aftermarket exhaust

[Nate Dogg]

ive been doing some looking for aftermarket exhaust for my 02 WRX and have been met with a variety of products. I really have no direction on what product names I should be looking at or whether or not I should go with a catback for performance and sound or just take off my resonator and put on a muffler and possibly a hiflow cat later. if someone could give me a little direction on names and also whether or not to go catback i would really appreciate it. thanks

 

[TheNailman]

this is a wholly subjective subject. most aftermarket exhausts will offer the same power gains. but after that, it depends on what you want as far as a look for your car. some people like the fart can look of the invidia,hks,skunk2 setups, shich sound great, but can be a little much after a while. i for one like the stock look, of the borla hush and now my cobb.

love your car, make it your own. as far as brands, most of the ones mentioned above are good quality construction, however they get pricy. check used stuff on the forums for real good deals. you can also find real cheap no name stuff on ebay, and i guess that's just hit or miss. .. .i know impreza05 on here got one a while back and as far as i know has not had any issues with it. .

as for custom welded stuff.... that's the cheapest way to go. just find a muffler you like, and if you want a resonator, that too. just bring it to a local exhaust place, and they should hook you up real cheap. i know down here, i had a setup welded in for under $100.....

again. .. i guess it all comes down to what you want your car to sound like, and what you want it to look like. then you just gotta choose which one of those two criteria are more important to you.

come to the group drive on the 29th. . .you will probly see a vast crossection of different setups, and hear them in action.

good luck and keep us posted

~Phil

 

[Shorty]

You seem to know that you get the most gains from a cat back. If you plan to do a downpipe/high flow cat later on, you'll want to get the cat back. The stock mid-pipe would be a point of restriction. If you don't want a lot noise, the axle back is a good way to get a nice deep tone. You'll be limited on the power gains even with a downpipe though.

There is a ton of good brands and even the cheap E-bay ones sound great on these little boxers. If you find one in your price range, update this post with what it is and you'll get idea quick if it's any good. Chances are someone here has used it or knows someone who has.

Welcome to STM by the way. The group drive is a must.

 

[ralli]

You seem to know that you get the most gains from a cat back. If you plan to do a downpipe/high flow cat later on, you'll want to get the cat back. The stock mid-pipe would be a point of restriction. If you don't want a lot noise, the axle back is a good way to get a nice deep tone. You'll be limited on the power gains even with a downpipe though.

There is a ton of good brands and even the cheap E-bay ones sound great on these little boxers. If you find one in your price range, update this post with what it is and you'll get idea quick if it's any good. Chances are someone here has used it or knows someone who has.

Welcome to STM by the way. The group drive is a must.

Nice post Shorty, couldn't of said it better myself.

I actually have an ebay cat back, couldn't beat the $200 price point. Some rattle that with a little extra work could of been fixed but I dont care too much. I really think it sounds great, its not too loud til you eliminate the cats :sad5:

 

[Evan]

i have a 3" catback that looks somewhat like the invidia for $75 if you decide to go that route. its in the for sale section. i would go catback if you plan on doing other pipe work later. a stock midpipe will just become a restriction down the road.