I have a B+B turbo back(3") the downpipe contacts the the frame according to the mechanic that installed it. Occasionaly I can here a little noise in that area. Anyone else having issues with downpipe fittmant.

 

get a crowbar and put a bend in it it won't touch anymore...

and i have personally seen issues with this... not b&b, but UR, and ESPECIALLY RNR

 

was that with the old rnr exhausts or the new ones (they switched designs and they switched the people they go through to have them made better)?

 

i'll assume their old one, it was the O2 eliminator

 

Yup, like many other my Helix did have some rubbing issues.

I added an extra gasket at the cat and it helped. Then I got a RT 3" highflow cat and the problem was resolved, even without the extra gasket I get no rubbing. I've heard that the usdm cat is slightly shorter than the JDM, so if you have the stock cat it may pull the dp closer to the frame.

I compared the RT 3" cat and the stocker and the RT may have been a tiny bit longer, but it must have been enough, heh. I also put some adhesive heat shielding on the oilpan and at the frame area for good measure.

Adding the cat actually made the car sound a little more mellow since I wasn't getting occasional resonances from the dp contacting the frame. Well, when you open it up it does get a little louder, heh.

Another option is to look into stiffer hangers, like the kartboy ones. I don't have them, but I do have the kartboy shifter bushings and the kartboy short shifter in our WRX and they make great stuff.

Take care,

FB

 

Had mine installed yesterday and I also have the downpipe bumping on the frame problem. Have you done anything to resolve this yet? I'll give B & B a call later today to see if they have any fix to this.

 

Update:

I called B&B this morning and spoke with Mike from technical support. I advised him of the fitment issue. He suggested for me to rotate the downpipe a little bit. I went back to the shop where I had the exhaust installed and had them put the car on a lift to have a better look of the rubbing issue. The mechanic tried bending the exhaust hanger holder to see if the downpipe will lower a bit. No improvement was made. The mechanic advised me that there is nothing that he can do and suggested to give B&B a call back. I called Mike again and updated him of the situation. He then took down my info and advised me that he will send me a tag number. He added that I will have to ship the exhaust back to B&B with markings on where the rubbing is taking place in order for them to make corrections. I also took pictures of the area where the rubbing is occurring and will be sending a copy to B&B. I will give y'all the update ASAP since I know that there are a few people with fitment issues. Hopefully this can resolved smoothly.

 

I spoke to Mike at B+B and he suggested the same thing. I don't think it's worth it to have it removed and shipped back and to have the car down for 3-5 days. I am currently looking into other options. I really like the catback though!!

 

My plan is to remove the current downpipe and ship it to B&B and reinstall the stock downpipe for the mean time. The only problem is paying the shop each time. Damn, I need my own lift.

 

Any word on a fix for this problem?

 

I took the DP off Saturday and observed the contact point on the DP. There was some wear on both the DP and the frame where the contact was occurring. I only had the DP for a few days. I received a shipping label on monday from B&B. I marked the contact point and labeled approx. clearance in the surrounding area. I boxed it up and shipped it yesterday. Hopefully B&B will take care of it on the first try. I'll give you the update once I get it.

 

Update:

I received the downpipe yesterday. B&B cut 2 sections off the downpipe and welded 2 new tubings on . The newly welded tubings looks like they have different angle from the original. I hope the new weldings does not weaken the structure of the downpipe. B&B also polished the entire downpipe. Hopefully this one fits with no problem...

 

Thanx for the update. Let me know how it fit's. Mine is going back to b+b as well, then it's for sale!!

 

Finally installed the downpipe late last night. B&B took care of the problem to say the least! There is about a cm gap between the downpipe and the frame and same goes for both cross members. The exhaust fits perfectly. Hopefully B&B made my exhaust as a template for their future Evo exhaust.

 

Thanx for the update.