Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul Coughing
I had some time this weekend to get the mid pipe installed. Here's my take on it all.
Installation went alright. I got the downpipe connections off without any fuss, and while I was in there, decided to install the Turner shifter bushing. So I removed the transmission cover, and the upper exhaust shield to access the shifter bushing. That all went smoothly, but left the transmission cover off until the end so that I had more space to make adjustments. I tightened up the new mid pipe to the downpipe as per the instructions, and found that the mid-pipe wanted to be almost right up against the exhaust shield on the side with the straight pipe. I undid the downpipe to mid-pipe bolts again, and tried to move the pipe to the centerline part of the exhaust shield area, but it just wanted to move over to the one side again. So I just left it like that, and continued with the rest of the installation.
I had cut off the rear exhaust 1.5 inches from the welds already (as per the instructions), and started to adjust the rear parts of the mid-pipe (non resonated) and found that I couldn't get the pipes to fit with the stock exhaust, so I had to go back and cut off .25 of an inch of the pipe on the drivers side so that I could get the non-resonated pipes to actually fit the pipes without it pushing the stock exhaust up against the bumper cover. I also added a washer in-between the body, and the AA cross brace to give a little bit more space, but interestingly the clearance issues were between the mid pipe and the exhaust shield above it, and on the side with the straight pipe. Once I lined everything up, I tightened all the bolts, and removed the little spacer they give you but had clearance issues above the exhaust and on the side. I had to bend back the exhaust shield on both sides, and that seemed to give me enough clearance. When I went to install the transmission cover, i could not reach the bolts that hold the metal part of the shield to the frame - right by the transmission exhaust mount - because the pipes were right in front of it. I couldn't snake the bolt from the top of the exhaust pipe, or from the side, as there was no clearance, so for now I just left it. Hopefully there's no vibrations from the cover as its loose on that side.
I started the car, and didn't find any big leaks at the connections - I did get a bunch of condensation leaking from the rear connection at the stock exhaust, and the ball joints. Also, I found a bunch of little pinhole leaks in the welds where they didn't have enough penetration that were leaking exhaust. I didn't get any vibrations from the mid-pipe rattling or hitting anything.
Sound: The car sounds so much better! It sounds like a true inline-6 engine, a bit of a 2JZ mixed with something a little more exotic. I get no rasp like some of the other owners were talking about, it just sounds good! With the non resonated mid-pipe, stock downpipes and ZCP muffler it is probably 25-30% louder with the flaps open. Cold start is louder, but it sounds better. The stock ZCP tuned burbles are now almost too loud and obnoxious. I can hear actual little explosions now at low RPMs; when i do a redline shift, the pops and blowoff 'fart' noise is really loud and will make everyone turn and look at you. For my small town, where I'd like to keep a little bit of respect, I probably can't keep it in sport mode when I'm just cruising due to how much louder my stock ZCP burbles are, and I definitely can't do any redline shifts in sports or sports+ due to the pops and bangs. If I was a little younger and didn't have to see my neighbors on a regular basis, it would be perfect, but I am probably going to weld in some resonators to make it a little quieter.
TL;DR:
Pros: Sound - it is awesome; it sounds so good and is everything I thought it would be!
Cons: Probably too loud for an old fogey like me - non-resonated setup
build quality isn't great - pinhole leaks in welds
installation error? - had to bend back exhaust shields, couldn't access bolts that had been accessible before
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Get used to those ball/socket connections leaking, it will not stop. No matter which way you adjust them, re-tighten the clamps etc... they will leak where the gap in the clamp is no matter the positioning. Ive talked with AA a bit when I first installed my single midpipe and they didn't have an answer that solved this issue. If you are driving along concrete dividers you can hear it "ticking" thru that leak, its also bad on cold starts if you step out of your car while its warming up. It's annoying enough that I just bought a Akra Titanium DP back exhaust to get rid of the ball/socket connections. I do love the sound of the single mid (haven't heard the Akra yet, it comes tomorrow) but the leaking at those connections and the annoying sounds that come with it drove me to buy something else and not even try the EL midpipe (because they have those same connections).
Single mid FS btw lol...
Edit: AA suggested that overtime, with carbon build up, they should seal up. Its a year later, still the same leak...