2Gb AWD exhaust question

[Jezza]

Long story short, my factory downpipe is leaking badly in front of the flex section and I have reason to believe the cat may be garbage too. I've searched, but can't find anything about doing the exhaust in sections.

For information's sake, the car is a 97 Talon TSi AWD. So, Ive decided that I'm going to replace the exhaust from the turbo back. Money is a little short at the moment, so I probably can't buy the whole system at once.

I plan on using the 3" Thermal R&D Exhaust as soon as I can afford it, but the downpipe issue needs to be fixed soon. Are there any 3" downpipes that eliminate the cat and bolt up to the factory exhaust? Would I need an adapter welded on to the factory side to give it a 3" flange?

I've seen the 1 piece Megan stainless dp's on ebay for $70ish. Are the fitment on these any good or should I go for the 2 piece Megan? Are there any other brands out there that fit well and are affordable? Do any of these dp's even bolt up to the Thermal exhaust?

Thanks guys.

 

[rush2252]

If you are using the ebay models sometimes the flange is clocked incorrectly. The bolt holes will be at 2 and 7 instead of 3 and 9 if that makes any sense. This is not a HUGE problem as most exhaust shops can cut and reweld it, but I did run into this on a cheaper model. The one I purchased was about $80 shipped and it bolted from the manifold to the cat, and included a new flex section.

Keep in mind too if you buy a larger ID downpipe you may have issues with it leaking/sealing at the flange.

 

[Jezza]

Which 3" dp's eliminate the cat and fit well? (They need to work with the Thermal exhaust though. I have my heart set on it.)