1.5T Regarding fk7 aftermarket exhaust/front pipe/down pipe

[hal9000_logic]

Full disclosure I'm new to modifying cars and this new (new to me, 2018) fk7 became my kind of mid-life crisis project so please bear with me, I'm here to learn and hopefully my questions aren't too asinine. These are probably questions I should've asked before I purchased what I did, but also wouldn't have thought about these things before so here we are.

Started slowly with lots of aesthetic mods and worked my way towards engine/power goal modifications. Through that process found a 27won exhaust on an fk7 with a burnt up frontend that I was going to be able to get for less than half price if I was able to remove it myself. Saved me about $700 off the only price I could find online so I thought hell yeah let's take a chance.

So thanks to YouTube tutorials on removal/swap I now have a 27won performance exhaust, including the 27won front pipe. I was originally just going to swap it all but after doing a bit more research I felt like I should ask a couple of questions more specific to my case. Only performance related mod completed so far is an Injen cold air intake. No tune yet but am interested in that after the bolt ons.

1. Is it worth it or is there a downside to swapping out the whole exhaust including front pipe _without_ springing for a downpipe to swap at the same time? From what I could find online it sounded like stock catted downpipes were not so much of a choke point so unless I was willing to get a catless downpipe (which I don't think I am) it sounds like I'd be fine just doing a straight swap with the new parts?

2. If I'm _not_ doing the downpipe at the same time, is it worth it to go the extra mile to swap the front pipe too just cause I have it or just leave it alone and swap the rest? In the same ballpark is there anything I should double check about the front pipe being close to the burnt front end? The only indicator that I could see it was close to a fire was a spot of hot plastic that dripped on it from above.

3. If I should just spring for the downpipe to save myself from splitting one big project into two mostly big projects, any recommendations on a catted performance downpipe?

4. Any other considerations I should make regarding the build before I take the leap towards a tune? Intercooler feels like the biggest other piece I see mentioned but haven't yet learned much about when that mod makes sense or becomes necessary.


Thanks in advance! This forum has been a fantastic resource leading up to actually making this account.

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[bluehatch17]

The downpipe is not a fun install. The exhaust is easy. The front pipe is only slightly more difficult, still can be considered easy.

 

[hal9000_logic]

The downpipe is not a fun install. The exhaust is easy. The front pipe is only slightly more difficult, still can be considered easy.

Thanks yeah I got a decent idea of difficulty during the removal. Sounds like your opinion would be doing the whole front pipe + exhaust swap and not worrying about the downpipe for now?

 

[CMarks]

You might want to do more research on the injen cold air intake because im pretty sure that is the intake that is bad for your car alot of people have had issues with it.

 

[Shankmeyster]

The full exhaust with front pipe can be done in your garage in an hour. Pretty easy. Downpipe I never did myself but stories of people breaking studs off are not fun to read.

 

[hal9000_logic]

You might want to do more research on the injen cold air intake because im pretty sure that is the intake that is bad for your car alot of people have had issues with it.

Gotcha, I will see what else I can find on that. This is the one I picked up second hand (https://injen.com/i-30497557?q=). It was another used part and was appealing because it was a great deal and what I found on it said it worked great without a tune.

 

[geeeek]

Gotcha, I will see what else I can find on that. This is the one I picked up second hand (https://injen.com/i-30497557?q=). It was another used part and was appealing because it was a great deal and what I found on it said it worked great without a tune.

It seems like many people have had issues with their fuel trims even after tuning/adjusting the maf scale and this is probably why

 

[hal9000_logic]

The full exhaust with front pipe can be done in your garage in an hour. Pretty easy. Downpipe I never did myself but stories of people breaking studs off are not fun to read.

Thanks, yeah pulling it off the wrecked one gave me a good idea of the difficulty and it was a huge pain in the ass for a bunch of reasons that won't affect the swap on my car. My questions are more about the context of swapping certain parts.

It seems like many people have had issues with their fuel trims even after tuning/adjusting the maf scale and this is probably why

lol god damn, ok well at least new project to pop mine open and see

 

[Benster]

That injen tube inside is to trick the MAF in taking the bigger intake, not a good idea but it does work(ish) without a tune. Depending on your power goals and access to at least 93 octane gas, I'd say tuner first for better driveability and power, then change that intake and go intercooler. Honestly I drive around with a 16 psi tune on my FK7 most of the time, I added turbo and throttle response to the tune, removed rev hang and the fake kcontrol Honda has when you rev past 5000rpm and I'm having enough fun for driving around normally. If your car is manual, be prepared to change the clutch at one point with a tune, there are lots of great options now on the market, my ACT street kit has been on for over 50k km now and still works just as great as when new.

If your power goals are not to make 200whp, then the intercooler isn't worth it until you tune the car. I can rip 1-4 and not pull back timing on the stock intercooler on 21 psi but after that run the intercooler is getting hot and needs a few minutes to cool down before another rip. On 16 psi I can be on the car for about twice that time before the temps go up and road driving you shouldn't be doing that much anyway.

Downpipe will be a good option once you get a tune and the intercooler as you can then get a custom tune to take advantage of the downpipe.

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