Review of the UR catted Downpipe and Resonated Testpipe on my 2008 MS3

[MajesticBlueNTO]

During a local dyno day in May 2010 seeing how the cars with downpipes were getting some good numbers, I was very interested in obtaining a downpipe.

A couple requirements were
1) it had to have a catalytic converter and
2) it had to be resonated as I didn't want much increase in noise

The 1st requirement wasn't hard to meet as there are Cobb and CP-e downpipes floating around that come catted, but the one-piece design of both the Cobb and CP-e makes adding a resonator difficult due to the flex section they use to account for pipe movement when the engine torques.

Surfing through MSF, I saw that Ultimate Racing had some parts listed for the 2010 MS3. I've heard of Ultimate Racing before back in 2003 when they had some nice parts for the WRX and the big bonus was that they're a business local to me.

Looking on their website, I saw that their downpipes were in 2 pieces just like the stock one. Just by looking at their website, you can see that this allows them to offer several configs: catted (ceramic or metal core) downpipe, non-catted downpipe; catted (again, ceramic or metal core) test pipe, non-catted test pipe, and resonated test pipe!

On the advice of a couple MS3 friends, I contacted Ultimate Racing about the catted down pipe and the resonated test pipe.

To make a long story short, here are some pics of the Ceramic Core Catted Downpipe and the Resonated Test Pipe

Box of goodies


Test Pipe


Ultimate Performance etched onto the Resonator


Ceramic Core Downpipe



In talking with Ultimate Racing, they are quite proud of their design as it is a spring bolt/donut gasket design just like OEM, but they give you a full 3" donut gasket that matches the diameter of the pipes. They also went this way because, in their experience, they've seen that some flex joints tend to fail (collapse inside) and/or crack over time.

In any case, it's another option for down pipes for the MS3.


The pipes were obtained in May 2010, since then I was waiting for Cobb to break through the load cap and to get a HPFP for myself; since the stars aligned and both things have happened, I ended up getting the pipes installed last week.

I also had the opportunity to get a dyno tune from Christian. The "baseline" and Stage 2 dynos were both done at the same facility on a DynaPack dyno.

Here is the graph from pre-UR downpipe days (my "baseline")

Before
MSCAI in SRI mode
Cobb Stage 1 OTS with throttle smoothing
stock plugs
Shell 91 gas
stock everything else

- 241whp / 278wtq -




After
MSCAI in SRI mode
Cobb Stage 2 tuned by Christian
stock plugs
94 octane gas
CP-e HPFP
ETS TMIC
Turbosmart BPV
Ultimate Racing catted downpipe
Ultimate Racing resonated testpipe
stock CBE

Note: this graph shows the iterative process Christian went through while dyno tuning my car

- 282whp / 323wtq

[pebenito]

After saying that low noise was a requirement, you didn't say how the sound compared to stock.

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally Posted by pebenito After saying that low noise was a requirement, you didn't say how the sound compared to stock.

You're right, I did forget to mention the sound compared to stock. 'doh!

Believe it or not, it is actually quieter than stock now. The resonated test pipe cut down on the drone inside the cabin I used to get when cruising around 4000rpm.

Very 'sleeper-esque' right now....you couldn't tell I had a downpipe in the car both from the outside and inside the car.

[mituc]

Originally Posted by MajesticBlueNTO You're right, I did forget to mention the sound compared to stock. 'doh! Believe it or not, it is actually quieter than stock now. The resonated test pipe cut down on the drone inside the cabin I used to get when cruising around 4000rpm

While driving around town it's actually a bit louder. Nothing dramatic though, just that my wife noticed it immediately. She noticed this during moving at low speeds (1st/2nd gear and less than 3000rpm) and during deceleration/engine braking.

But as you guys already said the difference is not noticeable while moving at high speeds (highway speeds). Anywhere above 60mph there's no difference, and in high PT or WOT it sounds a lot better, with no drone or any potentially hear ache giving sound.

WIN!!

I attached a few picks I took during the install. the DP-to-TP flange and gasket came a bit kinked, probably during transport, but it wasn't a major damage so we didn't even bother to fix it.
I was astonished how clean the IC boost tubes were. You could open them up with a knife and eat on them, there is no trace of oil vapours or anything else. The one on the turbo side had a few traces but that's ok as it's close to the PCV.

[skeurton]

Originally Posted by mituc While driving around town it's actually a bit louder. Nothing dramatic though, just that my wife noticed it immediately. She noticed this during moving at low speeds (1st/2nd gear and less than 3000rpm) and during deceleration/engine braking. But as you guys already said the difference is not noticeable while moving at high speeds (highway speeds). Anywhere above 60mph there's no difference, and in high PT or WOT it sounds a lot better, with no drone or any potentially hear ache giving sound. WIN!! I attached a few picks I took during the install. the DP-to-TP flange and gasket came a bit kinked, probably during transport, but it wasn't a major damage so we didn't even bother to fix it. I was astonished how clean the IC boost tubes were. You could open them up with a knife and eat on them, there is no trace of oil vapours or anything else. The one on the turbo side had a few traces but that's ok as it's close to the PCV.

Keep an eye on your downpipe. There are mixed opinions on heat wrapping the cats, but doing so may potentially cause it to overheat, which could damage it, or at the very least shorten its lifespan. The problem could be magnified if you're also running rich. Again, different schools of thought, but just something to look out for.

[gtlaw]

without a flex section is the whole exhaust getting yanked around when the engine moves?

do you have any better pictures of the bell mouth where this mounts to the turbine outlet?

[Ultimate Racing]

Looks like some great results!

Darryl
Ultimate-Racing.com

[Ultimate Racing]

Originally Posted by gtlaw without a flex section is the whole exhaust getting yanked around when the engine moves?

We segmented our exhaust components the same way it's done from the factory. We use our proprietary donut gaskets (just like OEM only ours are true 3") to connect each section. The donut gaskets and spring-loaded bolt flanges are what provide each section with flex from engine torquing.

The reason why other companies incorporate a flex section is because they are combining two sections together (eg. Downpipe + Test Pipe) which eliminates the donut gasket flanges. We didn't go this route for two reasons:

1) Flex sections fail over time
2) We wanted customers to have the ability to put together any combination of cat or cat delete they desired.

Darryl
Ultimate-Racing.com

[fywdyl]

Awesome! That's really close to the setup that I would like to run in the future. So w/ DP and resonated TP it's quieter (as long as it's still the stock CBE)? That's good news! And you're putting down some impressive numbers. Thanks for the update!

[zFLASHz]

i am considering the UR catted downpipe with the ceramic core. I already have an SU test pipe. Any ideas on how this combo might sound?

[fywdyl]

No, MBNTO lives in Canada.

[alien_sporez]

Great review. Unfortunately I can't get an apples-to-apples comparison between before and after on your dynos since you're running different stage maps, different fuel, different TMIC, etc. I really would have liked to know what additional HP the downpipe alone added.

Anyone have 'ballpark' ideas of what a catted DP will add, presuming stock CBE and a SRI?

[Atomic41]

No smoking issues ??? with your turbo

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally Posted by Atomic41 No smoking issues ??? with your turbo

none yet. running bnoon bolt with the UR combo for 10 months now.... been running 900 rpm idle for 1.5 years (pre and post downpipe).

[Boost_creep]

Just added this exact setup to my 09 MS3.
Thanks for this thread bluento, you totally caught my attention. Haha.
No smoking yet either. I dont have a bnoon bolt, and my idle is 850.

Awesome setup, if you want to keep the sound level near stock.

[TriO]

i always wondered if there is any downside to the design of the UR downpipe which appears to obstruct the exit of the wastegate. say compared to the CS which routes it away separately, or the Cpe/cnt design that just has one huge outlet from the flange?

[pcvang]

Originally Posted by TriO i always wondered if there is any downside to the design of the UR downpipe which appears to obstruct the exit of the wastegate. say compared to the CS which routes it away separately, or the Cpe/cnt design that just has one huge outlet from the flange?

Any thoughts on this? I was thinking the same thing.

[eppopipe]

Defiantly gonna go with a UR catted DP to match my UR TP and UR CBE (no mufflers)
Hope my tune doesn't need to much tweaking.

[mituc]

I kept an eye on the cat temps (I'm not sure where's the temp sensor that measures this, in the first or second oxygen sensor, probably the second one) and they were actually lower than before after hard driving a few hundreds miles. Also, it's cooling down a lot faster in the same conditions which is probably affecting its efficiency a bit, but that's good when it comes to more power (there's enough back pressure even without a cat, but I'm thinking about how hypertech tuned their fuel and advance tables).

So I guess if this is going to shorten its life... I'll just put a new one in after like 7-10 years from now, instead of 15-20 I'm aware of the possible implications but I wanted to be on the safe side with the rest of the chassis, as damaging the central exhaust tunnel could result in a lot of more expensive replacement parts.

Tomorrow at 3PM local I have an appointment to a local shop for replacing the supposedly damaged exhaust gaskets. I purchased a set of 2 new gaskets directly from UR for around $15 each or so (the transport fee was $75 from their location to mine, as I'm on another planet). If it's going to be as quiet as promised I couldn't be happier.

[GCPhotographers]

@Ultimate Racing; do you have your our installation instructions? I can't find it anywhere.

[cshunter]

Originally Posted by GCPhotographers @Ultimate Racing; do you have your our installation instructions? I can't find it anywhere.

Downpipe/testpipe installation is pretty much the same across the board.

Look for the how to's here or you can probably find the instructions from another manufacture on their site.

[GCPhotographers]

Originally Posted by cshunter Downpipe/testpipe installation is pretty much the same across the board. Look for the how to's here or you can probably find the instructions from another manufacture on their site.

Thanks for that @cshunter; I figured that much. like majority (maybe), I am watching the Cobb installation video for the DP and CBE (for my TBE) install. For the DP, it looked like there were a few parts missing like removing the 3rd heat shield for easier access to the "5th" nut. I hope I can but done with these installs today (930am-200pm)

Originally Posted by Ultimate Racing For installation help and tips, please email us at sales@ultimate-racing.com Thank you!

@Ultimate Racing; I did. I am waiting for a reply. Your team is awesome by the way. I would recommend you Guys to anyone (I have already and I know after the install,, more people will want to know).

John have been a GREAT help. I am a Novice at this but he has kept me on a safe install path to accomplish my goal. With research and study, MSF have been a GREAT help as well. I am looking forward to what you Guys have in store for the 2ndGen MS3.

[Ultimate Racing]

Originally Posted by GCPhotographers @Ultimate Racing; do you have your our installation instructions? I can't find it anywhere.

For installation help and tips, please email us at sales@ultimate-racing.com
Thank you!

[GCPhotographers]

@Ultimate Racing; I got it install... awesome...suggestion for future investors. The downpipe nuts should be welded on like the stock. It makes the installation a tad bit easier.