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Stock Catback Limitations with Upgraded Turbos + Fuel + E85 Race Tune?

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DangerBrave

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Vibrant Ultra Quiets installed. Drew@Tim’s Custom Exhaust exceeded all expectations (under promised and over delivered - not easy to find). Velvet under medium throttle, V6 twin Maserati under WOT. The tone is pleasing during the entire RPM range and the sound level is appropriate for throttle % with all drone removed. I’m trying to be as descriptive as possible as the quality of the sound - and difference between the previous AWE 3” exhaust only - would be lost on YouTube. Mission accomplished.

I recommend Drew for the Minnesota ST owners; he has the recipe down and prioritized customer experience and expectations. @Beerman thank you very much for the recommendation.
 

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UNBROKEN

UNBROKEN

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Did he weld both ends? Should have left the front as a slip joint for future serviceability. att.akD8LHTM6g-mHND1VhNMDCkcgE8LYwfNZAQUqDNyazc.jpeg
 

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DangerBrave

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@UNBROKEN I’ve learned a lot from you - thank you for all you’ve shared. Yes but that’s what I specifically asked for, and he confirmed prior to cutting/welding via phone call.
 

SugarMouth

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#24
DangerBrave said:
Vibrant Ultra Quiets installed. Drew@Tim’s Custom Exhaust exceeded all expectations (under promised and over delivered - not easy to find). Velvet under medium throttle, V6 twin Maserati under WOT. The tone is pleasing during the entire RPM range and the sound level is appropriate for throttle % with all drone removed. I’m trying to be as descriptive as possible as the quality of the sound - and difference between the previous AWE 3” exhaust only - would be lost on YouTube. Mission accomplished.

I recommend Drew for the Minnesota ST owners; he has the recipe down and prioritized customer experience and expectations. @Beerman thank you very much for the recommendation.
Click to expand...
Glad mission was accomplished!
 

Beerman

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DangerBrave said:
Vibrant Ultra Quiets installed. Drew@Tim’s Custom Exhaust exceeded all expectations (under promised and over delivered - not easy to find). Velvet under medium throttle, V6 twin Maserati under WOT. The tone is pleasing during the entire RPM range and the sound level is appropriate for throttle % with all drone removed. I’m trying to be as descriptive as possible as the quality of the sound - and difference between the previous AWE 3” exhaust only - would be lost on YouTube. Mission accomplished.

I recommend Drew for the Minnesota ST owners; he has the recipe down and prioritized customer experience and expectations. @Beerman thank you very much for the recommendation.
Click to expand...
Awesome! Yes he does good work and is very service oriented. Mine seemed to have burned in a little and sound better (slightly more aggressive) than right after they were done. With my 2.5" Thermal - I swear it was quieter after the DPs and Vibrants than it was before, but has a PERFECT tone and volume level now.
 

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DangerBrave

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Beerman said:
Awesome! Yes he does good work and is very service oriented. Mine seemed to have burned in a little and sound better (slightly more aggressive) than right after they were done. With my 2.5" Thermal - I swear it was quieter after the DPs and Vibrants than it was before, but has a PERFECT tone and volume level now.
Click to expand...
Yes sir. Recipe is confirmed
 

BuckStrickland

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UNBROKEN said:
Did he weld both ends? Should have left the front as a slip joint for future serviceability. View attachment 36366
Click to expand...
I can't tell precisely from the photos, did they trim the downpipes then adjust the catback, or the other way around? I just got my Fenfab downpipes back from Swaintech, and have that and AWE waiting to go on, but have a feeling it might be too loud.
 

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BuckStrickland said:
I can't tell precisely from the photos, did they trim the downpipes then adjust the catback, or the other way around? I just got my Fenfab downpipes back from Swaintech, and have that and AWE waiting to go on, but have a feeling it might be too loud.
Click to expand...
I do my own work but yes, the end of the downpipes have to be cut off. There’s really limited space to work with length wise. The front of the mid pipes have to be cut off as well. I welded the UQ’s to the mid pipes then slotted the front of that slip joint and used a band clamp to tighten them to the DP outlet.
 

BuckStrickland

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UNBROKEN said:
I do my own work but yes, the end of the downpipes have to be cut off. There’s really limited space to work with length wise. The front of the mid pipes have to be cut off as well. I welded the UQ’s to the mid pipes then slotted the front of that slip joint and used a band clamp to tighten them to the DP outlet.
Click to expand...
I see. If it comes to that, I'm sure my local exhaust shop can handle it. They're pretty good. 3" in/out UQ's?
 

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BuckStrickland said:
I see. If it comes to that, I'm sure my local exhaust shop can handle it. They're pretty good. 3" in/out UQ's?
Click to expand...
On mine, yes. It’s actually easy to figure out once the DP’s and cat-back are installed. Just hold the UQ in place and mark where to cut the pipes.
 

BuckStrickland

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UNBROKEN said:
On mine, yes. It’s actually easy to figure out once the DP’s and cat-back are installed. Just hold the UQ in place and mark where to cut the pipes.
Click to expand...
Great, thanks, I appreciate the insight. Does startup still sound like a diesel truck bc of the turbo spool? haha.
 

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DangerBrave

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Thread Starter #32
BuckStrickland said:
Great, thanks, I appreciate the insight. Does startup still sound like a diesel truck bc of the turbo spool? haha.
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On mine, yes. Startup isn’t noticeably changed.

What Unbroken said for everything above. Leveraged the flex sects on the AWE and had Drew eliminate the SPD flex sections for a clean install, cut/welded the DP’s and mid pipes.
 

Suprawill1

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Loaded05 said:
I actually ran the stock cat back with crp stage 5s, cvf downpipes and stage 3 fueling, making 509 whp on 93. It was very quiet and worked ok, for about 900 miles. Apparently, the back pressure produced by my stock exhaust destroyed the stage 5s. CRP did an after action report and said the excessive back pressure is what caused the failure (passenger shaft broke at the turbine). Both thrust bearings displayed the same wear and the drivers side had a fatigue crack in the shaft. I heard the same stories that the stock exhaust was good for 600 whp. Mine certainly wasn't.
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I actually heard from a reputable source that the stock exhaust is good for 700HP. I'm running the same setup you were with stock fueling. According to ZFG, I'm supposed to be making 540AWHP.
I too wanted the quiet so I stayed with the stock exhaust, with the exception of the mid pipes, which were replaced by Lethal Performance MPs. I believe they are stock size as they fit right in.
Been running this setup for 42K miles.

Did you also install the upgraded CRP wastegate controllers with your turbos?
 

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Loaded05

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Suprawill1 said:
I actually heard from a reputable source that the stock exhaust is good for 700HP. I'm running the same setup you were with stock fueling. According to ZFG, I'm supposed to be making 540AWHP.
I too wanted the quiet so I stayed with the stock exhaust, with the exception of the mid pipes, which were replaced by Lethal Performance MPs. I believe they are stock size as they fit right in.
Been running this setup for 42K miles.

Did you also install the upgraded CRP wastegate controllers with your turbos?
Click to expand...
Yes, I have the CRP wastegate HP booster kit on my turbos. My exhaust was stock from the cvf downpipes back. There had to have been an issue in my stock exhaust, as the EMAP was peaking at 78 psi on 24.5 psi of boost. Using the same 93 tune and downpipes, but with the 3" thermal exhaust, my EMAP peaked at 63 psi on 24.3 psi of boost.

I've been running the new set for 9700 miles and they seem to be doing just fine (knock on wood).
 

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