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Old 11-19-2012, 09:58 AM   #3874
xluben
Scooby Guru
 
Member#: 261612
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Vehicle:
2002 WRX - 750WHP
9.5s @ 150mph

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dale2011WRX View Post
Were you running the same downpipe with all of those?

I'd be very interested to see them in order from most favorite to least favorite, based on the overall sound and look of the exhaust. As I recall, the Greddy SP Elite is #1, followed by the ARK... 4 of those are stock, so there's only 6 more to order.

Some people say "a pipe is a pipe", and you're stupid to pay a lot for an exhaust. Others feel like, within some range of variation, you get what you pay for. I know you worked deals for most of them, but I'm wondering whether MSRP or some other standard measure of price will correlate with how much you liked them overall.
I had the COBB downpipe with the first SPT exhaust. When I switched to the Q300 I also put on an Invidia catless downpipe. Both downpipes seem nice to me, and I didn't notice a real difference in sound between catted and catless. The casting on the COBB bellmouth was a little nicer for intstall because you can actually get a socket on it. The Invidia has little to no room. Ends up being a closed end wrench.

Also a note is that I switched from the stock manifold to the Invidia EL Race header when I had the GReddy Ti-C on my car. This changed the sound pretty significantly so it's hard to really compare some of the exhausts before/after, but I'll try anyways.

As for exhaust, my current winner is the GReddy SP Elite due to looks, fitment, ground clearance, and sound. It is very quiet, so it's not for everyone. It will be louder/rumblier with an UEL manifold, but I don't know how much. I absolutely love the look of the tips on this exhaust. That alone makes it so desirable for me. It is also pretty light for a full muffler.

The other number one (I guess you could say) is the GReddy Ti-C. Great fitment and ground clearance. Great flow and very aggressive look. Nice aggressive sound without being unrefined. Very light. For someone looking for performance above all else, this one is great. I love how aggressive it looks. It was a little loud for me, but really is not that bad compared to others.

After this it starts to get a bit blurred to me. The ARK and SPT are both very nice, IMO, and both have pluses and minuses. The ARK is basically drone free, excellent quality, full 3", and has a unique look that no one else matches. But the burnt/rolled tips aren't my style, and the low ground clearance is a bother. It is also very expensive and very heavy.

The SPT has beautiful flared tips and a very nice sound with minimal drone. The downsides are smaller piping (which doesn't matter for many people) and low ground clearance at the rear diff (which usually doesn't matter as much as in the midpipe). If you're on the stock turbo and willing to buy used, then the SPT is a real winner, IMO. If you have money to burn and/or want a unique look, than the ARK is very nice as well.

The Q300 is actually a pretty nice exhaust. Quality and fitment is good. It is full 3". The tips fill out the bumper and look very nice to many people. The drone and ground clearance are undesirable to me. While the drone isn't anything like an N1 Race, it is just so much more than it should be for a resonated exhaust with a full size muffler. This could be a good exhaust for many people. It's just not for me.

The last one is the Tsudo. It's a cheaper one, but the fitment isn't very good. Quality was OK, but the flanges didn't line up that great and it hits the rear diff and heat shields. The tips are uneven. The sound was OK, but had some drone. Overall not that loud. It is very heavy. Maybe more so than the ARK. I wouldn't recommend this for most people unless you find a great deal on it.
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