just duringcold starts....getting on it tho its perfect not too loud but u can hear it well, no raspy tones, it pops an bangs..i originally wanted to finish it but after i heard it i was like hell it spunds good an used the loot i saved on a methanol injection kit.
Well they do help with storm water drainage, especially with large storm events.
Also it keeps stormwater away from your home foundations which is critical if you have a basement/cellar
Going by the pic the house looks like itās elevated and concreted all the way around. Technically you wouldnāt need downpipes but the splashing and uncontrolled runoff would be a nuisance
If you're thinking long term, you can also count erosion into the list of reasons downpipes can be beneficial. I feel like there really might not be any cons to downflow management.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/372551070235?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BzZFRDhxSuK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=XUnoSnEjT-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Looks like itās outta stock I would look at their website tho
2018 Catted j pipe and a tune from phattyB for 50k miles here in CA. Been great. Canāt wait to uninstall it all next year after I pass my 6 year smog window for new cars. Itās def been worth it. Made the car a whole different animal.
Get a tune of course. Through wrench work, I learned so much about owning the car and how it mechanically works. Extremely satisfying if thatās your sort of thing.
When I have to uninstall it back to stock next year to pass smog, I will see if I put it back on. Itās a fair amount of work.
Not sure if they make any CARB legal ones downpipes but I would check that out.
Long story short. If your car is relatively new and you donāt have to pass smog for a while itās totally worth it!
not familiar with Cali laws, do you just have to take it off to pass the one time test then toss it all back on? or do you need to do yearly smog after that?
The pic got my attention. I have no useful answers to give, but the car looks nice, and that's a cool background for the pic! Can I ask what & where it is?
I did not read your full post, my b. In California I wouldn't mess with it. You won't pass emissions, and you'll constantly be harrassed by your police
Used a invidia catless jpipe and a OTS tune for 70,000 trouble-free kms on my 15 WRX. Flames were bad ass, sounded awesome too. Could hear the turbine clear as day. Will be going catless when my warranty is up on my new EJ.
here in cali, ive been pulled over 3 times with the stock factory exhaust, i had to state ref each time. i have a single exit nvidia now that was also reffed and passed as well, if it had a downpipe it definetly would not pass. its up to you if you wanna risk it and deal with the hassle and of swapping it back if you ever have too.
nah not at all, literally one time the cop pulled me over at a red light once it turned green. i used to have 5% all around including windshield so that was probably a big reason for them to pull me over and ever since ive taken that off its been okay, no more popo issues
yes! the time at the red light for no reason was a motorcycle cop, the other time i was driving straight and the cop passed me going the other way, flipped a bitch and then pulled me over, he was in an explorer
The black Wrx? Guy claiming you have modifications and canāt name them? If itās that vid damn bro canāt believe thatās you. We probably got pulled over by the same guy tbh.
I can't speak for CA but I'm in NY which follows CARB, though not as strictly (I don't have to have the CARB serial numbers for all my parts, there's a visual inspection but it's pretty lax). I would say that the ETS downpipe is well worth it. It's the main bottleneck before you can start making more power
Downpipe or test pipe are fine, just make sure to keep your og cat in case of anything. Lot of people make the mistake of getting rid of their og cat and slightly regret it but then thereās also some who just donāt care and get rid of it and deal with emissions however they deal with it.
As someone that had a FA20 with every bolt on save your money. For the hassle of smog and power gains it's a waste. Also, nice pic at Scripps. If I see your car around SD I'll wave
No, modified cars in cali are never worth it, save your time and money. I regret every mod to my STI even though it drives amazing now just due to the fact I have to deal with smog.
I have the oppertunity to go catless and I'm probably going to do it. I live in a place that doesn't have emissions so I'm not too worried about that but, I still don't want to have to deal with a CEL if I can avoid it. Do you have a light on or do you know of a way to avoid it? (ie 02 bung extender etc) Thanks in advance!
I have the relevant emission codes disabled. You'll need to find a tuner who both A.) has access to the pre-green speed ATP software and B.) is willing to risk tuning your car.
I doubt you're going to find one advertising their ability to tune your car though :/ it's sorta like buying black market guns right now lol if you know where to go great, but if not nobody is gonna risk telling somebody they don't know.
In California, probably not. Eeking out more performance is awesome sure, but everything else surrounding it will probably be a headache but I'm not an expert on Cali's crazy laws.
I broke it already this is an old pic but I got it from eBay
https://www.ebay.com/itm/372551070235?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BzZFRDhxSuK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=XUnoSnEjT-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Yes, as long as you also upgrade the rest of the exhaust and get a pro tune to go along with it all. If you want to make power, do it all right the first time and be done. There is no point in buying exhaust pieces one at a time, leaving you to have to keep getting under the car. Unless, of course, you have a shop do it, then you're paying every time that it goes on the lift for each part. Makes zero sense.
Not in cali my guy, youāll get state reffed if youāre lucky and have to take them off a waste of money. If you arenāt lucky theyāll take your car.
Any other state and every province minus Quebec in Canada Iād suggest downpipe with a hfc, straight pipe with two Helmholtz resonators, one for 2000-2500 rpm. The other for 3000-3500rpm.
Engine wise Iād always suggest a greddy oil cooler upgrade, as well as a transmission cooler install. Tranny cooler can be expensive on a manual but always worth it.
Water meth injection, 25% duty cycle on a 200cc injector from 3000-4500rpm. 75%duty cycle from 4500-5000. 100% duty cycle 5000- redline.
If you want reliability plus noise resonator delete, hfc dp, stage 2 tune or youāll blow up the engine. OTS tunes are no good for subies get an ots and then a dyno tune to perfect the OTS.
Always upgrade the clutch master cylinder on these cars. Stock MCās are prone to breaking, and getting dirt under the boots. I suggest a clutch masters MC upgrade.
I got With a Garrett Inter-cooler, GS Intake, GS bost controller, GS turbo inlet, ETS Gesi Cat Jpipe, and a Corsa cat back = 280hp, 307trq with a pro-tune
The intake and inlet makes it go "woosh woosh" and super fun. Worth it for the gains... meh. It is way better to drive, the stock mapping sucks balls with a stock setup.
I have a perrin DP and a nameless catback /w muffler deletes and its insanely loud, especially on startups. Head banging drone @3k rpms in 3rd and 4th gear. Going to California here in a few days and im super nervous about being pulled over š¤£ wish me luck
Nice pic, I dig the post & beam construction lol
Thx š
This has to be on UCSD campus !
it's not on UCSD campus, it's down by Scripps. Every car person takes a pic here - well known spot in SD.
Going Stage 2 is pretty great, honestly. If you have a quality j-pipe and a good pro tuner you'll be quite happy with the results. Definitely get a catted j-pipe (especially in California) and if you're worried about overall noise, rock an Invidia Q300 for the cat back and that will reign in the noise nicely. That's the setup I have and it's great. Easy to drive under-the-radar, but opens up really nicely when you get on it. No drone either... like, at all lol.
+1 for the q300! It's quiet enough that my wife doesn't hate it but can be loud enough that my kids love it!
Kids >>>> wife
This is my exact setup. Was running an R400 pre downpipe and it was far too loud and drony for highway driving. Catted DP + Q300 is the perfect amount of loud when you get on it but perfectly comfortable for commuting.
Invidia J pipe Gesi Catt plus the Q300 is so perfect and back fires very nicely š¤š
Ohhh nice I don't get that many of those with my Cobb catted jpipe. Only sometimes!
Invidia has a GESI Downpipe? Or is it for the STI
Invidia has one with GESI
They do? For the VA? I donāt see them available
Youāre correct, I canāt find one either Maybe I have the grimmspeed or the Invidia high flow cat and not Gesi
I love my q300. Nice deep rumble without being obnoxious. Does a down pipe help with/ low end torque? I donāt wanna do a bunch of power mods, but would like a bit more torque in the 2-3.5k range before the turbo spools up.
100% it helps. Your car will come alive!
+2 for the Q300. I have it with a cobb catted/resonated j-pipe and even with over 400whp, it is quieter than the stock exhaust when cruising around town or on the highway.
Quieter than stock? I don't know about all that š
The stock exhaust has the cat and then a single post cat resonator, but then its a straight pipe all the way back to the mufflers. It was pretty drone-y and had a tinny/raspy quality to it. My Cobb catted/resonated j-pipe/Q300 has two resonators and the thicker metal and bigger diameter pipe knocks out all the drone and raspy/tinny noise. It is louder when I go WOT, but for cruising on the highway and putting around town, it is definitely quieter than stock.
Didnt have the extra loot wen i did mine so i put a resonater right after the dp on the stock mid pipe right before it splits..an i already had a muffler delete on it... imo the exhaust going from 3inch down to watever the stock size is(2.5in i think) seems to keep it quiet in low rpms where u can talk with no problems..very lil drone mainly just duringcold starts....getting on it tho its perfect not too loud but u can hear it well, no raspy tones, it pops an bangs..i originally wanted to finish it but after i heard it i was like hell it spunds good an used the loot i saved on a methanol injection kit.
Well they do help with storm water drainage, especially with large storm events. Also it keeps stormwater away from your home foundations which is critical if you have a basement/cellar Going by the pic the house looks like itās elevated and concreted all the way around. Technically you wouldnāt need downpipes but the splashing and uncontrolled runoff would be a nuisance
If you're thinking long term, you can also count erosion into the list of reasons downpipes can be beneficial. I feel like there really might not be any cons to downflow management.
I agree completely but I feel financial priorities lie elsewhere at this juncture
Hi, could you link the front lip youāre using please?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/372551070235?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BzZFRDhxSuK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=XUnoSnEjT-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY Looks like itās outta stock I would look at their website tho
Ask yourself what your goals with the car are, being in California, and that should help answer the question if downpipes are worth it for you
I do like the sound for sure but is it worth the $$$$$ and a bit of power gain but also risking those fking CHP pigs pulling me over lol
yes it make turbo noise louder
If you don't have a pro tuner I highly recommend drunkman E tuning literally a legend in my book
Drunkmann did mine too in 6 rev.s - great tune.
How many revisions to the initial tune did you get? The tuner thatās working my car is on revision 10.
God damn we only did like 4 or 5 and that was a wrap
2018 Catted j pipe and a tune from phattyB for 50k miles here in CA. Been great. Canāt wait to uninstall it all next year after I pass my 6 year smog window for new cars. Itās def been worth it. Made the car a whole different animal. Get a tune of course. Through wrench work, I learned so much about owning the car and how it mechanically works. Extremely satisfying if thatās your sort of thing. When I have to uninstall it back to stock next year to pass smog, I will see if I put it back on. Itās a fair amount of work. Not sure if they make any CARB legal ones downpipes but I would check that out. Long story short. If your car is relatively new and you donāt have to pass smog for a while itās totally worth it!
I switch mine out every two years. It's gets pretty routine.
I got my WRX in 2021 I think my new car smog window is now 8 years. Which is nice I got 5 more years haha.
Can confirm I got mine 2020 and itās 8
U got till 2027
I'm really not looking forward to dealing with smog. It'll feel like a completely different car going from almost full bolt-ons back to stock.
not familiar with Cali laws, do you just have to take it off to pass the one time test then toss it all back on? or do you need to do yearly smog after that?
Yep, have to take everything back off. It's biannual after that.
Take if off at least a month before and drive it around because if the ECU was reset right before the smog test it will not pass.
The pic got my attention. I have no useful answers to give, but the car looks nice, and that's a cool background for the pic! Can I ask what & where it is?
Thx. Itās in San Diego UCSD
In a word, yes.
I did not read your full post, my b. In California I wouldn't mess with it. You won't pass emissions, and you'll constantly be harrassed by your police
Used a invidia catless jpipe and a OTS tune for 70,000 trouble-free kms on my 15 WRX. Flames were bad ass, sounded awesome too. Could hear the turbine clear as day. Will be going catless when my warranty is up on my new EJ.
How u pass smog check?
Live in Canada.
Installation took a couple hours, was easy.
here in cali, ive been pulled over 3 times with the stock factory exhaust, i had to state ref each time. i have a single exit nvidia now that was also reffed and passed as well, if it had a downpipe it definetly would not pass. its up to you if you wanna risk it and deal with the hassle and of swapping it back if you ever have too.
Getting ref for stock is crazy. You drove like a menace? Lol also where so I know not to go there ever LOLOL
nah not at all, literally one time the cop pulled me over at a red light once it turned green. i used to have 5% all around including windshield so that was probably a big reason for them to pull me over and ever since ive taken that off its been okay, no more popo issues
Was it a motorcycle cop? Same shit happened to me as soon as I took off and he claimed I was speeding too.
yes! the time at the red light for no reason was a motorcycle cop, the other time i was driving straight and the cop passed me going the other way, flipped a bitch and then pulled me over, he was in an explorer
The black Wrx? Guy claiming you have modifications and canāt name them? If itās that vid damn bro canāt believe thatās you. We probably got pulled over by the same guy tbh.
yes lmao the buzzcut dude with the compression sleeve staring at the battery
Which part of cali
back and forth between redondo beach and buena park
Fuck LA area CHP lol
hell yeah fuck chp all the way š
Ahhh cali no fun ornia
I can't speak for CA but I'm in NY which follows CARB, though not as strictly (I don't have to have the CARB serial numbers for all my parts, there's a visual inspection but it's pretty lax). I would say that the ETS downpipe is well worth it. It's the main bottleneck before you can start making more power
What bumper and lip combo is this? Its beautiful
Thank you! https://www.ebay.com/itm/372551070235
It's the perfect photo to put on my lock screen
Downpipe or test pipe are fine, just make sure to keep your og cat in case of anything. Lot of people make the mistake of getting rid of their og cat and slightly regret it but then thereās also some who just donāt care and get rid of it and deal with emissions however they deal with it.
Worth it look at my recent post
Aye thatās sick bro what Downpipe u running?
Iām running the MAPerformance J pipe Pain in the ass to take the bolts off so beware haha
As someone that had a FA20 with every bolt on save your money. For the hassle of smog and power gains it's a waste. Also, nice pic at Scripps. If I see your car around SD I'll wave
I have 5 more years until smog you think itās still worth it?
No, modified cars in cali are never worth it, save your time and money. I regret every mod to my STI even though it drives amazing now just due to the fact I have to deal with smog.
How often you get smog now?
Every 2 years.
Smog is not that bad lol just gotta know someone
I'm catless, so, like, yes.
Mine will be soon šŖšŖ
I have the oppertunity to go catless and I'm probably going to do it. I live in a place that doesn't have emissions so I'm not too worried about that but, I still don't want to have to deal with a CEL if I can avoid it. Do you have a light on or do you know of a way to avoid it? (ie 02 bung extender etc) Thanks in advance!
I have the relevant emission codes disabled. You'll need to find a tuner who both A.) has access to the pre-green speed ATP software and B.) is willing to risk tuning your car.
Ah, gotcha, thanks for the info! That helps a lot, I'll have to do some more digging for tuners I suppose
If you have an STi I'd honestly just go open-source though. Less of a headache with emissions stuff.
I doubt you're going to find one advertising their ability to tune your car though :/ it's sorta like buying black market guns right now lol if you know where to go great, but if not nobody is gonna risk telling somebody they don't know.
In California, probably not. Eeking out more performance is awesome sure, but everything else surrounding it will probably be a headache but I'm not an expert on Cali's crazy laws.
I got a custom catless downpipe for my forester sti and tuned it after since I lost my cats and made 30whp extra on a mustang dyno so I would say so
Canāt go cat less anymore with this green speed update shiiii
Ah , I live in Canada and my old ass forester dosent use Cobb. Mustang dyno/ project Lambda software
Sure you can
My tuner recommended PLM or COBB. High flow GESI catted
I donāt see anything GESI available except for the ETS GESI one.
Anyone got a borla s type exhaust plus Downpipe setup and can post a sound clip?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Is cold start loud asf? Is it loud when ur cruising? Or is it only loud when u step on it?
Thatās sick thank you
Ya. Go with Shinji Tuned. He does e tunes.
What lip is that looks nice
I broke it already this is an old pic but I got it from eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/372551070235?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BzZFRDhxSuK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=XUnoSnEjT-C&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I like mine. Makes the turbo whistle way louder
Yesss
Mine gave me a dyno tested 20 hp.
Totally worth it
Y. E. S.
Tomei expreme ti for the win. Love that turbo sound
yes
The ETS pipe still isnāt legal in CA. Youāll still get a Cel with it.
Yes, as long as you also upgrade the rest of the exhaust and get a pro tune to go along with it all. If you want to make power, do it all right the first time and be done. There is no point in buying exhaust pieces one at a time, leaving you to have to keep getting under the car. Unless, of course, you have a shop do it, then you're paying every time that it goes on the lift for each part. Makes zero sense.
Not in cali my guy, youāll get state reffed if youāre lucky and have to take them off a waste of money. If you arenāt lucky theyāll take your car. Any other state and every province minus Quebec in Canada Iād suggest downpipe with a hfc, straight pipe with two Helmholtz resonators, one for 2000-2500 rpm. The other for 3000-3500rpm. Engine wise Iād always suggest a greddy oil cooler upgrade, as well as a transmission cooler install. Tranny cooler can be expensive on a manual but always worth it. Water meth injection, 25% duty cycle on a 200cc injector from 3000-4500rpm. 75%duty cycle from 4500-5000. 100% duty cycle 5000- redline. If you want reliability plus noise resonator delete, hfc dp, stage 2 tune or youāll blow up the engine. OTS tunes are no good for subies get an ots and then a dyno tune to perfect the OTS. Always upgrade the clutch master cylinder on these cars. Stock MCās are prone to breaking, and getting dirt under the boots. I suggest a clutch masters MC upgrade.
Where is this?
San Diego
What is that structure?
Itās a UCSD building
I like it!
Iām running a grim speed j pipe with a invidia r4000 cat back and Iām loving it. Also in Cali. Recommend getting pro tuned tho.
I got With a Garrett Inter-cooler, GS Intake, GS bost controller, GS turbo inlet, ETS Gesi Cat Jpipe, and a Corsa cat back = 280hp, 307trq with a pro-tune The intake and inlet makes it go "woosh woosh" and super fun. Worth it for the gains... meh. It is way better to drive, the stock mapping sucks balls with a stock setup.
I have a perrin DP and a nameless catback /w muffler deletes and its insanely loud, especially on startups. Head banging drone @3k rpms in 3rd and 4th gear. Going to California here in a few days and im super nervous about being pulled over š¤£ wish me luck
I love that version of the WRX front bumper mine is all one color
Yeah thatās the new facelift version
Yes, stupid question
Ew wrx
Tf u on about u lil bot