Tobey
09-11-2004, 10:00 PM
wow! i picked up a used turbo xs stealthback with highflow cat for $350. gaskets and mechanical CEL fix was included, i just needed a new doughnut gasket ($15 from TXS).
this thing sounds great with my prodrive round tip axleback. if you are looking for loud, DO NOT go with this setup. at idle and cruising speeds the car sounds prefect, the boxer sound is more pronounced, a bit deeper but not loud... i don't want to say it sounds stock but the level of noise is not much louder than stock. the sound itself is much better than stock. at WOT the car sounds pissed but again it's loud but not stupid loud, it sounds perfect. the power feels strong, i would guess around a 20+ hp gain and it is all in the mid to upper rpm range (where the car needed it). the car doesn't seem to run out of breath at 5k anymore, she just pulls and pulls. car doesn't stink horribly either, it's obviously smellier than stock but nothing like a catless wrx!! :lol: i haven't had tons of seat time with the setup and haven't beat on the car a lot because i don't have a boost gauge (COME ON DEFI!!!) and i don't know where i am at with boost levels. i know 1 million people with this setup aren't seeing creep but i would like to verify rather than assume.
install was a snap, everything lined up well although it seems this setup hangs a bit lower underneath the car.
some install notes: i had to clip some plastic ties to get my O2 sensor wiring to reach and of course the turbo heatshield had to be trimmed to fit. i moved my AC drain tube over towards the center of the car (just moved the plastic clip / bracket from one hole to the other), removed the 3rd cat section bracket because it may have got in the way, it was useless now anyway and i didn't re-use the bottom turbo heatshield bracket.
i had a wrx before and went through many exhaust setups with that car and had good results but this by far my favorite combo to date. i highly recommend it!
:banana:
this thing sounds great with my prodrive round tip axleback. if you are looking for loud, DO NOT go with this setup. at idle and cruising speeds the car sounds prefect, the boxer sound is more pronounced, a bit deeper but not loud... i don't want to say it sounds stock but the level of noise is not much louder than stock. the sound itself is much better than stock. at WOT the car sounds pissed but again it's loud but not stupid loud, it sounds perfect. the power feels strong, i would guess around a 20+ hp gain and it is all in the mid to upper rpm range (where the car needed it). the car doesn't seem to run out of breath at 5k anymore, she just pulls and pulls. car doesn't stink horribly either, it's obviously smellier than stock but nothing like a catless wrx!! :lol: i haven't had tons of seat time with the setup and haven't beat on the car a lot because i don't have a boost gauge (COME ON DEFI!!!) and i don't know where i am at with boost levels. i know 1 million people with this setup aren't seeing creep but i would like to verify rather than assume.
install was a snap, everything lined up well although it seems this setup hangs a bit lower underneath the car.
some install notes: i had to clip some plastic ties to get my O2 sensor wiring to reach and of course the turbo heatshield had to be trimmed to fit. i moved my AC drain tube over towards the center of the car (just moved the plastic clip / bracket from one hole to the other), removed the 3rd cat section bracket because it may have got in the way, it was useless now anyway and i didn't re-use the bottom turbo heatshield bracket.
i had a wrx before and went through many exhaust setups with that car and had good results but this by far my favorite combo to date. i highly recommend it!
:banana: