^^Thanks for clarifying.

 

Based on the lack of discussion of doing the catted downpipes, I'm guessing this isn't a popular option. But catless downpipes are out of the question for me due to stringent annual emissions testing. Does anyone know what the "book" labor a decent indy shop would charge for doing the install of the downpipes? Or is it a DIY (lift available, and prior experience doing multiple sets of headers)?

 

Correct - not very popular due to the amount of work involved vs less than stellar gains.

I forget the exact number, but somewhere around 6.5 hours of labor by the book. But it is rumored to take much longer than that in actuality, so your mechanic may come back to you and request more labor costs on the backend.

I did it myself, a couple of times, but it was not easy at all. There is almost no space and you cannot really reach the turbo turbine housing due to obstructions.

I would say this is more on the advanced level for DIY.

You can see some of the steps involved on my thread here:

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...lots-pics.html

 

What's odd is that most of the firms that sell these only show maybe an additional 5 - 10HP for straight downpipes over the catted downpipes, so about 15 with hi-flow cats, maybe 20-25 for straight downpipes.



I'll get the labor quote in writing if I decide to pay to have them installed.


Reading your thread is the inspiration for extracting another 15 or so HP out of the exhaust. Seriously, I believe the secondary cat bypass pipes do the most, and are the "low hanging fruit" from a cost/performance standpoint. Everything else gets pricey quickly. I still can't figure out the $1,000 increments between AR Design, Fabspeed, and Car Graphic catted downpipes, though. $1,500 up to $3,500. Makes no sense since they're essentially all the same. Maybe AR Design uses a crappier converter; who knows?