Downpipe Battle - IE VS MAP VS COBB VS Trackslag VS HPA

[MSH]

Is that a Vband right after flex pipe section?!

yes

 

[Covelight]

Prelim pictures of the custom 4" DP for my Golf R by 485 Designs here in Denver https://www.485designs.net/automotivefabrication
This is with a 4” G-Sport GESI cat. Since my car's current exhaust is so far from stock w/ the Vibrant 17950 they are trying to get an R with a stock exhaust in their shop ASAP to build a fixture, so they can be ordered off the website like their RS3 offering. I imagine the final off the shelf versions will vary slightly from mine.
Just throwing it out as another 4" option to the Trackslag for the OP (and others) that will be made domestically and the plan is to keep pricing inline with what Trackslags go for.

View attachment 237922

Please keep us posted as to when this goes on sale.

 

[ShagginGSW]

yes

That's awesome, I wonder how much easier that is to install. Also are they planning to make a cat-less version for those who don't support Captain Planet?

 

[MSH]

That's awesome, I wonder how much easier that is to install. Also are they planning to make a cat-less version for those who don't support Captain Planet?

thx! picking up my car today so I'll ask on catless and if they have made progress on finding a R/S3 with stock exhaust to build out the fixture.
I do assume they will offer catless as it's on the dropdown selections for their RS3 DP..... https://www.485designs.net/shop-online/audi-rs3-8v-downpipe

 

[Maiden69]

Prelim pictures of the custom 4" DP for my Golf R by 485 Designs here in Denver https://www.485designs.net/automotivefabrication
This is with a 4” G-Sport GESI cat. Since my car's current exhaust is so far from stock w/ the Vibrant 17950 they are trying to get an R with a stock exhaust in their shop ASAP to build a fixture, so they can be ordered off the website like their RS3 offering. I imagine the final off the shelf versions will vary slightly from mine.
Just throwing it out as another 4" option to the Trackslag for the OP (and others) that will be made domestically and the plan is to keep pricing inline with what Trackslags go for.

Looks very nice. I would rather like to have the cat and flex position swapped, but that is for personal preference. Also, an OEM style flex, while they are ugly, they work so much better than bellows style.
https://www.amazon.com/FORTLUFT-Connector-Standard-Stainless-1-75x4-00/dp/B082M996GP?th=1

 

[Rare Ara S3]

On my S3 I went from stock with the factory resonator delete to the IE downpipe. The exterior noise didn’t change if at all but inside there was highway drone so I added a vibrant UQ resonator which helped a bit. The IE pipe is a nice piece. I liked that it kept all the factory mounting points and cat location. but mine did not fit great. I messed with every adjustment that I could and the hangers that go into the rubber on the crossmember weren’t even in the same zip code. I stacked washers and used a longer bolt to make it work. And for mating it to a factory cat back it didn’t fit great either. I installed an IE downpipe on my brothers GTI and it fit perfectly. Which had me wondering if I got one built on a Monday or if it’s the wrong one. Either way I wouldn’t be changing it had i not built the motor and slapped on a Vortex XL. Trackslag arrives today so I’ll report back on the fitment and noise. I also feel like the car has more drone with the new turbo.
i prefer having a cat just due to the smell. That fuel and exhaust smell sticks to you coming from a catless vehicle. I suppose it depends on state of tune as well.

 

[MSH]

Looks very nice. I would rather like to have the cat and flex position swapped, but that is for personal preference. Also, an OEM style flex, while they are ugly, they work so much better than bellows style.
https://www.amazon.com/FORTLUFT-Connector-Standard-Stainless-1-75x4-00/dp/B082M996GP?th=1

Thanks!
I believe there was a reason they elected to go that route just can't remember why. I'm certainly in no position to question the design decisions as I have zero experience with welding etc.
The guy doing mine up does have solid experience/background it appears. Looks to have worked up at Rampage in WA for a while. Here's his insta feed.... https://www.instagram.com/phantomfabwerkz/

edit - one reason they may have put the cat in that location vs where bellows are is I specifically asked for them to put the cat as far downstream as possible. You can see they had to start the taper to my existing 3" midpipe (which was also designed by 485 a year or so ago to add in a Vibrant 17950..see attached pic) right after the cat.....

 

[Rare Ara S3]

I had to dig to find the questions. Don't make people work for free.

1)Yes, resonated with a cat will be quieter. I've never had a resonated downpipe, just a catback with a giant resonator in front of the muffler and found that to be tame enough while still enjoyable.

2) Yes, the cats are way less efficient if they're further back. The CTS, for example, does almost nothing for smell since it's a shit-cat and way far back. (but flows great as a result). This also reduces heat in the bay.

3) Absolutely. The 100-200 cell off-road cats don't really do a whole lot besides reduce sound and maybe a bit of smell. You'll likely need an o2 spacer or other hacks to pass an inspection (I wouldn't run an o2 spacer personally-they fill with condensation and foul your o2 sensors faster). The GESI EPA cats are usually your best bet for trying to pass emissions (not all GESI cats are EPA cats! MAP's race cat, for example, is just a low-cell GESI cat, not their EPA line). I really wouldn't count on the others. IMO, if you want to run a cat, either get the DBV2 with the cat of your choice, or order a catless trackslag and have a cat welded in (unless you can find someone running a pre-catted trackslag who's passed emissions in your state).

fwiw the trackslag has kinda shit fitment (could be fixed with a custom mid-pipe) but that's what I'm running. performance is good, spool benefits are real. I wouldn't buy anything from IE nowadays, they're basically CTS with more carbon fiber and a higher marketing budget. if you see a bunch of people on youtube using something it's not 'cause it's good.

Finally someone else thinking this about IE. Don’t want to derail this thread but aside from the DP fitment I had an issue with their intercooler as well. The tabs for the condenser wouldn’t fit in the slots. Like at all. So one tab partially broke off of the intercooler. To prevent the other side from the same fate I clearanced it with a dremel.

 

[Rare Ara S3]

My R is going in for a custom 4” DP here next week with a 4” G-Sport GESI cat. Nick at 485 Designs here in Denver does top notch work. He may be offering these off the shelf for R’s if anyone is interested. Pricing set to be in line with Trackslag. This is his RS3 DP to get a look at his work.

View attachment 236205

Dang that’s nice

 

[projectTVMK7]

On my S3 I went from stock with the factory resonator delete to the IE downpipe. The exterior noise didn’t change if at all but inside there was highway drone so I added a vibrant UQ resonator which helped a bit. The IE pipe is a nice piece. I liked that it kept all the factory mounting points and cat location. but mine did not fit great. I messed with every adjustment that I could and the hangers that go into the rubber on the crossmember weren’t even in the same zip code. I stacked washers and used a longer bolt to make it work. And for mating it to a factory cat back it didn’t fit great either. I installed an IE downpipe on my brothers GTI and it fit perfectly. Which had me wondering if I got one built on a Monday or if it’s the wrong one. Either way I wouldn’t be changing it had i not built the motor and slapped on a Vortex XL. Trackslag arrives today so I’ll report back on the fitment and noise. I also feel like the car has more drone with the new turbo.
i prefer having a cat just due to the smell. That fuel and exhaust smell sticks to you coming from a catless vehicle. I suppose it depends on state of tune as well.

I'm curious to see if you have any fitment issues with the mid-pipe section of the Trackslag DP like I did?
The mid-pipe section sat too high on my 17 A3 quattro.

 

[scrllock]

Finally someone else thinking this about IE. Don’t want to derail this thread but aside from the DP fitment I had an issue with their intercooler as well. The tabs for the condenser wouldn’t fit in the slots. Like at all. So one tab partially broke off of the intercooler. To prevent the other side from the same fate I clearanced it with a dremel.

FWIW I helped a friend put a CTS direct fit on his R recently and we had zero issues. Quality of the IE stuff I've had wasn't much different tbh, at least in terms of casting.

i prefer having a cat just due to the smell. That fuel and exhaust smell sticks to you coming from a catless vehicle. I suppose it depends on state of tune as well.

Ethanol makes a big difference, it really does burn cleaner.

 

[Rare Ara S3]

Although the IE downpipe fit perfectly on my brothers GTI, the mounting bracket at the crossmember cracked and had to be welded after 1.5 years.

 

[MSH]

Completed 4" DP with 4" G-Sport GESI cat for my Golf R. It's 4" all the way until after the cat where you can see the taper to 3". 485 is still currently looking for a local S3 or R with a stock exhaust (mine isn't so didn't work for his purposes) to build out the fixture to for the final prodcution version.
Plans to offer in both catted (mine has 4" G-Sport GESI cat) and catless, as well as, ceramic coating if desired. They will be shooting to keep pricing as competitive as possible, but will be more than the Trackslag. The bonus on 485's DP is with the v band placement, the downpipe fits in/out of the car from the top of the engine bay and doesn't require the driveshaft to be unbolted.

Final go to market version will vary slightly from what you see here. Some people have asked about O2 sensor bung being placed after the cat, which they may do in final production version or just have it as an option. I didn't care about placement since I leave mine unplugged anyway. They just threw a bolt in mine since I removed my wire completely.
If anyone is interested contact Nick at 485 Designs https://www.485designs.net/automotivefabrication

 

[ShagginGSW]

Completed 4" DP with 4" G-Sport GESI cat for my Golf R. It's 4" all the way until after the cat where you can see the taper to 3". 485 is still currently looking for a local S3 or R with a stock exhaust (mine isn't so didn't work for his purposes) to build out the fixture to for the final prodcution version.

Plans to offer in both catted (mine has 4" G-Sport GESI cat) and catless, as well as, ceramic coating if desired. They will be shooting to keep pricing as competitive as possible, but will be more than the Trackslag. The bonus on 485's DP is with the v band placement, the downpipe fits in/out of the car from the top of the engine bay and doesn't require the driveshaft to be unbolted.

Final go to market version will vary slightly from what you see here. Some people have asked about O2 sensor bung being placed after the cat, which they may do in final production version or just have it as an option. I didn't care about placement since I leave mine unplugged anyway. They just threw a bolt in mine since I removed my wire completely.
If anyone is interested contact Nick at 485 Designs https://www.485designs.net/automotivefabrication

View attachment 238767

View attachment 238768

View attachment 238769

View attachment 238770

Holy shit balls, install without removing the DS would be insane.

 

[scrllock]

Completed 4" DP with 4" G-Sport GESI cat for my Golf R. It's 4" all the way until after the cat where you can see the taper to 3". 485 is still currently looking for a local S3 or R with a stock exhaust (mine isn't so didn't work for his purposes) to build out the fixture to for the final prodcution version.

Holy shit balls, install without removing the DS would be insane.

Presumably that doesn't help with getting your former downpipe out, though..