Thermal research and devolpment

[someguy1984]

I looked at the tip of my exhaust pipe today and it said Thermal research and development. Ever heard of them? It''s definitely the 3'' cat-back. Would this be a good exhaust to keep when i get a down-pipe and bypass the catalytic converter?

Also, i heard someone just dumped the exhaust after the down-pipe...Is this a good idea? I mean, would the car technically be faster? He also said it wasn''t that loud. I find it hard to believe it would be louder than my camaro was...Although, perhaps it would just sound terrible? Is it worth the extra power gain?

 

[t4-teg]

If you have a good free flowing 3'' setup with no cats, it will make the same power and a dumped downpipe, unless your going for like 500+.

Thermal R&D is one of the best exhaust systems you can get, this is of course IMO.

I'm running An open DP on my car, its pretty loud, but its not unbearable. With that little of back pressure though my lil 14B creeps in the higher RPM range.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

You have a very nice (and very expensive) exhaust there. That's what I have on my car and I love it. Those mufflers have a very nice sounding, deep tone that is not too noisy. As for dumping the exhaust after the downpipe, don't do it on a street car. It will help the turbo spool quicker, but is just too damn loud for a street car. Get a good downpipe and a test pipe for the cat and you're good to go.

 

[kool-kidd]

i have a thermal too! . im trying to order a downpipe this week.. anyone know of one that will mate right up to the exhaust without modification? i want a downpipe that eliminates the cat.. if anyone knows of any let me know :]

 

[someguy1984]

Honestly, how much power will i get if i remove the cat and put a 3inch pipe in replace of it? This would cost be 50-75 bucks at my local muffler shop...

If i get a down-pipe and get rid of the cat, it will cost me about $200...Is their really that much of a difference?

So, essentially my question is, how much power will i get right now with removing the cat and replacing it with a 3 inch pipe? Any difference?

Also, what about sound? Should it still sound ok with the thermal?

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

So you want to put a 3in test pipe in place of the cat and keep the stock downpipe? If you do this you will maybe get an extra 3-5hp with a little throatier exhaust tone. If you do the downpipe and the test pipe (3") you will maybe get another 5hp out of it with a total of maybe 10-12hp. with maybe a bit deeper tone yet. The 3in downpipe and test pipe just really opens you up to more possibilities in the future. With a 3in setup your good to go for up to about 500hp.

EDIT: I did a little digging and found some info that I didn't know so maybe you do or don't know this, but hopefully it will help clarify. The 1g Thermal R&D exhaust has a 3in flange at the cat, but the 2g flange goes down to 2 1/2in so you will need a 2 1/2 downpipe and test pipe. Or you can have the 2 1/2 flange cut off of your thermal exhaust and a new 3in one welded on to make the 3in setup work.

This will explain more if need be: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/bol...ermal-catback.html?highlight=thermal+downpipe

 

[1gDSM4g63]

A test pipe on a stock motor with a midget 14b turbo wouldn't make a significantly or noticeable butt-dyno difference. However it you had a big air flowing turbo it would make a huge difference.

 

[quattro527]

Thermal makes good exhaust systems, but they are far from "quiet". They are VERY DEEP and drones inside the cabin. But they are very free-flowing, and the quality of build is excellent.