Building my own exhaust:?'s

[90Tsi AWD]

Hey guys I want to build a 2.5 inch exhaust for my AWD by buying my own mandrel tubing , which would include bends. I don't really want to to to a muffler shop and have them build me a press-bent one, so I decided to go this route. But before I can order the piping from RoadRace or maybe even Magnaflow I wanted to know if any of you guys know how much piping I will need & what degree bends I have to have? Any info will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[dsmgrimreaper]

megan makes a good cheap exhaust that would save you alot of time and stress, making your own exhaust is not easy, its kind of a pain and it will cost you just about the same price as you would spend on the megan

 

[megadeth0]

IF you do spend all that time and effort, I STRONGLY suggest 3". If you are a typical DSMer you love speed and will keep upgrading things as you go. Eventually, you will want 3". My first cat-back was 2 1/2 and I regret the money I spent on it. I wish I would have went 3" from the beginning.

 

[90Tsi AWD]

thanks guys....I will check out Megan and see what they have to offer.
As far as 3" exhausts, I really don't intend on making more than 300 hp so do you guys think I should go with 3" right off the bat, or will 2.5" be enough for 250 hp? I was reading the tech guides on Bushur and MachV and they both say that for a typical stage 1 set-up, 2.5 is enough, what do you guys think?

 

[importboost]

2.5 is more than plenty for your goal. 3" exhaust just sounds really bad ass and is needed when you get up higher in the hp range.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

I actually just bought 10ft of 3" piping for only 40$, 3 1/2" was 60$.... So, If you were going to buy 2 1/2" i'm sure it would be VERY CHEAP... I got it from a&a... Not sure if you have one around there.. I would just go with a 3" exhaust if I were you, You're going to upgrade sooner or later, Even if you are saying you're not, Now.

 

[JusMX141]

AWD exhaust systems are very simple to build. I applaud your attempt to make your own, it seems ridiculous that some companies can get $400-$500 for what is essentially a straight piece of pipe with two 45 degree bends and a muffler. My car is a 1G FWD and I bought a full 2G catback from eBay for $118, and all I had to do was cut it in 2 places and flip the piping 180 degrees and make my own hangers. It fits perfectly and sounds great. I was also able to create my own downpipe for about $45 using a mandel bent 90, a flex section, a couple flanges, and an intermediate pipe for an S10 pickup bought at my local auto parts store for $9.45. It had the exact bend as the short pipe behind the flex section on my car and lined up perfect when completed. The money I saved by making my own exhaust was invested into other things on my car that needed upgraded.

 

[1YLOTLN]

ok guys get this me and a buddy are making custom 3in stainless steel exhaust for my car, the thing is is that it needs to be able to pass emissions. Soo... Im having 2 cats *for performance wise* that route off by a Y pipe and rejoin like ---<=>-------o. What do you guys think good or bad idea. BTW go 3inch

 

[megadeth0]

ok guys get this me and a buddy are making custom 3in stainless steel exhaust for my car, the thing is is that it needs to be able to pass emissions. Soo... Im having 2 cats *for performance wise* that route off by a Y pipe and rejoin like ---<=>-------o. What do you guys think good or bad idea. BTW go 3inch

What are you going to gain from having two cats?

 

[1YLOTLN]

well the two carts are 3 inches each, having one would be filling one up even more restricting even more aexhaust but having two and it being 3inches it wouldn't has as much pressure since it's divided by two.... make sence?

 

[megadeth0]

well the two carts are 3 inches each, having one would be filling one up even more restricting even more aexhaust but having two and it being 3inches it wouldn't has as much pressure since it's divided by two.... make sence?

Unless you are pushing an insane amount of power, one 3" high flow cat will do.

 

[1YLOTLN]

Unless you are pushing an insane amount of power, one 3" high flow cat will do.

Didn't know that thanks! still gonan do it

just to be different, like my other customs

 

[90Tsi AWD]

anybody have an undercar pic or where I could get one, to see exactly how much tubing I need and how many bends?

 

[JusMX141]

Check out vfaq.com, they have a few decent "how-to's" on building your own exhaust.

 

[majik2k5]

Me and a friend custom-made my exhaust on my car. It sounds great, and it's probably just as free flowing as any aftermarket exhaust. PM me and I'll get you some pics if you want.

Cost of my exhaust - 16$

 

[me612]

http://www.triangletuners.com/howto/1G3Exhaust/index.php

 

[JusMX141]

Thats an awesome build link, although I don't agree with the muffler they used. Another issue to watch for is the fitment of a home-made 3" downpipe at the o2 housing. It's very difficult to make anything bigger than 2.5" fit up to the flange and still have room to put the nuts on.

 

[me612]

Well I used that link. I honestly don't think I'll ever build an exhaust again. I will just spend the money on a system from a vendor, it was just too frustrating at times. Here's how mine turned out.

The pic is a little wrong though, the real long pipe section should be rolled over 180*, i set it up on the ground wrong for the pic.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

 

[90Tsi AWD]

thanks to all you guys. I just cant see myself spending 300-500 dollars for an exhaust that dosen't look that complicated on my car. I'm going to give it a try and see what happens.

 

[~laser_craver~]

For the guys with a FWD and a performance or homemade exhaust on their car. Is it safe to run the exhaust straight under the axle in the rear? I mean when the car is jacked up I know that the axle droops down some with teh suspension so will it hit the exhaust while driving over bumps and stuff?

 

[eclipsh]

well the two carts are 3 inches each, having one would be filling one up even more restricting even more aexhaust but having two and it being 3inches it wouldn't has as much pressure since it's divided by two.... make sence?

Have you LOOKED under your car? Pardon my english but how the hell do you think you're going to fit two 3" high flow cats side-by-side? Maybe in sequence, but you'll never fit them both up under the car next to each other. 3" pipe pretty well fills the whole channel for the exhaust as it is.

Being different is great when it serves a purpose. Being different just to be different is just ignoring the lessons others have gained before you. Do it right and save yourself some money and a headache.

 

[Justins99GSX]

I am building my own Exhaust system out of 3" mandrel bent exhaust I got from work... (I put performance exhausts in motorhomes, they have 3"mandrel bent exhaust right from teh factory ) I did on the other hand buy the Dejon Tool #" o2 eliminator down pipe to save me the pain of making one on my own...

 

[~laser_craver~]

So can anyone tell me how to route my exhaust on a 1g fwd?

 

[JusMX141]

If you find a good deal on a system for a 2G FWD you'll have to cut it in 2 places and flip the whole system 180 degrees and reweld it. You'll also have to maufacture a few of your own hangers, but trust me it's very easy to do and it fits perfectly.

 

[RiceKiller_TSi]

If you find a good deal on a system for a 2G FWD you'll have to cut it in 2 places and flip the whole system 180 degrees and reweld it. You'll also have to maufacture a few of your own hangers, but trust me it's very easy to do and it fits perfectly.

So in a nutshell its cheaper to just get a 2g 3" downpipe off of eBay for $100 bucks and take it to the exhaust shop and say make this fit? I can do that.