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Exhaust System


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Driving my Brat for more then 15 min is a dangerous proposition.  The exhaust is so riddled with holes that the entire cab quickly fills with fumes.   I have an appointment at a muffler shop on monday to get it fixed.  However, should I patch the stock pipes or put an entirely new system on. 

 

If you choose the new system option.  Please suggest a diamtor of pipe and a type of muffler that will make that small flat 4 sound like it has a bit more grunt, but not like it some shitty "tuned" honda hatch.   

 

Also, what are the advantages / disadvantages of replacing the catalytic converter.  Im running a weber.... so its not really doing anything right now. 

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If your exhaust is looking like swiss cheese it's probably best to replace the whole thing. It's really nothing for a muffler shop to bend in pipes and weld a muffler and some hangers on the length. The Subaru rumble comes from the headers, mostly. When they are not equal length on each head the pulses of exhaust gasses that pass down the exhaust are not travelling at the same velocity when they exit which causes that gurgle or rumble that most people think is a Subaru signature sound. Unfortunately UEL headers are not the best for performance as it causes turbulence. Collisions in the exhaust result in fluctuations in back pressure. When/if you were to go Equal Length your performance will pick up but it will sound more like "a honda". I, personally, think EL headers sound racier, but it's a BRAT, and it's never going fast without a swap, so I wouldn't really bother.

 

As for diameter I would stick with the stock size. I think it's 1 1/2 inch? 2 inch maybe? No reason to increase diameter, you're not really outputting gobs of power. Hope that helps.

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It would probably cost more to patch up a rotten exhaust than just install new pipes. Basic system: 1.5" pipe with a  turbo muffler (the longer the body, the quieter it will be). If you do not have smog requirements, no need for a cat, but universal cats are pretty cheap and don't restrict flow like OEM. Your call on that, but no harm in making the air we breath a little cleaner. :) Want more noise? A 2" exhaust with a Magnaflow muffler would probably get you the growl you want, but make sure your muffler guy leaves some room in front of the muffler to install a glasspack later if you find the sound too much. A glasspack by itself is fairly load, but in front of a muffler, it will mellow the sound out. Be aware the 2" system will lose you some bottom end power.

 

Mark

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