Downpipe comes tomorrow.

[Mike193]

So I have a choice, My downpipe is coming tomorrow, I can go to the shop I normally go to and pay somewhere around $195 to have it installed, or I can jump out on a limb and try and do it myself. Is this hard to do or is it relatively easy? help and suggestions pleasse!!!

[wrx650]

I did mine and it wasn't too bad. There are quite a few videos on youtube showing how to do it, plus companies like cobb and perrin have instructions on their websites. the most annoying part for me was cutting the heat shield because I only had really crappy tin snips. i would give it a try yourself. A second set of hands can be helpful when you are putting it in, one person under the car and the other holding it at the turbo.

[Mike193]

I did mine and it wasn't too bad. There are quite a few videos on youtube showing how to do it, plus companies like cobb and perrin have instructions on their websites. the most annoying part for me was cutting the heat shield because I only had really crappy tin snips. i would give it a try yourself. A second set of hands can be helpful when you are putting it in, one person under the car and the other holding it at the turbo.

Thanks you for your input. I think I may just go for it myself. As for the heat shields, if I heat wrap it I can get rid of the heat shields, correct?

[wrx650]

The heat wrap will only isolate the heat coming from the downpipe and not from the turbo. You still need a heat shield or turbo blanket or something like that to keep the heat from the turbo from coming into the engine bay. someone correct me if I am wrong.

[Mike193]

Ahh, so the heat shield issue is the heat shield for the turbo and not necessarily for the downpipe?

[wrx650]

yeah.

[wrx650]

are you going to be tuning with an accessport?

[Mike193]

I have an accessport so yea I will be tuning with that. And chances are ill head to lowes today and buy some nice tin cutters to cut the heat shield more easily

[wrx650]

Good plan. I used the directions from COBB's website for cutting the heat shield. Have fun with that new downpipe! I couldn't believe the difference it made on my car. Btw, which one did you get?

[jlinnell98]

So I have a choice, My downpipe is coming tomorrow, I can go to the shop I normally go to and pay somewhere around $195 to have it installed, or I can jump out on a limb and try and do it myself. Is this hard to do or is it relatively easy? help and suggestions pleasse!!!

I did my own with one other person helping. Honestly, I would have rather just paid the money to have it done because it took longer than expected (only had a short window to get it done and couldn't finish - had to get the rest done the following day). The reason I decided to do it myself? I have no decent tuning shop within 100 miles, and every normal shop I called had never installed a downpipe on a turbo car (let alone a WRX). I basically I didn't trust them to do it for me.

[UEDan]

First time's always the worst.

Posted from a fone.

[Mikie13]

The heatshields are good, but not a must. So if you run for a little while without it, you won't cause any problems. Pick up a Grimmspeed, SPT, Cobb or something. Or a PTP Turbo blanket. Those are all easy to install as well.

Otherwise, you should be alright doing it yourself. Grab a buddy to help you out. I just hope you're indoors/garage doing it...cause it's cold as fak outside! It's not a hard project at all really. I recommend picking up some CNC Freeze-off for the downpipe bolts...works better than any PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench product that I've used. Spray that on a little big before you begin tackling the bolts.

[11blackwrx]

installing the dp is not very hard, ive put 2 different ones on my car myself, i would suggest doing it yourself

[wrx650]

Mikie13 makes some good points there. My car had seen a couple of winters and some of the bolts were a bit on the stubborn side....

[Eric05mx]

It's not a bad job depending on your basic ability to turn a wrench and if you have some decent tools because the turbo bolts will be pretty tight. The heat shield has like 10 bolts too which I used my 1/4 inch drive snap-on swivel ratchet on. The O2 sensor is a 21 or 22mm also. I've done 3 down pipe installs so far and the most recent took an hour.

If you lived close I'd gladly throw it on for 50 bucks. $195 is crazy!