Cat-back exhaust really worth it?

[mpv314]

I'm having difficulty getting myself to put down all this money for my exhaust system. With such minimal power gains, and merely an auditory satisfaction, is it really worth the money? If it is, tell me why.


If I want the sound, would I be better off buying the right mufflers and installing them on my stock exhaust?


EDIT: Decided it was worth it. Found a great deal on Performance Peddler for a cat-back exhaust system, brand new, $627.91 shipped!! Amazing price, double walled stainless steel on the whole system. I fell in love with the sound clips I heard of it on my car. Later on going to buy a HFC and downpipe when I have more mulah.

[Dcass08]

The sound alone is worth it. Not sure how much extra hp you get but I can say I'm happy. I have a Labree system

[NickDaQuick]

Don't do mufflers with the stock exhaust....you will want more down the line and end up paying more. I'm 100% satisfied with my custom system done by labree, it sounds awesome and makes me love my car even more. Even with the stock cat, I did feel a difference in power...not huge but it was noticeable ! I'd say go for it


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[mcpcartier]

It is a lot of money....difficult to justify. I had no intention of ever doing the exhaust, but an opportunity came my way so I jumped on it. I love the sound....don't know if I could go back. The performance impact was noticeable (quicker spooling) but not like wow, just along the lines of that's nice.

If you're on the fence watch for some postings in the classifieds, some used systems come up on a semi-regular basis and the price is usually reasonable.

[digitalAUDI]

if your gonna get it, get it all in one shot, exhaust, downpipe and high flow cat or test pipe... these items eventually all show up in the classifieds from people that are putting their cars back to stock so you'll get it cheaper than getting it brand new... i'm completing my exhaust now with a TT DP (after an interesting chat yesterday on another thread I started)... I believe there are a couple used exhausts for sale right now in the classifieds...

[mpv314]

if your gonna get it, get it all in one shot, exhaust, downpipe and high flow cat or test pipe... these items eventually all show up in the classifieds from people that are putting their cars back to stock so you'll get it cheaper than getting it brand new... i'm completing my exhaust now with a TT DP (after an interesting chat yesterday on another thread I started)... I believe there are a couple used exhausts for sale right now in the classifieds...

Thanks for the advice. However if I'm going to do something, I plan on doing it right the first time and buying my parts new. I don't want to buy someone else's headache. And as of now, there is no way I can afford all of it at once. It would just be the cat-back exhaust system for now.

[AJacksA4]

In a month or so i am doing a custom DP back exhaust made by my local muffler shop. I now have RAI HFC with Downpipe and will be doing 3" custom piping to the mufflers which will be magnaflow 14816 quad tips, no resonators. I was quoted $600 total for it all so it may be cheaper to go the custom route.

[jsandor91]

In a month or so i am doing a custom DP back exhaust made by my local muffler shop. I now have RAI HFC with Downpipe and will be doing 3" custom piping to the mufflers which will be magnaflow 14816 quad tips, no resonators. I was quoted $600 total for it all so it may be cheaper to go the custom route.

I had initially installed rai dp / tp which provided a quite noticeable gain in mid to high rpm , in august I got a custom 3 inch exhaust with spintech mufflers. Ran me 500 and change not including mufflers . With the full exhaust I love the sound but I think theres a bit more lag because I went 3 inch however definitely more top end now . Just need to eventually get a resonator . I have videos on my YouTube channel just search b7 a4 spintech. Hope this helps

[RAGING_BEAST]

In a month or so i am doing a custom DP back exhaust made by my local muffler shop. I now have RAI HFC with Downpipe and will be doing 3" custom piping to the mufflers which will be magnaflow 14816 quad tips, no resonators. I was quoted $600 total for it all so it may be cheaper to go the custom route.

I'm going custom too with quad tip by this weekend, I was quoted 450 without tips prob 550 with.

[doublezero30]

if youre worried about money just do it custom. would be $7-800 rather than $12-1400

[Firefox250]

^^ I second that. Don't spend the extra money for name brand cat back, go custom with a test pipe or High Flow Cat (HFC). I wish, I had gone 3" instead of 2-1/2 piping I have now.

[BoSNiaN]

If I want the sound, would I be better off buying the right mufflers and installing them on my stock exhaust?

Exactly what I did. My exhaust is fine but I wanted it so sound deeper so I got Magnaflow mufflers with 3" tips so they also look better. Labour was a bitch though ($250 for mufflers, $300 for labour) where a full catback is just bolt on.

[AJacksA4]

I had initially installed rai dp / tp which provided a quite noticeable gain in mid to high rpm , in august I got a custom 3 inch exhaust with spintech mufflers. Ran me 500 and change not including mufflers . With the full exhaust I love the sound but I think theres a bit more lag because I went 3 inch however definitely more top end now . Just need to eventually get a resonator . I have videos on my YouTube channel just search b7 a4 spintech. Hope this helps

Was the added lag really noticable with the 3" system? I was under the impression more freely the exhaust flows, the quicker the spool up. Maybe not i guess.

I'm going custom too with quad tip by this weekend, I was quoted 450 without tips prob 550 with.

Have you gotten the s4 valance yet? ECS has em for $79 right now. Says ETA Nov 23 but i ordered mine last week, got to me on friday. Get on that if u need one.

[Audi_509]

I'm having difficulty getting myself to put down all this money for my exhaust system. With such minimal power gains, and merely an auditory satisfaction, is it really worth the money? If it is, tell me why.


If I want the sound, would I be better off buying the right mufflers and installing them on my stock exhaust?

After reading many reviews the HP vs cost wasn't worth it. If you're looking for sound then it is.

I ended up buying magnaflow mufflers with the rest of the exhaust stock. It sounds fine.

[AJacksA4]

^^^^ Those are the 14816's right? They look soo dope.

[Audi_509]

^Yes.

[NickDaQuick]

^^^^ Those are the 14816's right? They look soo dope.

I have 14816s as well... Great mufflers....had the whole system made cat-back




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[jimrobbington]

It's almost pointless (for performance) to just do cat back. The down pipe and cat are the two most restrictive parts of our exhaust. But yes, it's worth it for the sound. Exhaust is always my second mod, stage 1 being the first....

Check out my rundown of how crappy the stock exhaust is, and why you should upgrade it here: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...t-past-stage-1!

[CHARLES A4]

Just buy the mufflers and go to an exhaust shop if you live close to queens u can go by Shea stadium and have your exhaust done for less than 300

[flyingfish2626]

The stock exhaust pancakes down to like 1.75" in a couple of spots. Definitely not performance minded in any way. I love my Stasis exhaust with RAI testpipe combo.

[RAGING_BEAST]

Was the added lag really noticable with the 3" system? I was under the impression more freely the exhaust flows, the quicker the spool up. Maybe not i guess.



Have you gotten the s4 valance yet? ECS has em for $79 right now. Says ETA Nov 23 but i ordered mine last week, got to me on friday. Get on that if u need one.

Just got mine in yesterday, bought it from the classifieds on here for $100shipped and it was bnib. With ECS I would've only saved 8 bucks and having to wait till the get it on Nov 23 then time to ship to me. But yea I was thinking about buying from ECS but I found a deal worth it to get it now.

[4Ring]

Damn those mufflers look good. I want.

[jsandor91]

Was the added lag really noticable with the 3" system? I was under the impression more freely the exhaust flows, the quicker the spool up. Maybe not i guess.



Have you gotten the s4 valance yet? ECS has em for $79 right now. Says ETA Nov 23 but i ordered mine last week, got to me on friday. Get on that if u need one.

yes usually but with such smalls turbos like the k03 we need some back pressure or we will actually lose some low end power. im not a exhaust or turbo guru. but i do seem to have a bit more lag vs just having my dp/tp. i definitely have more top end now thou

the one on ecs look like its painted a grey silverish color . i thought they came black?

[AJacksA4]

yes usually but with such smalls turbos like the k03 we need some back pressure or we will actually lose some low end power. im not a exhaust or turbo guru. but i do seem to have a bit more lag vs just having my dp/tp. i definitely have more top end now thou

the one on ecs look like its painted a grey silverish color . i thought they came black?

Hmmm, the one i got wasnt painted, just bare plastic. Its black, just not painted. Ill probably plastidip it anyways, doesnt really matter to me.

[jimrobbington]

The stock exhaust pancakes down to like 1.75" in a couple of spots. Definitely not performance minded in any way. I love my Stasis exhaust with RAI testpipe combo.

[kvitrafn]

Are dyno plots really showing similar power stock vs catback? My car felt a lot more responsive and spools earlier. (Or maybe its just the weight reductionof my wallet?)

[event]

Straight pipes.

[Bigdog7373]

DON'T buy a brand name exhaust. Go to an exhaust shop and have them run a turbo back system with a high-flow cat and mufflers of your choice. It will be so much cheaper and you'll get exactly what you want.

[RAGING_BEAST]

yes usually but with such smalls turbos like the k03 we need some back pressure or we will actually lose some low end power. im not a exhaust or turbo guru. but i do seem to have a bit more lag vs just having my dp/tp. i definitely have more top end now thou

the one on ecs look like its painted a grey silverish color . i thought they came black?

I don't think you'll lose low end with just catback. Maybe with a DP and test pipe or high flow it's different.

I believe they come in the painted grey like on ECS unless you buy it used, somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Hmmm, the one i got wasnt painted, just bare plastic. Its black, just not painted. Ill probably plastidip it anyways, doesnt really matter to me.

I just painted mine last night with Flat Black Rust Oleum and it came out real nice. I have plastidip on other parts of my car but this is by far much better and I heard it's a lot easier to clean. A couple of people recommended it on here recommend it over plastidip so I tried it and I love it so far.

Edit: I'll get some pics for you when I get home from work.

[AJacksA4]

I just painted mine last night with Flat Black Rust Oleum and it came out real nice. I have plastidip on other parts of my car but this is by far much better and I heard it's a lot easier to clean. A couple of people recommended it on here recommend it over plastidip so I tried it and I love it so far.

Edit: I'll get some pics for you when I get home from work.

Pics would be great. The plastidip looks fine but its such a pain to clean. My valance now is dipped and it just looks dirty all the time. If the rust oleum came out looking good ill easily go with that.

[eMacPaul]

yes usually but with such smalls turbos like the k03 we need some back pressure or we will actually lose some low end power. im not a exhaust or turbo guru. but i do seem to have a bit more lag vs just having my dp/tp.

I disagree. A turbo is spun by having a pressure differential, i.e., high pressure on one side, low pressure on the other. The lower the pressure is downstream of the turbo, the more quickly it will spin. Consider: if the pressure was equal on each side of the turbo, there would be no airflow and it would not spin. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure. The greater the differential, the more quickly it will flow, and the more quickly the turbo will spin. The less restrictive your exhaust is, the better your turbo performance will be, at any speed.

[RAGING_BEAST]

Pics would be great. The plastidip looks fine but its such a pain to clean. My valance now is dipped and it just looks dirty all the time. If the rust oleum came out looking good ill easily go with that.

I like how it's nice and smooth and has a nice consistency, it went on real easy too. IMO much better than Plastidip, I have plasidip pretty much everywhere I have matte black and this stuff is better.

[jsandor91]

I disagree. A turbo is spun by having a pressure differential, i.e., high pressure on one side, low pressure on the other. The lower the pressure is downstream of the turbo, the more quickly it will spin. Consider: if the pressure was equal on each side of the turbo, there would be no airflow and it would not spin. Air flows from high pressure to low pressure. The greater the differential, the more quickly it will flow, and the more quickly the turbo will spin. The less restrictive your exhaust is, the better your turbo performance will be, at any speed.

thanks for the info like i said before im no turbo guru, i had remembered reading somewhere that we need a certain amount of backpressure to spool quickly. what you said makes sense, i'm begining to think its all in my head now haha.

I like how it's nice and smooth and has a nice consistency, it went on real easy too. IMO much better than Plastidip, I have plasidip pretty much everywhere I have matte black and this stuff is better.

looks good think im gonna scoop one up from ecs today, where did you guys buy tips for those whose mufflers didnt come with them? im tired of not having exhaust tips haha. ps. looking to go quad tip

[RAGING_BEAST]

looks good think im gonna scoop one up from ecs today, where did you guys buy tips for those whose mufflers didnt come with them? im tired of not having exhaust tips haha. ps. looking to go quad tip

My exhaust guy is getting me mine for less than 100 for the pair. EBay has them for about 100, tips are just for looks so I don't care about expensive tips or name brand.

[Italiano]

I have a full STaSIS system with a TP and its worth every penny!

[kvitrafn]

No, the turbo actually retrieves energy from the exhaust temperature. If the turbo is unloaded, there is minimal pressure differential - and you can measure the power consumption of the turbo as a function of temperature differential over the turbine. (for instance, a diesel generator i worked with balances generator fuel efficiency and output by taking into account turbo power generation)

That means turbos need mass flow and temperature to generate energy. Which in turn means you want maximum gas flow. Most turbos have limits to the pressure differential bearings and seals can handle, but in theory a turbo would work best on a high flow manifold and with a short restriction free exhaust.

[vdubjetta02]

Try buying a downpipe back exhaust for a b6/b7/b8 S4..... you can approach the $2,500 - $3,000 mark. At that point it gets hard to justify

[jsandor91]

damn, you would save a fortune by going custom lol.