Received my RNR 2.5" catback few days ago

[PaulPDX]

Hmm... that is pretty loud contrary to what I've been told. Hopefully that additional resonator I asked for will help.

And, it's a 4 banger. You can't compare it to a 6 or an 8. Pretty hard to make any 4 sound good. The bullet muffler and the 4" tip doesn't help either. The large tip works like a megaphone. If I remember my high school AP physics and college physics courses correctly, the large diameter tip has the effect of increasing amplitude (volume) and decreasing frequency (lower tone). If the tip was smaller the pitch probably would've been a little higher. You'd be amazed how much of a difference in sound exhaust tips make.

The sound is pretty similar to my friend's 2G with a Tanabe exhaust (similar muffler and tip).

As far as boost creep goes, are you still on the stock O2 housing? If you went with the O2 elim I don't see how it could cause creep since exhaust vented by the wastegate has a less restrictive path to escape. Perhaps you need to install a bigger valve on the wastegate. I came across the instructions to do this somewhere, sounded like a pain. A 16G will take care of that. :laugh:

 

[mach1one]

yup I'm still on the stock o2 housing. I've somewhat skimmed the manual for instructions on removing the turbo/installing a larger valve. I'd much rather take it off and slap on a 16G, but well that costs money too I backed the mbc out some more and it didn't seem to help. Around 5k it hits 15-16.

I realize it's never gonna anywhere close to a v8 Oh well, give and take. Having awd + turbo is a nice alt. to a big v8 and rwd. :thumbup:


I didn't order that 4" tip. I remember going from a 2.25 to a 2.5" on a v8 car made a noticeable tone difference, so I can only imagine the difference w/ a 4".

I halfway like it now, plus I'm too cheap to get it cut off. I might also get a resonator put on at some point.

 

[PaulPDX]

Originally posted by mach1one
yup I'm still on the stock o2 housing. I've somewhat skimmed the manual for instructions on removing the turbo/installing a larger valve. I'd much rather take it off and slap on a 16G, but well that costs money too I backed the mbc out some more and it didn't seem to help. Around 5k it hits 15-16.

Get yourself a O2 housing. You will probably want one once you get a bigger turbo anyway. Half the cost of a 16G on sale. And if you live in a state where smog testing isn't mandatory, think about a o2 that dumps to atmosphere... although, that's not so great for the environment.

I realize it's never gonna anywhere close to a v8 Oh well, give and take. Having awd + turbo is a nice alt. to a big v8 and rwd. :thumbup:

I hope you're talking about sound not power. Because if you're talking about power... you might catch some flak for that statement.

I didn't order that 4" tip. I remember going from a 2.25 to a 2.5" on a v8 car made a noticeable tone difference, so I can only imagine the difference w/ a 4".

That's not a 4" tip? Sure looks like it. Anyway, you get the idea. Large tip, louder, deeper tone. The add-on resonator is a $50 option from RNR, and yes... you can always add it on later. Just a matter of cutting and welding. If you know how to weld... cheap mod... and it shouldn't affect performance by much. What matters most for performance is what goes on between the cat and the turbo.

 

[mach1one]

I thought an o2 that dumps to the atmosphere is loud? Or am I thinking of an external wastegate? I'll have to search later, but when I searched earlier I believe it was on external dumps that some ppl didn't care for how they sounded.

And I'm in alabama, so smog testing, is, well non-existant Go 48 outta 50!

I'm talking about the sound. I actually like the way it sounds on the interior, and my fiance (surpisingly enough) liked how it sounds on the outside. I know what these cars are capable of power-wise, that's why I got one. It's a nice change of pace from a 3700lb muscle-car. Whenever I get a house and some space I plan on getting another. For the time-being, I love my talon. Power's great, gas mpg is good, and awd makes for some fun trips home.

Sorry for being unclear. I didn't order the tip, but it came w/ one. I went back to the shop to maybe put the cat back on as a cheap alternative to try and fix the boost creep prob., but it'd would have been too much trouble. I guess I'll look into o2 housing. As much as I hate to spend the 100-200$ on one. I'm assuming a 2.5" would suffice since the rest of my exhaust is.

 

[mach1one]

edit: DP

 

[boostcrazy92tsi]

heard the exhaust... it sounds good!! i just put my 3"turbo back on and it sounds pretty much the same. mines a lil deeper because of the bigger pipes but i like the way it sounds. not really ricey, but u can tell that its not a v8, and that works for me. I konw i spiked huge tonite when i took it out. before i was runnin about 14psi and tonite i went to 19. on the other hand it was only 4 degrees out and i hit fuel cut instantly

Anyways i think it was well worth the wait. i have zero lag with the 3" dp and it sounds overall pretty damn good.

 

[PaulPDX]

Originally posted by RnR Racing
All orders placed in Dec will be shipping out this week most likely.

Oh really? and "this week" was like what... two weeks ago?

Still waiting for word on mine. Not just waiting for mine... waiting for word on it. My emails used to get answered. For some reason when the exhaust is suppose to be shipping, my email inquiries seem to have gone into a black hole at the other end.

Perhaps I should cancel and go elsewhere... I feel like I've bet on the wrong horse, or stood up for one.

 

[RnR Racing]

Check your email. It was shipped already.

 

[dsmturboawd]

heard the exhaust... it sounds good!!

exhaust fits great too:
http://www.dsmetc.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4358&

 

[PaulPDX]

Originally posted by dsmturboawd
exhaust fits great too:
http://www.dsmetc.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4358&

Care to hand out your username and password?

I agree, that form fits great on that webpage.





Ryan... thanks. and sorry.

 

[Blk95gs]

Hey Ryan,

I ordered my 2.5" o2 elim downpipe like Dec. 27th, and I've been having trouble checking my order. My e-mail address is [email protected], so if you could just let me know whats up that would be great. Thanks.

 

[twistedtsi]

hey guys just wonderin.. im in the process of buying a rnr 2.5' turbo back.. for the people who own that system is it louder then the bushcar racing cuz im debating on eaither 2 thanks fellas

 

[RnR Racing]

If you are wondering about your order just shoot me an email at [email protected]

 

[PaulPDX]

Originally posted by twistedtsi
hey guys just wonderin.. im in the process of buying a rnr 2.5' turbo back.. for the people who own that system is it louder then the bushcar racing cuz im debating on eaither 2 thanks fellas

just add a resonator.

 

[PaulPDX]

Okay... got mine installed today...

In terms of performance and the packaging I am fairly satisfied. Nothing arrived damaged. The muffler was carefully wrapped in bubble wrap. The full 3" turbo back was noticeably better than the anemic stock system. Spool up was quick and smooth. The o2 elim downpipe pretty much took care of any boost creep. And, it's a great looking downpipe. Wouldn't change a thing.

Sound is nice... not too loud. The cabin drone isn't bad at all unless you cruise between 3k and 4k rpm.... especially in 2nd or 3rd gears. The drone is quite compared to the 2.25" Neuspeed exhaust system I had for the GTI VR6 I owned a few years back.

I had RNR add an inline resonator... and I chose the oval muffler with twin round tips for the near stock appearance so that may account for the sound.

The stock appearance issue is where things went really wrong, and I am ticked.

I had specifically ask for an end result with a stock like appearance... with the muffler going straight back and the twin round tips goiing straight back.Which is what the stock system is like right? no brainer there... so I thought.

What I got was a system with the oval muffler at an angle and the twin round tips stuck out 3" past the bumper at an angle just like the muffler. Does that look like stock???

I gotta tell you, it looks like ASS. The rear hanger is also not in the right position, so the rubber donut is really stretched to the limit. Now I'm going to have to spend more $ to try to get a better hanger on there and try to correct the muffler alignment. I also got only 3 exhaust clamps when the system needed. The mechanic who helped me install it ended up having to weld where the 4th pipe would go.

The system isn't bad, but there is a lot to be said for choosing known systems with established brands... like Thermal etc.

RnR's craftsmenship is good. But, there are just situations where reality and what's told are two different things.

If you plan on ordering one, try not to stray from what's offered by asking for special configurations. Stick to the combo meal, don't ask for extra ketchup, or extra lettuce, or no mustard. And, if you're going with the 3" downpipe, for get the turbo heat shield. It ain't gonna fit.

Sorry if it sounds like a bad review... I'm just fuming mad right now. When you take a chance on a new business with a new product... you hope that you've made the right choice... and you hope that they'll come through for you deliver a product that is just as you expected. When it doesn't work out... it just leaves a very very bad feeling.

Had I gone with the standard single tip bullet muffler setup, things probably would've been perfectly fine. Overall, specific to my experience, I have mixed feelings about the system I got... not all bad, not all good either. Unfortunately the bad is overshadowing the good right now.

I'd like to say good things about RnR and the exhaust system... and I wish I could... because these guys really did try to accomodate my special requests, but the bottomline is I didn't get what I was looking for.

 

[KFT0001]

Originally posted by PaulPDX
In terms of performance and the packaging I am fairly satisfied. Nothing arrived damaged. The muffler was carefully wrapped in bubble wrap.

The rear hanger is also not in the right position, so the rubber donut is really stretched to the limit. Now I'm going to have to spend more $ to try to get a better hanger on there and try to correct the muffler alignment. I also got only 3 exhaust clamps when the system needed. The mechanic who helped me install it ended up having to weld where the 4th pipe would go.

I just installed mine yesterday. Mine didn't arrive undamaged like yours though. I had a dented tip and the packing box had part of a pipe sticking through it. There wasn't any serious damage though, so I'm actually not too upset about it. I'm just disappointed in the lack of care in packaging. All the pipes were in a cardboard box with nothing to keep them secure or isolated from banging into each other - the only part that is protected is the muffler which is wrapped in bubblewrap.

I also did have the same fitment issue with the hangers on the muffler - they don't quite fit in the right spot. Other than that, one section had trouble fitting together due to the pipe being crushed around the opening a bit. This was most likely due to both the poor handling from UPS and lack of packaging from RNR. One thing though - what are these exhaust clamps that you got with yours? My box didn't have anything other than piping (though my box was damaged like I mentioned).

Other than that, I am happy with the rest of the exhaust. I took some pipe and knocked the dent out of my tip and it looks fine now. The exhaust made a very, very noticeable increase in power. As far as sound goes, it sounds great, but louder than I thought it would be (figured it'd be about the same as my friend's 3" VRS turbo back exhaust). Overall I'm satisfied with my order, though I did have some minor complaints.

 

[PaulPDX]

The clamps were extra. Before and after the cat... and before and after the S bend pipe (just before the muffler). 4 were needed and I was only sent 3.

I'd like to reiterate that the performance is very good and the worksmenship was very good too. No messy welds like the earlier versions. I'd say it is on par with Thermal and others...

But, the foul up with the rear/muffler section is really an eye sore.

I'd still encourage people to get this exhaust if they want to save a little $... just make sure you stick to what is offered... or make sure you let them know exactly what you want and double check often.

I placed a little too much faith in the hands involved and should've done my part to remind them what I wanted... now it looks like I may have to cut the rear section off and have a new one fabricated. More $$$$, not good. Especially when I just found out that my car needs about $800 of work to replace alot of seals and belts. Lost 2 qts of oil in the past three months... no puddle on the ground, must be squirting out while I'm on the gas.

Hopefully I'll hear back from RnR and see what they have to say about the situation with the exhaust.

The foul up on the rear section really ruined things for me.

 

[RnR Racing]

Overall I am glad you guys are happy with the quality.


We have worked hard to change the way we do things.

Order are shipping much quicker.
We are also packaging things a lot better. Bubble wrap, etc.
Better quality overall
More time spent to make sure everything is perfect.


We want to assure our customers that just because our prices are a little lower that doens't mean the quality will be lower.




Paul, I think it was just a miscommunication on what you wanted from us. We have a jig that we make all the systems come out at a slight angle. I am sure we could make you a new rear section so it would come out straighter. We just want to make sure our customers are heppy with they purchases from us.