best performance for a sstock

Headers, cats, uppipes, downpipes, midpipes and mufflers.

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crappyrice
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best performance for a sstock

Post by crappyrice »

i have a stock 91 subaru legacy turbo,

what will be the best siz exaust system, and will taking off the cats help, even mabye one, on the downpipe mabye?

so like which is the best combo for performance, and price, and still keep the car reliable, nothing too loud, sionce the ca is red, and cops love red cars.
Manarius
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Post by Manarius »

I think all of us agree, you want to get something with a lot of room..like a 2.5 catback...
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crappyrice
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Post by crappyrice »

catback?
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
georryan
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Post by georryan »

If you're strapped for money, I'd go for the 2.5 catback. You'll notice some improvements with a new muffler. Although, be aware that it can get loud. Subarujunkie had a 2.5" cat back and a magnaflow muffler and his car was louder than my 3" TBE.

Getting rid of the stock downpipe is also a good thing for improvements. Just about any downpipe will help. After the exhaust it is all up to you. I'd probably put in a high flow cat, and if you want to keep it quiet, I'd probably stick to a 2.5 and maybe throw in a resonator for good measure. Most people run a 2.5 - 3 inch TBE with a muffler and high flow cat.

All us CES guys have a resonator in our system as well. It keeps it nice and agreeable on the freeway while opening up to some great sound when you get on it. I can listen to the radio and talk to people in the car without a problem. The only time it gets to be annoying is if I'm climbing a hill with a load on the engine in moderate revs.

Oh, and I've never had a problem with the police and the noise of my car.
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crappyrice
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Post by crappyrice »

tbe, ces???

also the downpipe, is it a catless downpipe, and if yes, wont that hurt ur emissions?

also what is the avg cost of all this?

and beside sound and power any other advantages?, like less heat, better milage, reliability?
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
azn2nr
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Post by azn2nr »

less heat better milage nice sound and zero turbo lag.

for a cost effective aproach. try ssautochrome on ebay for thier wrx tbe. i have it and love it
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crappyrice
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Post by crappyrice »

wait, wouldent no turbo lag mean more gas usage? also is there any way to increase the turbo lag?? like around 3500 instead of around 2200 on stock?
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
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Post by rallysam »

crappyrice wrote:wait, wouldent no turbo lag mean more gas usage? also is there any way to increase the turbo lag?? like around 3500 instead of around 2200 on stock?
Weird... this is the third time recently that I've heard an SS owner complain about "not enough lag".

Most people would kill to get a setup that spools as quick as ours. I don't see it hurting gas mileage much. But, if you must, then you can keep boost out of the intake manifold by just not putting down the pedal quite as far.
'00 Impr RS - sold
'91 Legacy Turbo 5MT - mothballed
13psi, TurboXS TBE, WRX IC, Hallman MBC, TurboXS FCD, KYB AGX, Phil's STI seat, SPT short shifter, David Carter hood, Zeitronix widebandO2, Kuhmo rally tires, STI IC spray, thanks:gearboxtech.com
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Post by crappyrice »

thats what i currently do, try to keep it under 2500 , but it gets kinda hard on normal stop acceleration. ppl behind u get all pissed.
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
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Post by BAC5.2 »

If you want better gas mileage, get a different car.

You have to pay to play, and if you want to go faster, your going to have to pay for it.
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Post by snowboarded »

Preach on. If you want to have fun, conserving gas is not an option.
But overall a more free flowing exhaust will do nothing but be better for your car over all.

A turbo back system shouldn't cost all that much, I got mine for $600 on ebay.
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georryan
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Post by georryan »

TBE = Turbo Back Exhaust. Basically this is a replacement from the turbo all the way to the muffler.

CES is an australian company that makes a really really nice exhaust setup.

If you want more turbo lag,...you'll probably have to go with a bigger turbo. The flipside of things is when you do get on it, you'll use MORE gas, but if you stay out of the turbo's range, you'll use less. Our stock turbos make it kinda hard not to boost. They are always wanting to boost cause they spool up so fast.

The open downpipe and opened up exhaust reduce the back pressure and allow the turbo to spool up a little bit faster.

Yes it will hurt your emissions a bit, and that is why I suggest putting in a High flow cat. Currently I'm running catless and I know I'd never pass CA emissions like that. On top of that, it probably doesn't smell very nice driving behind me.

I'd definately get a downpipe if you could, and one without a cat in in it. It won't hurt your emissions THAT much.
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18 KTM 1290 Adventure S

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Post by georryan »

Oh, and if you want to help gas milage, I've heard that puttin in a DIS2 ignition has helped gas milage a bit.
91 Pearl White Sport Sedan
04 Java Black Pearl Forester XT
2014 Volvo S60 T5
18 KTM 1290 Adventure S

87 Grey GL-10 Sedan (so long old buddy) - donated
97 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - sold
2002 BMW r1150rt-p - sold
2004 BMW r1200ST - sold
2016 BMW r1200RS - sold
crappyrice
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Post by crappyrice »

but that coasts a lot dont it?
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
georryan
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Post by georryan »

The DIS2 cost a lot? Well, yeah kinda, it is about 300 or so.
91 Pearl White Sport Sedan
04 Java Black Pearl Forester XT
2014 Volvo S60 T5
18 KTM 1290 Adventure S

87 Grey GL-10 Sedan (so long old buddy) - donated
97 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - sold
2002 BMW r1150rt-p - sold
2004 BMW r1200ST - sold
2016 BMW r1200RS - sold
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Post by crappyrice »

itll help performance too right
1991 subaru legacy, 2.2 turbo, automatic, 4wd, red, and very bad on gas
georryan
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Post by georryan »

Yeah it should help a little. It will probably help you out in the upper revs a little bit.

Check out these reviews:

http://www.legacycentral.org/library/DIS.htm

http://www.legacycentral.org/library/exhaust.htm
91 Pearl White Sport Sedan
04 Java Black Pearl Forester XT
2014 Volvo S60 T5
18 KTM 1290 Adventure S

87 Grey GL-10 Sedan (so long old buddy) - donated
97 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - sold
2002 BMW r1150rt-p - sold
2004 BMW r1200ST - sold
2016 BMW r1200RS - sold
Project_Legacy
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Post by Project_Legacy »

will just 1 hi-flow cat be able to make you pass emissions?? cuz i thought these came with 2 cats stock. wanna get my exhaust done to where i dont have to mess with it.
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rallysam
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Post by rallysam »

You SHOULD be able to pass. The cat helps with emissions, but the biggest issue is whether your car is tuned up properly.

For example, some people with our car have passed emissions with 0 cats whereas my car failed WITH all the stock exhaust in place because my spark plugs were bad.
'00 Impr RS - sold
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Post by crappyrice »

so waht are the most major components of passing the emission test.

and u also have to take into consideration the difference with each place, like here incanada the test might be easier or harder then in the usa.
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Post by BAC5.2 »

Emissions consists of NOX, HCO, and CO2, I believe.

Cat's convert Hydrocarbons into CO2.

Emissions test the intricate balance that the car is designed to maintain.

Without a cat, your HCO readings SHOULD be fairly high, while CO2 should be pretty low.

I know Boostjunkie passed with no cats, and I bet my car will pass too, without cats. I'll find out in Feb.
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Post by rallysam »

crappyrice wrote:and u also have to take into consideration the difference with each place, like here incanada the test might be easier or harder then in the usa.
Yeah, definitely. All we can do is tell you what happened to us, and all you can do is give it a shot and see what happens.
'00 Impr RS - sold
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13psi, TurboXS TBE, WRX IC, Hallman MBC, TurboXS FCD, KYB AGX, Phil's STI seat, SPT short shifter, David Carter hood, Zeitronix widebandO2, Kuhmo rally tires, STI IC spray, thanks:gearboxtech.com
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Post by georryan »

Generally speaking, our cars run very clean for the obdI tests. I do know a guy in california that is saying that his car probably would not pass without his high flow cat. When you take into account that his car might need some bottom end work (potentially rings), then it kind of fits. Take into account that how well your car runs, and whether you have done a toon up lately, how often you have changed your oil, etc. can have an effect. Generally speaking, though, you should not have too much of a problem. The only state I would really worry about running catless is Califorina since it is natorious for being the harshest on emissions. My ecu even has a flag stating it is a California car.
91 Pearl White Sport Sedan
04 Java Black Pearl Forester XT
2014 Volvo S60 T5
18 KTM 1290 Adventure S

87 Grey GL-10 Sedan (so long old buddy) - donated
97 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - sold
2002 BMW r1150rt-p - sold
2004 BMW r1200ST - sold
2016 BMW r1200RS - sold
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Post by Busdriver »

I bought my wagon without being smogged, so I had to get it smogged and it was an ordeal...
I am new to emission tests, driving only an exempted car in Montana where there are no ET's. I moved to SoCal and bought this smoggable vehicle...

It all looked like it had just been tuned up, new spark plugs, wires, filters, and oil.

Yet it only passed because the tech kept the idle revs at 1025, the 2500 rpm test was no problem, only at low idle ~700 it failed.
It failed on high Hydrocarbons.

so I'm wondering what else I could do to make my car run cleaner, it runs and idles excellent!!

A mechanic suggested a new cat, but that's like $$$, which I might have to get, but why are the emissions "dirty" in the first place, even before it hits the cats??
I'm up for a tune up again so I'll wait for suggestions on procedures and parts,
It's gonna be my first Subaru tune-up....
Stock 1991 Legacy L+ AWD 5MT wagon 191k+ mi
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Post by NICO »

my set up cost me 450, its a huge down pipe to 3" stright pipe right out the back with a magnaflow muffler at the end it looks like a rally car from the back becuse of flames and gun shots and its all stainless steal. thats if you want total performance, for emissions i put my factory set up back on.

about the lag thing my car spools up around 3000rpm becuse the turbo has no restricters.
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