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2008+ SPT Exhaust Review

9K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  WRX-maniac 
#1 ·
Finally got around to getting a video clip of my SPT CBE and put together a little before and after video. I know that there already is an SPT before and after video with a 2011 WRX hatch, but I did a full RPM cycle so you guys can hear it at every throttle level....enjoy!

In 1080p if you have a screen that will support it (this is already posted in the Exhaust Sound Clips thread):


I believe that this exhaust sounds great; pairing its tone with the ease of mind of not running into warranty issues, I don't think it gets any better. Granted, this setup is relatively expensive (mine was ~$850 after a 20% discount), but it is a perfect blend of the Boxer rumble noise that we all love and the daily driver ability that most of us need.

I did want to address a couple of particulars about the exhaust as well. As many of you know, the flange that connects to the muffler to the main pipe (near the rear axle) sits significantly lower than the stock's bend. Here is a before and after of the clearnace that you will find with the SPT exhaust.

Before (Lowest Point of Exhaust): ~7 inches
Auto part Automotive exhaust Tire Automotive tire Exhaust system

Note that the lowest point of the exhaust falls almost exactly inline with the rear axle and, therefore, the tallest part of the wheel.

After (Lowest Point of Exhaust): ~5inches
Auto part Vehicle door Floor Vehicle Tire

Note that the lowest point of the exhaust has been shifted towards the rear of the car more and, therefore, does not have the added clearance benefit of the tallest part of the wheel.

A simple example can be seen below. The green square represents an approximation of where the lowest point of the stock exhaust lies. The red square represents an approximation of where the lowest point of the SPT exhaust lies. You'll notice that the SPT exhaust actually has only about half of the clearance potential of the stock system.
Diagram Text Circle Line Font


Furthermore, I wanted to note the difference between where the tips "sit" on both setups with respect to the bumper. I did this to clear up a very common complaint about the SPT exhaust (that the SPT tips hang lower than the stock tips).

Before (Distance between top of tips to bottom of exhaust cutout): ~1.75 inches
Gun Automotive exterior Bumper Vehicle door Tire


After (Distance between top of tips to bottom of exhaust cutout): ~1.5 inches (just barely over)
Vehicle door Automotive exterior Bumper Auto part Automotive exhaust


I did not modify the SPT exhaust in any way to "lift" it; this is how it came out of the Subaru shop although, if anyone still feels like it is excessively low, there is the quick "$5 Fix" to raise the tips floating around a Legacy forum. It can be found here:
http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/5-adjustable-exhaust-tuck-mod-under-hour-162224.html?

Well, that's all I have on the subject...hope it helps!
 
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#4 ·
I commute to work everyday (60mph highways) and experience no drone whatsoever. Honestly, the sound of the air rushing past the car significantly outweighs the exhaust notes. It's a perfect exhaust for my needs...growls hard on acceleration and tones WAY down at normal cruising speeds.

I would definitely recommend.
 
#6 ·
Are any of you guys running stage 2 + SPT? My 08-10 dual SPT sounded great with my stage 2. It was quiet, yeah I agree, but when you get on it it's rather rumbly. Also, I let my friend drive my suby and he let me drive his s2k with the top dropped. As he blew by me the spt was rather loud and poppy, I was impressed. TOTALLY different than driving the car than being outside it.
 
#8 ·
This thread is very interesting to me, my goal is performance and style, not noise. While looking for exhaust I have found that popular ones are often too loud, I've owned a couple M3's and RS spec vehicles, and am tired of getting pulled over for their stock exhaust, so I want to avoid that. However, I prefer the duel exist/quad tip look. I think STP is my route. However, the bumper gives me a problem, stock there is only one exhaust cut out. How does one handle this... without a saw. I have a 08 WRX Hatch
 
#9 ·
The SPT exhaust is ok in my opinion. But if you dont have it on the car from the dealership as an add-on, its not worth the money to purchase it by itself. If I were you I would go with the invidia Q300. Its the quad tip that you are looking for, looks and sounds great! It is a little bit louder than the SPT, but not real loud. Like the N1 style exhausts for example. Price is better too, for a brand new spt catback its close to a thousand dollars. The Q300 is a couple hundred cheaper.

Also, I had an 08 hatchback before my 11 a few years ago, I bought an sti quad tip catback from a friend and had to cut out a hole in the rear diffuser for it to fit. Here is what I did and it worked out well. I got cardboard, and made an exact size cutout of the right side hole for the exhaust, then flipped it and placed it over the left side. I then used a dremel with a plastic cutter blade and trace the cardboard cutout. Once the piece of the diffuser was cut out, I took a piece of fine grit sand paper and sanded it down. It looked great and worked perfectly. Hope this helps.
 
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