[EJ257]

I've never had a smell issue with catless vehicles when driving them. It's just sitting behind them that always bothered me. Personally, I'd try save money and go catless, since creep won't be an issue, and the illegality is the same.

Thanks for the reply. I have never had such a hard time deciding on a downpipe. But the Xforce one is interesting. It is a bellmouth, plus I can run catted or catless. Just never heard of them before. Also, the cat is very far back on the exhaust stream. So I would I still get the same benefits of a regular catted downpipe where the cat is located closer to the turbo?

All things equal, the farther down the exhaust path the catalyst is located, the less restriction it will introduce, at the expense of higher emissions.

 

[EJ257]

What downpipe would you recommend Matty? I want a bellmouth since I will be going ewg. Catted or catless doesn't really matter to me. But I want a company I can depend on for fitment, welds, and material used. I know many people say that it is just a pipe. But I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. I don't mind paying more if the pipe meets my standards. I have always had invidia dp's and have always been more than happy. Problem is that I cant find, or maybe they stopped making the bellmouth.

If you're going with an EWG, there is ZERO benefit to going with a divorced / divided wastegate design (I have said this to you on multiple occasions). On a stock turbo, it's not going to really make a bit of difference, but if you decide to upgrade to something like a Blouch 1.5XTR, not having a bellmouth may hold you back a bit, but it might not (I haven't tuned enough cars with that setup difference to say). If you're deadset on Invidia, and want the bellmouth design, you can always get their divided downpipe and have the plate taken out for probably $20-50 or so in labor costs.

Invidia, as far as I know, has discontinued their bellmouth design; another option they have to cover for limited/minimal sales gains.

I haven't had the bad experience with the knockoff pipes in terms of them breaking down. The welds often look like they were done by Michael J Fox, but they've never broken apart and caused leaks (and I see much more snow / halite than you do down in MD). Fitment issues can usually be resolved by enlarging bolt holes with a drill, so it's never been an issue with me. Plus, if you buy from a reputable seller, and you tell them there's a fitment issue, they'll replace the part. If you're using the vehicle as your only means of transportation, that's not always acceptable, but that's where you need to choose between paying a premium is worth it or if you're willing to gamble on saving a few dollars. That said, a post-turbo exhaust leak is nowhere near the issue that a pre-turbo one is.

If you are really worried about quality, buy used. As much as I'd love to sell you a part from my vendor account, there are people looking to recoup what they can when they part a vehicle out, and you can save some money there. This isn't a wear item (the exhaust should last the life of the vehicle and then some), so strongly consider the used market, if what you want is available.

 

[EJ257]

I'm a strong proponent of EWG / EL manifold.

While cost/benefit analysis may not always prove those two the best mods for the money (Robin made a good point; you can spend $2K on EL manifold / EWG and not gain the same extra power vs 20G turbo upgrade), I still recommend them.

The only problem with the "revised" plan is that you'll want to be replacing the downpipe when you do the EWG uppipe, which adds to the cost. Go catless bellmouth from the start and be done with it.

 

[EJ257]

Here's why I recommend Intake / Injectors / EL / EWG:
1) https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=33381068&postcount=18
2) https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2112090
3) https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2628355

#1 / #2 demonstrates the power gains you'll get with the EL / Intake / Injectors combination. You get the low/mid range gains of the EL manifold, plus the top-end gains of the intake/injectors. Great powerband.

#3 outlines how the EWG will make your car more resistant to detonation and more efficient, even at the same boost levels.

Overall, win / win / win.

 

[EJ257]

Ultimately, do what you want. E85 availability may rise in your area, and you can do an E85/93 FF setup with all the power you'd want from the stock turbo. You're buying quality parts, so even if you have to sell the EWG uppipe down the road (for rotated), the KBM EL manifold would be reusable, so you'd lose a bit on the EWG uppipe, but nothing crazy.

Won't an equal length header allow you to use twin scroll turbos

Not quite. Every aftermarket TS unit I'm aware of is EL (because if you're going to spend that kind of money, why waste on inefficient UEL design?!), but not all EL are TS, if that makes sense. KBM, for example, is a 4-1 collector design, which means it can't be used in conjunction with a TS turbo. You need two separate exhaust gas "streams" to power a TS turbo (e.g., Full-Race makes a 4-2 manifold that mates with their on TS uppipe).