A "quiet" exhaust setup; Downpipe and CBE?

So per everyone's suggestion, I've decided to get a downpipe. The cheapest I could find was a Tomioka catless downpipe(I have a twin-scroll btw) for $450, so I decided to go custom which I was quoted $300 for a catless or $400 for one with a metal-core Magnaflow cat,;both are 3"; I'd just need to supply the flange which is $18 off eBay.

Anyways, I still have the stock exhaust on there and honestly, I just like the way it looks. I've thought about the STi mufflers but looks like a tight fit; and of the aftermarket ones I've seen the Q300 looks nice but more than I want to spend. Does anyone know if the stock mufflers are actually restrictive? I'm thinking about having the shop just install 3" piping all the way to the Y-pipe; but if they're restrictive wouldn't it be better to just have the shop leave the CBE piping alone and just later just upgrade?

Regarding sound, I love a deep tone but do not want anything loud at all(basically silent at idle or light rumble during cruise would be nice).

add a resonator and a quiet set of mufflers. borla makes some quiet mufflers

Can't beat stock for quiet.

Mufflers aren't that restrictive. I know of a local to me running over 400hp on stock mufflers. He likes to be stealthy.

Cheers!

have you ever seen the inside of our mufflers? it's terrible. i disected one to find out

I think it's been proven before on here that the stock exhaust post downpipe is not restrictive. If you want quiet I would not toy with a CBE, unless you sit in someone else's car and hear it. Don't even bother listening to youtube clips.

If you want mostly quiet but with a little extra rumble I'd look at a muffler replacement.

the inside of a muffler is like an "S" shape so it's pretty restrictive. dp will still give you alot more power, but without a 3" cbe you'll be missing at least 15whp

I have yet to see a stage II CBE provide more than 5WHP.

that was straight from a tuner. the guy knows what he's talking about

What tuner. There are lots of "tuners" and not all of them are what I'd personally consider knowledgable. I know of several LGTs running 300+ AWHP on stock cans. Leaving a touch of power on the table... perhaps. 15WHP?? Dyno plots or GTFO, or as the almighty TurboDog says, "back it up or retract!"

Originally Posted by .:Catalyst:.

What tuner. There are lots of "tuners" and not all of them are what I'd personally consider knowledgable. I know of several LGTs running 300+ AWHP on stock cans. Leaving a touch of power on the table... perhaps. 15WHP?? Dyno plots or GTFO, or as the almighty TurboDog says, "back it up or retract!"

Jermaine from TurboXS said I'm probably leaving 20-30whp on the table due to the stock cans. The rest of the TBE has been upgraded (UP, catted DP, Perrin mid/Y). I made 265whp on a 16G at 20psi, and you could see the graph tail off up high (peak hp was below 5000 rpm). He kept on trying to add timing and richen the AFRs, but he said the back pressure was causing knock, so he had to back it back off. I am also running a stock TMIC that has been bulletproofed, so that may be part of the restriction, but the impression I got from Jermaine is that the cans were the majority of it.

While I anticipate there are some ponies left on the table, I still would like to see quantifiable data. I don't doubt Jermaine knows Subarus, and hope he gets your tune dialed if that is in fact what's causing the weird boost behavior.

Originally Posted by .:Catalyst:.

While I anticipate there are some ponies left on the table, I still would like to see quantifiable data. I don't doubt Jermaine knows Subarus, and hope he gets your tune dialed if that is in fact what's causing the weird boost behavior.

If I have to go down there again, I will manually open my broken e-cutout and see how much I gain. It was running 20psi on the dyno, though, so the tune was not the issue then as it is now.

I don't think the S-shape or a chambered design would necessarily make it restrictive; but maybe the piping is too small? I mean, if I replace the muffler wouldn't it be better to go with a chambered muffler anyways if sound is a concern?

thefultonhow, could it be possible the backpressure you were experience may have been pre-turbo?

this is coming from Dan Hill at Agile. 3" midpipe and 2.5" y is all you need, but it would be pointless to have stock cans unless you're keeping it quiet. i'll find out when i get a tune, then cbe. you'll be the first to know

I wonder if the STi mufflers would be quiet enough. They look like they use much larger piping: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost....0&postcount=49