Hey guys, I need an education.

I was doing some reading about aftermarket exhaust upgrades and I see some applications that include a downpipe.

What is a downpipe? What does it do?

Just wanted an answer to those questions so I can make a better decision about a purchase.

Thanks.

 

a downpipe is the just the part of the exhaust that come off the turbo and goes down the side of the engine to the rest of the exhaust. My car had a cat after the turbo then the downpipe. i replace the cat with a testpipe since i am never getting it inspected again. my aftermarket exhaust came w/ a down pipe.

 

OK ... trying to figure this out. I assume that all complete exhaust systems have a downpipe in order to get the exhaust down to the bottom of the car. What I'm reading about aftermarket exhausts that come with a downpipe means that those systems have a downpipe that's part of their performance package. Aftermarket exhausts that don't include a downpipe must use the car's OE downpipe. Am I on the right track here?

And then there's the testpipe you were talking about ...
Is a testpipe just a straight pipe that you've used to replace the cat?

I know that most aftermarket exhausts are catback .... are there exhausts that include performance cats? Is there such a thing? Or are your choices just to use a catback system or get rid of the cat?

 

Aftermarket exhausts that don't include a downpipe must use the car's OE downpipe. Am I on the right track here?
Yep

Is a testpipe just a straight pipe that you've used to replace the cat?
Yep

Are there exhausts that include performance cats? Is there such a thing?
I don't think there are any companies the include a cat with the exhaust. They're not called performance cats. There's high flow cats and test pipes.

Are your choices just to use a catback system or get rid of the cat?
Nope. There's plenty of choices and combinations depending on what engine you have.

 

OK ... thanks for the info.

Think I'm in a better position to understand what I'm doing with regard to my exhaust.