all i can say is...NICE.

mastrowrx.com has one more left on closeout for $409...

i just let mastro do the install, since i figured i'd let them throw new bolts and gaskets in there while they were at it. same install proceedure as any other aftermarket exhaust...

polished stainless, the tip looks kinda like a slightly oval, larger version of a single tip stromung. the canister sits way up under the car, so ground clearance isn't an issue.

start it up, and you're greeted to a quiet, sinister sounding rumble.

cruised on down the road though traffic, and even at full throttle, it's not a cop magnet. very unobtrusive, even with the windows down. unless you're really on the gas, it's very quiet...letting off the throttle or downshifting yields a pleasing little growl...not too loud, not too quiet...just enough noise to let you know it's there.

inside the car at idle, it's QUIETER than the stock grocery getter exhaust. with the windows up at a constant 85 (about 3750rpm) it's STILL unnoticeable, and i have no insulation whatsoever in my trunk...i figured an empty uninsulated trunk would make the sound inside the cabin louder and resonate more, but all i got at 85mph was the usual wind and tire noise. nice.

i haven't finished resetting the ECU yet (i'm in the middle of my 20min idle period right now), but the difference in performance is immediately apparent. throttle response is MUCH smoother. the engine pulls much easier at high speed...not too much difference down low, but there's no loss either.

and best of all, NO MORE sudden lurching when i let off the gas in 2nd or 3rd! yay! it was so bad i always thought there was something wrong with my clutch, or my engine/tranny mounts were going bad...turns out it was the horribly restrictive stock exhaust causing that much havoc. go figure.

i haven't heard it from outside the car yet...but on the way home, some hot girl in a new boxster wanted to let me know how nice my car sounded, so i guess it sounds nice from outside as well... :D

(adam)

EDIT: just got back from the ECU reset post-idle maniacal driving trip...the car pulls MUCH harder from 3500rpm all the way to redline. still not very loud out in the open or in traffic, but it was quite noticeable in the all-important mall parking garage test...i managed to set off 3 car alarms. :D it definitely has a very bassy tone to it. engine braking from 5000rpm in 2nd gives a nice little WRC burble. :D

Did this include the midpipe as well?

Robmat

Don't worry Rob, someday you'll find that exhaust ;):lol:

unfortunately, it's just the rear section...

you can always just buy a stromung midpipe.

Hey I love my Prodrive muffler. Sounds so awesome and not obnoxiously loud. Hey Racecarriot, I notice something that looks like rust around the weld point for the tip and the muffler. Is it something I should worry about, or are they burn marks from the weld.

-JOE

BTW: I just put on cusco hangers becuase the muffler was doing a little dance when I revved it hard. WOW those hangers are beefy! :o

it's not rust. the metal on mine has kind of a brownish tint where the welds are, but no rust. i doubt i'll ever have to worry about that in FL. :D

polished stainless usually changes color from the heat as well...look at the headers on a motorcycle with a complete stainless exhaust system, as an example.

it's better than chrome plated mild steel like on the cheap pineapple launcher tanabe/apex/etc knock-off universal mufflers...yes, it's got that unmistakable *bling* factor from 50 yards, but give it a couple years... :rolleyes:

Whew! That's what I thought, but always worth double checking. If you guys are looking for an awesome stealthy exhaust that is made of the highest quality, get this. I'm having a midpipe made from stainless at a local shop. I'll have to make a sound clip, and the tip is really good looking too!

hey HomerJay, did yours get a little louder as time went by? mine seems to be slightly more noticeable than it used to.

Actually I don't know if it's getting louder or if it's because I'm revving the hell out of the engine cause I like to hear it! :lol: :lol:
I haven't noticed it yet. I am putting on a 2.25" midpipe tomorrow or friday. I'll let you know if that makes a difference in sound.

Hey I'm just starting to hook up my RS and so far that looks like the pipe to get.
But I went on mastro.com and the only exhaust I see is the mastro no PRODRIVE!!!! or is the mastro the prodrive????:confused: :confused:

I installed the WR Sport today. Great product, great price.

http://i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162133

Originally posted by wighti
Hey I'm just starting to hook up my RS and so far that looks like the pipe to get.
But I went on mastro.com and the only exhaust I see is the mastro no PRODRIVE!!!! or is the mastro the prodrive????:confused: :confused:

wow, this thread is still going... :D

keep in mind i did buy it over 6 months ago, and from a dealer...they hadn't been selling GC8s for 7+ months by that time, so i'd imagine that's the reason they were trying to get rid of all the old RS aftermarket bits. ;) mastro has their own exhausts custom made, so no, that is not the prodrive exhaust.

try asking luke@tirerack...other than that, i have NO idea where you'd get one. sorry. :(

i'll sell mine, but only for [dr. evil] ONE BILLION DOLLARS. [/dr. evil] :D

so here's the long term review: after 6 months i still love it, and all my other subaru owning friends are insanely jealous of it. it doesn't sound like any other exhaust on the market. nothing i've heard yet matches that nice deep (threatening) tone. owners of other small japanese cars promptly shut up if you rev back at them. :lol: if something ever happened to it, i don't know what i'd do...so i'd like to know if anyone carries them as well, just in case i get rear ended by some tailgater on the way home from work or something i'd rather not think about.

i've got pics here (photos.yahoo.com/itsdeadtome) on my car if anyone would like to see them.

After having had the Prodrive muffer on for a while and liking it a lot, I started a friend's car (stock exhaust) to move it around a bit, so we could get another car in my parking area. "Hmmm. Boy, that's quiet, thought I."

So I started my car, warmed 'er up and drove RKT WGN around for a bit. Sounds good. Then I put the stock exhaust back on, and came to a few conclusions:

1) my car is LOUD. My stock exhaust wasn't any quieter than the Prodrive at idle or when the mojo was working. People have said before that my stock muffler is loud as heck for a stock car. Now I know what they mean.

2) The thicker flange means that the install goes more smoothly, and the Prodrive seems to actually fit better than stock. The build quality is also quite reassuring.

3) The tip on the Prodrive extends farther out than the stock muffler, which means that you don't have toxic exhaust gases working on fasteners, and dulling your paint right at the bumper.

4) The tip, if you hear what the diameter is, is BIG. But it doesn't look at all large, and it fits beautifully. As a matter of fact, I saw an AMG Mercedes with the same stainless, ovalized single tip exhaust, and it looked great on that car, too.

Overall conclusions are that for anyone seeking an alternative to stock that isn't loud or obnoxious, this is the muffler for you. It won't turn anyone's head, and fit/finish are superior. This thing will probably outlast the car. When the tip gets a bit dirty, some stainless polish (I like Nambe, made for that chi-chi cookware) restores things to their customary gleam.

I don't think that the car is any faster, but it sounds faster, which is good enough for me! :lol:

Kevin

To add to the build quality review. The guys from Cascade Autosport were absolutely fawning over the quality of the welds and the the fit of the unit. And these guys LIVE by the welding rod, they build rally cars for fun and profit. So you know if they like the build and materials... But should we expect less from Prodrive? heck no.

i have to add my 2 cents. i was going to hold out for the Vishnu stage 1 (has a catback system), but being impatient i decided to get a scoobysport catback. i could not find a place that had them in stock. rallysport told me 3 or 4 weeks. so i'm roaming the forums and somebody posted their prodrive pics and soundbytes. i was very impressed. i broke down and bought one, and i love it. i overnighted it and installed it in less than an hour. i have since heard a scoobysport catback in person, and i truly prefer the prodrive.

just to add, you can still get the prodrive muffler at www.spimotorsports.com for $ 380. although, for the gc8 owners, you need to know this prodrive muffler is for the wrx, so you would have to get the hangers moved to fit. no big deal!
for the prodrive, it is worth it IMHO.

when I get my RS, the prodrive exhaust/stromung midpipe is going to be one of the first mods.;)

BUMP for a great product ... just got mine from www.spimotorsports.com ... can't believe how good it really sounds!! I also got the Cusco hangers while I was at it.

Is this thread still alive? Good thing maybe. It helped sway me to buying one about four months ago, and I've been enjoying it ever since. Got it from Ryan at SPI as well.

Install was quick and simple. While the weld quality was a little disappointing on my particular unit, the sound is what it's all about. It is by no means loud, in my oppinion, even with my TurboXS Stealth-Back, but it still sounds mean, as everyone who rides/hears my car states.

Overall, this product has met all expectations, and buying it from SPI/Irvine Subaru will get you good, prompt service and a reasonable price.
-dm

I honestly must say, that I wish mine was a little louder. I try to roll the windows down a bit (it's still cold out) so I can hear it, but then by 50MPH the wind noise completely drowns it out.

I plan to put a downpipe on and hope it it will get louder but not obnoxious after that time.

The sounds it makes are nice for a little 2 liter engine. It's a mellow, smooth purr. However, kind of wimpy when you pull up next to the guy in the 350 Camaro :D

It's nice in that it's very unobtrusive on the highway ( whereas I used to wear ear plugs in my Mustang) but when you feel like playing around, it's a bit too quiet to really get you fired up.

I'm still undecided if I'm gonna keep it. I'll see if it breaks in a little and gets a little louder. Only has been on for about 300 miles.

The quality was excellent on mine.

UPDATE: Ok, I probably have a thousand miles on it now. It's definitely gotten louder than it was for the first weeks I had it. It's still not a LOUD exhaust, but the notes it hits are very nice. I usually keep the back windows cracked a bit to hear it a little more . I'm keeping it . Helix downpipe comes next week.
;)

i had a quiet axel back, but needed more noise, so I got a loud cat-back... now i am happy.

prodrive is good for more agressive noise, but still quiet and unassuming. i needed more.:devil:

How quiet is this compared to the stock exhaust and a Tanabe Hyper Medalion. I like the Medalion, but it's a little too "tin can" noisey for my tastes...

_0wen_

My opinion is that at high RPM, aboe 4000 it's not much louder than stock, although it sounds better.

At low RPM's it has more bass than the stock muffler. I think it sounds best at lower RPM with some load on the engine.

G

Originally posted by scubaracer
just to add, you can still get the prodrive muffler at www.spimotorsports.com for $ 380. although, for the gc8 owners, you need to know this prodrive muffler is for the wrx, so you would have to get the hangers moved to fit. no big deal!
for the prodrive, it is worth it IMHO.

when I get my RS, the prodrive exhaust/stromung midpipe is going to be one of the first mods.;)



The flange also has to be moved a few degrees. That involves new welding for the pipe if you want to use the stock midpipe. SPI motorsports is selling GC8 prodrive axle-back exhaust IIRC. If you want this for a MY02 RS you'd be better off getting a custom mid-pipe. I cancelled my order for the prodrive and decided to get some Gold ROTA Tarmacs before they're all gone.

Gonz,

Hope you haven't gotten rid of the Prodrive axle-back. With a catless downpipe, it should sound even better. Plus mine needed some mileage on it, and it got a little louder.

I have a Turbo XS Stealthback with one cat, and just installed an up pipe last weekend. At WOT, it wakes up the neighborhood now, while not being obnoxious at idle or cruise. The less cats in your system, the fewer "silencers" you have. I was thinking about going catless for even more noise before the uppipe, but I'm begining to reconsider.

I've had loud V-8s and I think this combo is a perfect blend of just enough noise to let people know you mean business, but won't leave your head ringing after driving. Just my .02

DM, you're right about it breaking in .

so, doon't worry, I'm keeping it. Just edited my first post.

It sounds MUCH better now.... well it sounds the same, but I can hear it more often. I've always thought that it has a really nice tone. Probably has a thousand miles on it now.

I ordered a Helix downpipe, removes both cats after the turbo. I'll post my comments about that when I get a chance to put it in.



Gonz.

I almost bought this exhaust but decided to backout the last minute since Prodrive will be coming out with a Performance Package. The exhaust will be a different configuration base mainly on HP than sound....I am still thinking if I should buy this then just sell it when the PPP comes out.

has anyone dyno'd their car with the prodrive axle back installed? Id like to the the hp/tq gains.
also where di you hear about this new PPP, gotta link?

Installed my Prodrive last night and I LOVE THIS EXHAUST. Perfect.

damn, you guys have convinced me that this is the perfect muffler for my car! my dad hates loud exhausts, and i'm not happy with the stock one. Prodrive, here I come :)

~~Quentin

Installed them in 30mins two weeks ago, and I'm glad I choose this. Not too loud, rumble is there, LOUD at WOT, noticeable gain. Rear section is not as exposed as the others so no problem with the 'man' and I can just tell them that it is LEGAL because it's a dealership optional part :D

Maybe someone will know this:

Is the Prodrive exhaust (particularly on a GC 2.5RS, I guess) louder or at least deeper in tone than the ScoobySport exhaust?

I was under the impression that it was, but I may be wrong. (Then again, ScoobySport just changed to JanSpeed from Hayward&Scott as their manufacturer, so maybe the tone's a bit different with the brand new models...)

Thanks. :)

-S2-

EDIT: Just FYI, I have the factory-option Bosal/BroSpeed mid-pipe and muffler on my car. I like it but it doesn't quite have a lot of different-than-stock punch to it, sonically. :D

I was hesitant to get one because of the cost vs. minimal-to-non-existent performance gains, but I found one in the classifieds at a decent price, took the plunge, and am glad I did. It amazing how the change in exhaust sound to that deep rumble enhances the driving experience. It really is a fun mod! :)

I just bought mine and had it installed. The pipe diameter appeared much larger (more like 3") than stock, so they had to custom weld a new flange on there. I was under the impression that this was a direct bolt-on for the GC8.

Regardless... it sounds AWESOME, its just the perfect level of noise for me. Its unobtrusive to others inside or outside the car, but I know its there. The low rumble at low RPM is just what I was looking for. At higher RPMs it doesnt' scream like my old Magnaflow muffler did (which sucked compared to this).

Buy one, you wont regret it. It sounds exactly like stock.. but add a low rumble. No noticeable performance gains on my GC8.. but I'm not sure if the shop reset my ECU or not. Great product.

I just installed one of these bad boys about a month ago. Pics at http://wrx.claud9.com/prodrive/ . Install not too bad, kind of a PITA if you have the diff protector like I do. I also installed the Kartboy hangers, definitely recommended if you have the diff protector. No clearance problems, but it's really close, the Kartboys definitely keep stuff from banging around when you toss the car around ;-)

I LOVE this thing.. it looks so nice, and the sound.. the sound is awesome. It has been described to me by various bystanders as "sounds like a v8!" "sounds like a Harley" "what did you do to your car to make it sound like that??" A little louder than stock, but not *loud*, just yummy. :cool:

PS: don't forget to remove the stupid little yellow sticker under the bumper, or it will reflect in your shiny new muffler.. ;-) (I did take mine off after the pics were taken)

This guy's got a great sound clip: http://www.chrislehr.com/garage/WRX/sounds/WRX_prodrive.mp3 It really sounds like that.. VROOM! :devil:

I've had the Prodrive on my car for over a year now and it's cool seeing that everybody still loves the looks and sound. I bought mine because everybody has been praising it since it came out. Does anybody know if Prodrive ever plans on selling a down-pipe, mid-pipe section to match? I know about the stage kits, but I already have Vishnu stage-0 and I want to keep the WR Sport.

Originally posted by SC WRX
I was hesitant to get one because of the cost vs. minimal-to-non-existent performance gains, but I found one in the classifieds at a decent price, took the plunge, and am glad I did. It amazing how the change in exhaust sound to that deep rumble enhances the driving experience. It really is a fun mod! :)

dave - you got a prodrive muffler??? we gots to meet up, i'm thinking of getting one, but i want to hear it first... sounds like everyone who owns one, likes it.

--greg--

Originally posted by Takashi


dave - you got a prodrive muffler??? we gots to meet up, i'm thinking of getting one, but i want to hear it first... sounds like everyone who owns one, likes it.

--greg--

PM me the next time you are in the Westside.

Does anyone know what would be involved in moving the hangers so the Prodrive Muffler could be used on a 2004 RS?? Is it something any exhaust shop can do?

If it's difficult and/or ghetto, does anyone have a recommendation for an exhaus for the new RS Impreza's?

Thanks,
Bill

can we get a sound clip