Another exhaust question...

[flyingfish2626]

Just purchased a 2008 6-speed that is totally stock with 50K miles. I am waiting for a sale at APR to order a chip, but wanted to replace the exhaust at the same time. My question is about the RAI test pipe vs the downpipe setup. The pics on the RAI website show the downpipe to be a one piece setup, eliminating the large cat at the turbo. Why is the test pipe so much larger in diameter than the downpipe, or are you supposed to use both, the test pipe and the downpipe? The web site also says that the downpipe adds 95% of the horsepower in the entire exhaust. The real question is do I order the test pipe, or do I have to order both? Looking to keep the rest of the exhaust stock. Just looking to gain the most power I can with the stage 2 APR chip, but if I can just get away with ordering the test pipe and save some money, then why not. Anyone have any experience with the RAI downpipe vs just the test pipe?

[TFSI]

Hello, I see that you are moving up from b5 to b7!
To be honest, I have the 034 HFC and I talked to one of the techs from RAI and he said adding a downpipe will only give me a minimal power gain.
I mean getting the RAI's testpipe/downpipe as one piece will however give you the most power. But for the price, testpipe itself is the second on the bang for the buck list.
In addition, they do a REAL QUALITY job. Because you owned stage 3 b5 s4... I assume you know much much more performance facts about cars.

[jimrobbington]

Don't forget about emissions. But yes, you need to have either a high flow cat or a test pipe, AND a downpipe.

JR