Equal length vs. Un-equal Length Headers

[commbubba19]

So I'm in an argument on my local subaru forum that in my opinion, UEL headers sound a ton better on our cars vs. EL. Examples below:

BRZ but its the new 2.0l engine that the WRX/STI will have next year. Obviously it has EL headers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEU...e_gdata_player


A 2011 that is a great example of UEL vs. EL headers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGyk...e_gdata_player

The traditional sound was a big reason why i bought my car. Not the only one, but a big one. Knowing that the new 2.0 will likely have EL headers is a big turn off to me. Local forum members are basically telling me i'm an idiot because EL headers are so much more efficient and better for power. All of which I know, but losing that sound is a big no no for me.

Thoughts?

[EJ257]

I would not "waste" my time/money installing an unequal length manifold on my car. I don't mind the sound of an ELH Subaru, as it sounds a bit like a Porsche. That said...

Are you an idiot for falling in love with a signature part of your vehicle? Absolutely not. Are you an idiot for wanting to retain that if you go with an aftermarket manifold? Absolutely not. Are they making your car payments and/or buying your modifications? If not, they can STFU while you do as you wish.

You are aware of the drawbacks of the unequal length design, and accept them. You've weighed the options, and made the decision that is best for you.

[michaelwfox]

I love the UEL sound as well. Mr. Mattypants said it really well. It is your money and your preference. So do what makes you happy. You'd have haters regardless of which route you take lol

[Calvinball]

At this point I still much prefer the sound of inefficiency too. Do ELH produce more power? Sure! But on MY car I like the rumble. There are others who don't, and bully for them! To each their own.

[MainFrame]

I personally feel that well designed ELH sounds MUCH better than UEL. That brappy burbly "Subaru" sound really annoys the hell out of me these days, especially when paired with a fhart can, which seems to be the popular choice these days.

[RayfieldsWRX]

I'd love to do a "sound check" on this at CF, if we can get two cars with similar exhaust systems, one with ELH, the other with UEL. I don't know that I've ever paid attention to the difference.

[Heide264]

I'd love to do a "sound check" on this at CF, if we can get two cars with similar exhaust systems, one with ELH, the other with UEL. I don't know that I've ever paid attention to the difference.

Bruce and I have a similar system. His has a resonator in the midpipe and a cat in the down pipe. Otherwise, we both have the Nameless Performance catback. I have the Invidia EL exhaust.

Standing outside the car, I'd probably give the nod to the UEL at idle or with a light rev. The EL headers are surprisingly quieter at idle as well. Either way, the performance benefits when I put them on really trump the difference.

[Axex]

I agree with what everyone else here said. Your car, your money, your happiness. Do as you please. I'm not sure if an aftermarket UEL would be worth it or not, I've never looked into the gains. I don't like the ELH sound and I've heard plenty of videos and headers. Doesn't do it for me. I can see the advantages though. If you are trying to squeeze every bit of power out of the engine it's definitely necessary. It also makes the sound much smoother and quieter, which some people may desire.

Knowing that the new 2.0 will likely have EL headers is a big turn off to me.

How do you know this? Nobody here knows this. Sure the brz has EL headers, but that's because it doesn't have a turbo... If anything I'd bet that we will continue to get UEL headers on our turbo engines, the JDM STI stopped using them, yet we still get them, and people still buy it. People here must really like the sound or something

[Heide264]

Also... worth mentioning on this note... I think EL headers are much harder to accurately represent in a youtube video as compared to UEL. I haven't really heard an exhaust video that I like, but the EL ones always get the short end of the stick when run through a microphone.

[rage-wrx]

[RayfieldsWRX]

Wow, that's a mammoth difference. Great video.

[wrx1234]

So I'm in an argument on my local subaru forum that in my opinion, UEL headers sound a ton better on our cars vs. EL. Examples below:

BRZ but its the new 2.0l engine that the WRX/STI will have next year. Obviously it has EL headers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLEU...e_gdata_player


A 2011 that is a great example of UEL vs. EL headers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGyk...e_gdata_player

The traditional sound was a big reason why i bought my car. Not the only one, but a big one. Knowing that the new 2.0 will likely have EL headers is a big turn off to me. Local forum members are basically telling me i'm an idiot because EL headers are so much more efficient and better for power. All of which I know, but losing that sound is a big no no for me.

Thoughts?

Why are you assuming the new 2.0 WRX will have EL headers? The BRZ does not have a turbo which means the headers don't have to run up one side of the engine to the turbo. That's the main reason for the UEL headers. This isn't the first time we had a 2.0 in an STi or WRX and in Japan they still have 2.0 engine. While the majority of the engine might be the same, they are two different cars, one with a turbo one not. The piping, cooling will make the overall engine bay different. An example of this would be the old late 90's DSMs (GST, GSX, TSI, TSI AWD) and the EVO...

What i'm trying to say is we don't know yet.

[EndlessSea]

they both sound equally cool to me, but one of them makes about 20whp more on a given setup than the other. or so ive heard. so i know what ill be getting when one out of warranty day i man up and buy a rotated kit.

[Ricktalife]

I think everyone should realize that you bought a WRX instead of an STI. I love my WRX and I think it performs rather well in stock form, but obviously not as well as the STI. If you were concerned about maximum performance, you would have chosen an STI.

That's all you have to say.

[michaelwfox]

I think everyone should realize that you bought a WRX instead of an STI. I love my WRX and I think it performs rather well in stock form, but obviously not as well as the STI. If you were concerned about maximum performance, you would have chosen an STI.

That's all you have to say.

Uhhh wut?

This thread is about exhaust sound.

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