Gimmick Motorsports Catted TBE ( CNT Downpipe)

wksos · 08-09-2012, 04:32 PM

I had a somewhat bad experience with this TBE and thought I should share my experience as I couldn’t find a lot of feedback on this setup when I purchased it.
I purchased this system from Import Image racing a couple of weeks ago for $555 and installed it last Thursday. The exhaust consists of a CNT (formally ERZ I believe) and a Gimmick Motorsports catback. Not a bad deal if I didn’t have to get it fixed but it definitely wasn’t worth the headache.
The downpipe fit well where it connects to the turbo and looks pretty nice but that’s about all I can say good about the downpipe. Two issues I had where that the o2 bung leaked because they failed to completely weld it and it leaked badly where the midpipe and downpipe connected because it didn’t mate up correctly. I’m honestly not sure it the second leak was caused by the downpipe or catback… (fyi I had the same problem with stock hangers and Kartboy extended hangers)
I had a really hard time getting the exhaust to line up correctly at the midpipe and tried everything to get it to mate up but could never really get it to work right. I ended up taking it to a few shops to get their opinions and they all pretty much said the same thing, I needed to put a flex coupler in the midpipe to make it work correctly. Here are a few pics-
Partialy welded o2 bung:

Midpipe fitment-this is everything bolted together and the bolts tightened to ****. They were so tight they snapped when I removed them:

This is diconnected to show the angle as well as distance. I could get it bolted up but it put things in a pretty bad bind:

So I ended up taking it to a shop to have it fixed. O2 bung was only $20 so that's not an issue but the flex coupler was $115 so that kind of sucked and washed away a little of the money I saved on the exhaust. Here is the final result, you can see the angle and how off it really was:

I initially called IIR to figure out what to do and it kind of seemed like they didn't believe that I was having issues because they said they never have issues with that TBE. In the end they ended up giving me some store credit and were pretty cool about it. I'm not upset with them but was pretty irritated with the situation; a little about the money but more about the time I spent working on it and going to different shops.

I honestly feel like the downpipe was mostly the cause of my problems in this situation. I've read quite a few threads on CNT downpipes and was really surprised that in my case the pipe didn't live up to the hype.

After getting all of the kinks worked out I am happy with the exhaust. I was able to go stage 2 which is fun, the exhaust isn't obnoxiously loud and it doesn't drone on the highway (and I do a lot of highway driving so that's important to me).

In summary I wouldn't recommend this exhaust although if you are considering buying it keep in mind that people have bought the same exhaust with zero issues. Maybe they rushed through manufacturing and made some mistakes... not really sure but it sure was a pain in the ass. Maybe that's what I get for trying to be frugal on a TBE.

***Don't forget to buy extended hangers so you don't burn your bumper*** ( I wasn't aware that I needed them and did)

Hope this is helpful!

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Mr645 · 08-25-2012, 08:05 AM

I also had rather poor fitment with the CNT catless DP. I actually ordered a Tsudo and was shipped a CNT instead. With the car on a lift, four hands and a pry bar, we were able to bend it into shape and get everything installed. I mated it to the stock exhaust. Now I have a problem getting a proper reading from the O2, but I am working on it.

2012 WRX

ResidentR · 09-09-2012, 01:34 PM

FWIW, I'm using a ceramic coated ERZ (became CNT) catted downpipe, and I've been very happy with it. I would suspect that they might not be as tight on quality control as some of the bigger name brands, though.

wksos · 09-12-2012, 12:44 PM

I'm sure it is definitely a quality control issue due to high demand. IIR said they were selling a ton of these and I feel like mine was one that slipped through the cracks. The only thing I can say about that is if they are sending out a poor product due to quality control and not being able to keep up with demand the problem will fix itself because people will stop buying their products.

08-09-2012, 04:32 PM	#1
wksos Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (1) Member#: 319570 Join Date: May 2012 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Austin TX Vehicle: 2002 WRX PSM	Gimmick Motorsports Catted TBE ( CNT Downpipe) I had a somewhat bad experience with this TBE and thought I should share my experience as I couldn’t find a lot of feedback on this setup when I purchased it. I purchased this system from Import Image racing a couple of weeks ago for $555 and installed it last Thursday. The exhaust consists of a CNT (formally ERZ I believe) and a Gimmick Motorsports catback. Not a bad deal if I didn’t have to get it fixed but it definitely wasn’t worth the headache. The downpipe fit well where it connects to the turbo and looks pretty nice but that’s about all I can say good about the downpipe. Two issues I had where that the o2 bung leaked because they failed to completely weld it and it leaked badly where the midpipe and downpipe connected because it didn’t mate up correctly. I’m honestly not sure it the second leak was caused by the downpipe or catback… (fyi I had the same problem with stock hangers and Kartboy extended hangers) I had a really hard time getting the exhaust to line up correctly at the midpipe and tried everything to get it to mate up but could never really get it to work right. I ended up taking it to a few shops to get their opinions and they all pretty much said the same thing, I needed to put a flex coupler in the midpipe to make it work correctly. Here are a few pics- Partialy welded o2 bung: Midpipe fitment-this is everything bolted together and the bolts tightened to **. They were so tight they snapped when I removed them: This is diconnected to show the angle as well as distance. I could get it bolted up but it put things in a pretty bad bind: So I ended up taking it to a shop to have it fixed. O2 bung was only $20 so that's not an issue but the flex coupler was $115 so that kind of sucked and washed away a little of the money I saved on the exhaust. Here is the final result, you can see the angle and how off it really was: I initially called IIR to figure out what to do and it kind of seemed like they didn't believe that I was having issues because they said they never have issues with that TBE. In the end they ended up giving me some store credit and were pretty cool about it. I'm not upset with them but was pretty irritated with the situation; a little about the money but more about the time I spent working on it and going to different shops. I honestly feel like the downpipe was mostly the cause of my problems in this situation. I've read quite a few threads on CNT downpipes and was really surprised that in my case the pipe didn't live up to the hype. After getting all of the kinks worked out I am happy with the exhaust. I was able to go stage 2 which is fun, the exhaust isn't obnoxiously loud and it doesn't drone on the highway (and I do a lot of highway driving so that's important to me). In summary I wouldn't recommend this exhaust although if you are considering buying it keep in mind that people have bought the same exhaust with zero issues. Maybe they rushed through manufacturing and made some mistakes... not really sure but it sure was a pain in the ass. Maybe that's what I get for trying to be frugal on a TBE. Don't forget to buy extended hangers so you don't burn your bumper** ( I wasn't aware that I needed them and did) Hope this is helpful! * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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08-25-2012, 08:05 AM	#2
Mr645 Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (0) Member#: 320769 Join Date: May 2012 Chapter/Region: South East Location: Boca Raton, Florida Vehicle: 2012 WRX 5 door Blue	I also had rather poor fitment with the CNT catless DP. I actually ordered a Tsudo and was shipped a CNT instead. With the car on a lift, four hands and a pry bar, we were able to bend it into shape and get everything installed. I mated it to the stock exhaust. Now I have a problem getting a proper reading from the O2, but I am working on it. 2012 WRX

09-09-2012, 01:34 PM	#3
ResidentR NASIOC Supporter Member Sales Rating: (3) Member#: 281656 Join Date: May 2011 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: Centreville, VA Vehicle: 2011 WRX Limited DGM	FWIW, I'm using a ceramic coated ERZ (became CNT) catted downpipe, and I've been very happy with it. I would suspect that they might not be as tight on quality control as some of the bigger name brands, though.

09-12-2012, 12:44 PM	#4
wksos Scooby Newbie Member Sales Rating: (1) Member#: 319570 Join Date: May 2012 Chapter/Region: TXIC Location: Austin TX Vehicle: 2002 WRX PSM	I'm sure it is definitely a quality control issue due to high demand. IIR said they were selling a ton of these and I feel like mine was one that slipped through the cracks. The only thing I can say about that is if they are sending out a poor product due to quality control and not being able to keep up with demand the problem will fix itself because people will stop buying their products.