I am looking into an exhaust system for my PB X. What does everyone like???

 

I'm about to install a 2.75" cat back exhaust. Do I need to be concerned with the size of the test pipe and down pipe? The one's I'm looking at are 3".

 

^ you should be fine. I have a greddy spectrum elite 2.75" with the ams tp 3" and no problems at all

 

Don't be a sucker for marketing and hype. A test pipe is a test pipe. Buy the cheapest one available so long as it's stainless steel and 3".

 

I don't mean to be abrasive but why does it matter what everyone else likes? Isn't it your car? Get what YOU like. Get what fits into your budget. Get what sounds the best to you. Get what suits your power goals.

Here is a thread that was started a while back to get you started. There are pictures, videos clips and commentary throughout the thread.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...st-thread.html

 

Weld quality and cracking, fitment issues (all test pipes for this car SHOULD be designed to work with stock O2/DP and stock cat-back, all cat-backs SHOULD be designed to work with stock cat, and all O2/DP... you get the picture), resonated portion (mini-muffler) making contact and subsequent rattling... He's obviously looking for resonated. Those are all things to consider since it's not just a pipe, it's a pipe with 2 flanges, possible bends or just straight piping, one O2 bung or two (doesn't matter for joemail since the AMS widemouth comes with two anyways), factory location O2 bung having a J-pipe so there's no need for a spark plug anti-fouler fitted in its place... lots of different designs for a simple part and up to 9 separate welds.

 

What about noise? resonated or non-resonated?

 

I don't agree with this statement at all. So your saying a 3.0" straight test pipe is a good solution?





We add a bend to our test pipe to prevent rubbing/hitting the drive shaft shield. See above picture.





Also if you use a standard o2 bung, you will get a CEL, you need to pull the sensor out of stream a bit to prevent it.

Thanks,

Michael

 

That's fine, it won't be the first time someone doesn't agree with my comments. This is an open forum and all topics and statements that are presented are open for debate. I had the ATP test pipe on my vehicle for over 10,000 miles and there was no banging or rattling of the sort underneath the car. I threw a CEL twice in that span. And guess what? All for $145 shipped. I WILL NOT pay $275 or anything near that price point for a flanged corrosion resistant pipe. It doesn't take a degree in Mechanical Engineering to know that there aren't that many differences in the test pipes available. With that said, why pay $260 when you can pay $170?

 

You could also get a 100 cell cat bolt-on and save some trees, along with the lungs of the people behind you

 

I guess your the lucky one. The picture above is from a customer who switched do to the rattling. We also sell to several vendors who will not sell a straight test pipe after several customer complaints.

For the extra $100.00 I would rather have a test pipe that I know will not set off a CEL or Rattle against the drive shaft.

 

We offer a $100.00 option for a 300 cell metallic cat. Save those trees!

 

Vendor plugs are awesome... by far the least biased advice you could ever ask for.

But on a serious note, I have a "straight" HFC and experience absolutely no contact or rattling. The full AMS single-exit turbo-back (with HFC, not test pipe) is a ton more quiet than I ever expected.

The fart can in the back hangs down a little too low for my liking, but that's not relevant here. The straight HFC is. I will have to put a non-fouler on to space the O2 sensor away from the exhaust stream, check engine light because of it...

Oh and I'll be switching to a straight, non-resonated test pipe soon. If you're still in the market after I have it installed I'll let you know the details on that, but based on my experience with the HFC that's pretty much the exact same pipe with an added 4" section, there should be no problems whatsoever.

Also, based on what the inside of the HFC LOOKS like and my very basic, limited knowledge of gas flow, I don't expect much of a change in noise. A resonated test pipe will likely quiet down my exhaust even more, but a straight pipe shouldn't change the volume it is now with the HFC.

 

 

This coming from the guy with a huge AMS logo in his sig

Vendor plugs are fine. People are free to make their own decisions. Options are never a bad thing, and many good ones have been brought up in this thread. At least we're dealing with vendors who believe in their products