Homemade 3" TBE, single exit, '05 obxt

The "please have a look at those threads before you start a new one." feature is pretty slick. Back on '05 someone was able to stick a 5x8x18 magnaflow where I could only manage to fit the 14" case. Damn. Anyway...

I finally got around to building a stainless 3" turbo-back for my '05 outback. Shallow Bellmouth to 3" magnaflow metalcore cat, 4x9x18 magnaflow in the oem resonator area & 5x8x14 where the OEM muffler goes, single exit driver's side. V-band at the rear axle for a turndown when I'm feeling silly. Please pardon the snot MIG welds courtesy harbor freight POS mig welder. I must use it to tack the mounts when I'm by myself in my garage at home. I guess I should finally get around to tuning for the racerX/itsme FMIC and this exhaust...still need to find a catless UP though.

There are 7 photos below, if they don't show please hit refresh or F5, or see pics here: http://absurdflow.com/obxt.html

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtdp1.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust1.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust2.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust3.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust4.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust5.jpg

http://absurdflow.com/obxt/obxtexhaust6.jpg

I like it!

Any pics of under the car? Audio clips? I don't like the single-side exit, but I bet it would look pretty slick if it were a dual-side exhaust.

What wheels are those? I wonder if they clear Brembos?

Hmm, you've got me thinking about the single exit idea. Having that space open up means I could mount the air compressor for my train horns in place of the passenger side muffler... That might just be the solution I need for that fitment...

I like it!

 

Any pics of under the car? Audio clips? I don't like the single-side exit, but I bet it would look pretty slick if it were a dual-side exhaust.

No pics of under the car yet, next time I get it on a lift I'll take some. No audio but I can attempt to make one and upload it to youtube. I went with a single exit because theoretically it was cheaper and easier to do.

What wheels are those? I wonder if they clear Brembos?

 

Hmm, you've got me thinking about the single exit idea. Having that space open up means I could mount the air compressor for my train horns in place of the passenger side muffler... That might just be the solution I need for that fitment...

The wheels are 949racing 6ulr's, 17x9 +48. He doesn't have much info on what fits or not on his website, they are mainly made with the S2000 in mind. If you email 949racing he might have an idea if they fit STi/brembos. The only wheel he makes in 5x100 is the "tungsten" 17x9.

There's a bunch of room where the OEM mufflers go, they are pretty large.

Looks good but I don't see the cat.

The cat can be seen in the second pic down, furthest on the right, before the "resonator" muffler. I guess I really do need to take a shot of it all from underneath the car. I'll get on that.

Thanks everyone for the compliments!

good work! its stealthy nice and tucked.

Thanks! I had it more tucked initially, with the tip level with the bottom of the bumper skin. It resonated like crazy inside the car with the windows shut and melted the bumper cutout, so I had to add about 2 inches to the tip to get it below the bumper skin. No more resonance or melted bumper but you can see the tip from the side (per the pics).

Very nice! I wish I had the skilz to do that!

How loud is it?

Very nice! I wish I had the skilz to do that!

^ +1.

Seriously, that ain't "home-made" - well it is, but it doesn't look it!!!! Great job!

V band, very nice.

A Outback with a FMIC, very very nice.

I saw you today on 195 "Black Nissan Frontier Following you"

Looks very good, I always wanted to build a single muffler system for MY OBXT. How Loud is it? where did you get you piping?

Very nice! I wish I had the skilz to do that!

 

How loud is it?

I saw you today on 195 "Black Nissan Frontier Following you"

Looks very good, I always wanted to build a single muffler system for MY OBXT. How Loud is it? where did you get you piping?

Thanks Inside the car it's either getting quieter or I'm getting more used to it. It's much louder than my greddy evo2 on my old turbo '98 outback sport, but no where near as loud as my Turboxs RFL on my old sti. The loudest part is the interior resonance/drone at ~2500-3000rpms, like when you're cruising through a neighborhood at 25-30mph. There's plenty of room for one of those 4" outside diameter resonators in the mid pipe if I want to try it. Other than that it's pretty quiet inside, especially at highway cruising rpms which is where I spend most of my time, yeah on I-195. So how loud is it outside the car? My wife only drove it past me once and she didn't really get on it, sounded like any other subaru with an exhaust.

I got my pipes and everything else (mufflers, cat, etc) from Shore Motorsports on Rt. 9 in Toms River.

I just purchased an oem catless uppipe, so once that arrives I will get it on a lift and take some pictures of the underside of the exhaust.

EDIT: WRXDan: I just noticed your sig pic, I think I have seen your OBXT twice at that deli at the corner of stump tavern & 571 in jackson. It's what made me start looking for this gen subaru wagon after my '98 got t-boned. Very nice car!

Yeah that was me, I live 1/4mile form there!

EDIT: WRXDan: I just noticed your sig pic, I think I have seen your OBXT twice at that deli at the corner of stump tavern & 571 in jackson. It's what made me start looking for this gen subaru wagon after my '98 got t-boned. Very nice car!

Downpipe flange bought from ATP.

http://www.atpturbo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TP&Product_Code=ATP-FLS-072&Category_Code=

I finally received my STi up pipe 2 days ago and hope to install it Friday. I'll get some pics of the underside of the exhaust then.

I got a quote on getting something like this done at a local speed shop after seeing your setup as I don't have the ability to fabricate this. The total cost works out to be about $700 if I provide my own muffler and resonator. Not too bad but I bet you spent less than that.

Building the bellmouth was by far the biggest PITA. It'd be much smarter to buy an aftermarket downpipe as they are pretty damn cheap. But besides the actual bellmouth, the rest of the exhaust is about the simpliest thing to make bend-wise. IMHO $700 is alot if you have to supply your own muffler/resonator. Did that price include a cat?

Did you rework the tip/turndown?

haha yeah. In an effort to change the interior resonance at certain rpms, over the past few weeks I've been playing around with dynamat & different exhaust tip lengths/angles. The quietest (by a significant margin) has been obviously the ugliest: a temporary 45deg bend clamped to the old turndown. This resulted in the exhaust outlet being about 4 inches below & behind the bumper (below my hitch! fugly) and pointing up by about 15 degrees. Nearly silent inside. What you saw now is the nicest looking version of that I could think of but is still slightly drone-y inside. About 1/4" below the bumper at a slight angle upwards, and about an inch in front of the outer edge of the bumper. I'm going to clamp on another inch or two and see if that helps at all before I fully weld the final tip together. Modifying the exhaust tip is at the moment cheaper and easier than changing the muffler or adding more resonator.

Dynamat extreme all over the trunk floor area did nothing unfortunately.

Building the bellmouth was by far the biggest PITA. It'd be much smarter to buy an aftermarket downpipe as they are pretty damn cheap. But besides the actual bellmouth, the rest of the exhaust is about the simpliest thing to make bend-wise. IMHO $700 is alot if you have to supply your own muffler/resonator. Did that price include a cat?

Didn't see your reply to mine so this is a bit late.

I never got this project done. I already have the downpipe hooked up to my stock catback, so that $700 estimate was basically a fabricated single outlet catback similar to your setup and doesn't include a muffler or a resonator. I feel like it is too much money to bend a few pipes and weld one or 2 flanges in so I haven't pursued it.