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Downpipe options?

tm978275

New member
Location
Boston
I would appreciate some advice as far as my options for a catted downpipe go.
I'm currently running Eurodyne 1.5.
So I'm wondering if anyone has any experience on USP's downpipe:

http://www.uspmotorsports.com/Volks...teel-Downpipe-MK7-GTI-Golf-A3-FWD-Catted.html

In comparison to APR's:
http://www.uspmotorsports.com/Volks...Downpipe-Exhaust-System-1.8-2.0T-MQB-FWD.html


It's roughly $200 cheaper, and I understand performance costs money, but is there much of a difference?

Sorry if it's an ignorant question, most of my mech background is fixing humvees and MRAPs years ago.

Thanks!
 

Ricked_Em

Go Kart Champion
Location
STL
If you're looking to save some money go with the CW pipe. Save $130 with the same cat and less leak points (compared to the usp pipe). I have had the original one for 14k miles now and after two adjustments it has been problem free ever since. If I was to ever spend the money though I would go with the apr

http://streetandtracksolutions.com/products/circuit-werks-mk7-gti-3-inch-downpipe-catted

The apr has a better cat though if you are sensitive to smell or want to save the environment a little more.
 

Reggie Enchilada

Autocross Newbie
Location
nowhere
Car(s)
yes
All of the downpipes are going to be pretty much the same. The biggest difference that you will find will be in the build quality/fit and finish and the quality of the cat's. Something like an HJS cat or any other premium cat is probably going to perform a little better and have a little less risk of collapsing and causing restriction than the cat in one of the USP dp's. Having a cat collapse is a rare occurence though. Not saying that USP dp's or cat's are bad either. Plenty of people on here have used them without issue. Best reasons that I can come up with for using a higher quality cat would be higher flow rate, less risk of failure and better catalyzation. I'm not saying that any one type of dp/cat is any more or less failure prone than any other, just that in general you get what you pay for.

One big thing to look at when considering a catted dp is the cat's cell count. Something with a 200 cell cat will flow better than a 400 cell count.

Alternatively, if your state doesn't do emissions checks you can just go catless.

Some good dp options to look at would be Bull-X, Billy Boat, APR, CTS, USP, Eurojet, Unitronic, Revo, AWE, Milltek, VWR, and Invidia.

Some of them (Bull-X, CTS) have 3.5 inch turbo outlet sections with 3 inch piping the rest of the way. Others are 3 inch from the turbo back. So in theory, the ones with the larger diameter piping will flow better.

Another thing to consider is the thickness of the walls of the piping. From what I've seen, the Bull-X one uses thicker piping than most of them. I have one of the Bull-X catless dp's and can definitely say that the build quality is excellent.

Here is a photo of what the Bull-X catless dp looks like next to the stock one:
http://imgur.com/EuZF85H

I don't have a closeup of the welds on the Bull-X one, but they are fantasic. The beads are so nice and even and clean looking.
You can see the slight taper from the 3.5 inch section to the 3 inch section if you look closely.

Hope you plan on going Stage 2 once you get a downpipe. Especially since you have Eurodyne. The difference from ED 1.5 to 2 is night and day. I went from 1.5HT 93 to 2 93 and I love it.

You'll probably want to look into an intercooler upgrade if you haven't already. The heatsoak when stock is bad enough, let alone when running a tune.
 

nype

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Vancouver, B.C.
If you don't mind, and not to hijack this thread, but...

Are catted DPs quieter than catless?
 

Reggie Enchilada

Autocross Newbie
Location
nowhere
Car(s)
yes
If you don't mind, and not to hijack this thread, but...

Are catted DPs quieter than catless?

In general, yeah. There's not a big difference, but it's there. You can really hear the difference between the two when you have a catback though.
 

SpeedieGTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Kansas
I'm no APR fan but I love their dp for the mk7. It sounds and performs amazingly well with my eurodyne stage 2HT tune.
 

SpeedieGTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Kansas
Also don't cheap out on the DP. A quality DP will fit well and last the life of the car.
 

tm978275

New member
Location
Boston
Fair enough, apr it is then.
Unfortunately I live in MA, they're like the emissions gestapo here...so definitely need a cat. If it weren't for that, I'd go catless just so I could feel better driving through Cambridge, the land of bicycle lanes and what ever the plural of prius is...(priae?)

Thanks for the guidance.
 

Mk7GTl

Go Kart Champion
Location
USA
Fair enough, apr it is then.
Unfortunately I live in MA, they're like the emissions gestapo here...so definitely need a cat. If it weren't for that, I'd go catless just so I could feel better driving through Cambridge, the land of bicycle lanes and what ever the plural of prius is...(priae?)

Thanks for the guidance.

APR fit like a glove
Usp fit like crap I sold it after 2 weeks of trying to adjust it from rattles.
Anything usp and spulen related I wouldn't waste a penny on. I have their boost pipes and will get rid of them ASAP.
 

Mydixadryl

Ready to race!
Location
Texas
What about the Unitronic? I was considering that one to avoid the APR tax.
 

gn4rwhals

Go Kart Champion
Location
Detroit, MI
After having 3 downpipes, the only one that fit 100% without hassle was APR.

42DD made a great downpipe, but unless you pay for the v-bands be prepared to make up swear words installing it.
 
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