STi Exhaust on a BE - The Final Say.

[Teh Legacy]

This is not a "will it fit" thread. This is a "I'm making that ****er fit!" thread.

Total Spent - $225.

STi Muffler from NASIOC member - $75
Mandrel bent 2.25" pipe from the headers back, o2 bungs & labor included - $150

I will post video with sound and pictures of the install as soon as it's on. It shouldn't be too terribly loud without the cats, because I'm running an OEM MY04 STi muffler. If it's too loud for my liking, I will install a high-flow cat.

The final say for anyone thinking about exhaust for your Legacy? Custom is cheaper, and you get what you want.

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[bhall]

Originally Posted by legacy

The final say for anyone thinking about exhaust for your Legacy? Custom is cheaper, and you get what you want.

Amen.
We need to make that a sticky.

[tekkitan]

perform any better?

[Teh Legacy]

Just got back from the install. Here's the rundown -

I ended up using 2.25" instead of 2.5", because the STi muffler already had 2.25". I originally ran catless, and as soon as I started it, I realized it was WAY to loud and raspy without a cat. So, I ended up getting a hi-flow cat and installing it as well. It's still a bit raspy when you really get on it, but idle and cruising sound SWEET. It has a very deep and throaty ( ) tone. I do feel a little bit of a difference power-wise, but I'm so used to the TR, I couldn't give you any sort of firm number on it.

However, I still feel it's a bit on the raspy side. I'm really thinking about using the stock midpipe (houses a cat and resonator) and just turning it into a cat-back. It all depends on whether or not I can blow out this muffler a little more and it tones down a bit.

Here are a couple teaser pics:





More install pics and video later.

Excuse the dent in the decklid as well. It is being fixed, the badge holes are being filled, and it's getting a new paint jerb in the near future.

[IDMO]

So what's up with the muffler hangers, did they need relocated?

[badbasser98]

Wow, that looks good. Very interested in the video. Also, did you notch out the bumper for the tip?

Thanks,
-BB98

BTW, I have the same dent but on the other side. Also being fixed soon along with a debadge

[janikphoto]

looks nice!!!

[spdracr00]

let me know if you decide to dump that highflow cat.. I might buy it off you.

-ben

[fibuz]

looks sweet!

[DLC]

I have added this to the FAQ. More info on how well it fit, including the hangers, would be nice.

[Teh Legacy]

The stock hangers were, uhh....modified. I'll take pictures tomorrow so you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, this is a very custom job. Not a lot of the factory STi piping was used.

I just got home from a trip up to Pittsburgh, and I'm really thinking about reinstalling the midpipe containing one of the cats. idle / cruising sounds WONDERFUL; however, when you give the car some throttle, it sounds quite raspy. It really needs either another cat or a resonator.

[Teh Legacy]

spdracr00 - It's not a true high-flow cat. It's actually a higher than normal flowing cat with 2.5" pipe. The piping was pressed and welded onto the 2.25" pipe. It made a noticable difference in sound, but it's still too loud for my liking. I'm going to continue to work on this project tomorrow morning.

Jonathan

[Teh Legacy]

Here are a couple more pictures.





Now, I'm playing a game of "find the rice" with this damn exhaust. At cruising speeds, it sounds truly wonderful. Just loud enough, very rumbly, but not too loud; however, as soon as I get on it, it becomes hideously raspy. Does anyone know if this sound would be coming from the muffler or from the lack of cats / resonators?

Could it be from the STi muffler? Has anyone found that muffler to be at all raspy? Could this be remedied by using the stock midpipe? I could not care less about performance gains. This isn't a race car, and I put the exhaust on there for it to sound better, not to be quicker.

[ttatsumi]

wheres the video clip/sound clip??

[Teh Legacy]

I will hopefully be recording those tonight. I don't have a camera, and I'm not going to leave you guys some crappy camera phone video that accomplish anything. Tonight, I'll probably be taking GOOD video that you can actually learn from.

[GTWagon_Phreak]

Man, that axle-back part looks really low...

[LetItSnow]

Originally Posted by GTWagon_Phreak

Man, that axle-back part looks really low...

+1, seriously!!

[spdracr00]

that was about how low mine was before i had teh exhaust guy reweld some hangers and tuck it into the frame a little bit.

[MitchGT]

Originally Posted by GTWagon_Phreak

Man, that axle-back part looks really low...

Agreed. But damn your car looks good man!

[Teh Legacy]

Thanks, Mitch. I really need to put her on a diet and some steroids, though. Once I have a few financials taken care of, I plan on starting to look for good deals on STi turbo parts, and slowly starting the build.

Suspension is done. Next are brakes (STi Brembos) then the power build.

[sybir]

My car is still a little raspy, but I've just got the one STi resonator in the midpipe, Borlas and a high-flow 2.5 cat section. We don't have that extra muffler called a turbo

My dirty-ass car...It took about a 10" extension to get the tip where it sits in the bumper, but the exhaust is tucked up nice and high, out of harm's way. You can see the "auto-fitment" mod the N1 did in my bumper as it warped over time....

[Wiscon_Mark]

damn, I have to get one of these...

[fibuz]

mmmm autofitamentttttt

[Wiscon_Mark]

oh, to answer your question about raspyness...

Yeah, lack of resonators and cats will make it very very raspy. It should sound good if you add those two components to the exhaust system.

I wonder how "straight through" the STi muffler is.

[rougeben83]

Here's my STI exhaust; 2.5" mandrel bent from the cat back. Includes an 18" resonator. At idle is is quiter than stock, and produces a nice hum while cruising. No raspiness, just a deep bellow, and you can even hear some popping when downshifting or lifting off the throttle.



Note the ghetto-rigged rewelded hangers