Exhaust Depot said:
Billy said:
And, for the record that isn't a well designed up-pipe for the WRX. A good one would have a flex in it just like the stock one; otherwise you run into problems with them cracking
I beg to differ.
Have you ever looked at a stock uppipe for a REAL STI? Yup, no flex in it being that there is no cat. All the uppipes that are out there with a flex section is made for those who don't know the proper sequence on installing an uppipe. The same applies for those who have had there manifolds and uppipe flanges warp.
I am yet to see a perine or PDE uppipe crack and I have been around alot of WRX. My prototype uppipe you see there is made out of 14 gauge steel which is pretty thick and wont be cracking anytime soon. (my production one will not have welds on it).
Actually the STi uppipe does have the same type of flex as the OEM WRX (North America version) uppipe... it just doesn't have the pre-cat. STi on the left, OEM on the right... both have that crinkle area of flex... not the braided style of flex seen on some exhausts.
I've not heard of cracking problems regarding uppipes, but a number of leaking problems. Which can be attributed to improper installation and/or lack of flex in uppipe.
Check out this latest posting at ClubWRX.com for info regarding uppipe leaking (if you're interested):
http://www.clubwrx.net/forums/showt...ecfc468e87&threadid=8534&highlight=sti+uppipe
here's a snip...
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here's the percentage of which brands leak the most based on how many are leaking out of the number bought from each brand.
ATR..............6..........1..........17%
Godspeed...25.........6..........24%
M2...............3..........1..........33%
Perrin..........5..........2..........40%
PDE.............6..........2..........33%
TurboXS......4..........0..........0%
Vishnu........13.........5..........38%
Other..........5..........2..........40%
JDM STi........3..........0..........0%
MRT Flex......2..........0..........0%
as a financial analyst, i would say the following
1) not all the same people voted in each poll. this is the case for a number of reasons, but most obviously, the lack or a "no leak" option on the leaking poll, and the similar counts in samples for each test.
2) all of the pipes with the supposed zero percentage leaking are too small a sample to support that figure. they could in fact be some of the worst, however, i don't think it's coincidence that NONE of the JDM or MRT have leaked. <opinion>
3) Vishnu and Godspeed are the only pipes with enough market share to make any assumptions. i would say that if Shiv's share was similar to Godspeeds, the number would fall closer to 25%.
i stand by the school of thought that all these polls prove is that 1/4 of all installs are done incorrectly, or that eventually, the vast majority of all pipes will leak, and it's just the timing of the leaking that we see here.
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