[adventr]

Got a VRSF Downpipe installed on my RWD N55 last night. Install was pretty straight forward. Was fortunate enough to have a 2-post lift, so that made it a LOT easier than laying on your back...

Getting the V-Band clamp back into place was a bit tricky. There is a coolant pipe that's directly above the rear part of the turbo, and it makes it more difficult to install the clamp than it should be. Took a good 20min with 2 people trying to get it into place.

I do wish that this DP had at least one of the mounting tabs on the side (OEM Cat has 2 tabs, VRSF has NONE). The tabs would definitely help to make sure that the pipe is rotated correctly.


The rear portion of the exhaust (the twin pipes) did bolt right up to the VRSF DP with the included hardware/gaskets. Alignment looked good, but it did "pull" the exhaust forward some from where it originally had sat. There is that exhaust hanger clamp that you have to remove (about 18" back from where exhaust bolts to DP) in order for the exhaust to have play. After install, I was unable to get that clamp back into place, as the exhaust was now pulled slightly, so the bolt wouldn't line up.
Doesn't seem like a big deal, as everything is tight.

Put everything back together and started it up. No leaks.
My only concern is that there is added tension where the rear potion of the exhaust bolts up to the downpipe. The bolts drew both parts together nice and tight, but I'm just hoping that the welds on the DP flanges hold up! They don't look the greatest, but hopefully they're solid...

It's almost as if the DP should have been 1/2" longer in overall length.




Those issues aside, it's a great upgrade. The stock N55 exhaust sound with the catless DP is great. Sounds very exotic, with no raspy sound that aftermarket exhausts seem to have. Lots of pops and burbles when decelerating too.
It has definitely free'd the turbo up. You can now just free-rev in neutral and the turbo spools. Power in the higher RPM range seems to be better as well.


I'm waiting on my Cobb to arrive in the mail, so currently no tune. I did get a Check Engine Light this morning when I started the car.

I'll report back after the Cobb.

[Bladerunner]

Tks for the write up, I have one of their DP's on back order. I'm surprised they have no tabs on either side to help hold it in place, plus your comment on the welds and how it pulls the exhaust forward has me a little worried. Did you take any pics after install?

Hopefully you can keep us updated if you have any problems with it or your exhaust.

[335m]

Thanks for the review, I will most likely be going VRSF for my DP as I have had great experiences with Tiago in the past.

Very interested in hearing some other opinions these issues, I wonder if others who have installed themselves encountered the same problems.

[adventr]

Originally Posted by Bladerunner

Tks for the write up, I have one of their DP's on back order. I'm surprised they have no tabs on either side to help hold it in place, plus your comment on the welds and how it pulls the exhaust forward has me a little worried. Did you take any pics after install?

Hopefully you can keep us updated if you have any problems with it or your exhaust.

Yeah, I'll definitely keep this thread updated.


I would have preferred at least 1 mounting tab on there. Preferably, just the lower one, as it's easiest to get to.

The flanges on the DP are pretty beefy, and it does look like it's welded inside and out, so I'm hoping that it will hold up. The V-band bead (that actually fits inside of the rear part of turbo) was a nice snug fit, so that should alleviate some of the pressure on the Band clamp.

I just think that if the DP were 3/8" to 1/2" longer, it would be a better fit.
The included hardware was plenty long enough to get a nut started with the existing gap, and it did close up as we were tightening them down though.

However... I'm sure each car is slightly different, so it may fit others perfectly!


Unfortunately, no pics of the install, but next time I toss it up on the lift, I'll snag some.

[Jsoboti]

Originally Posted by adventr

Got a VRSF Downpipe installed on my RWD N55 last night. Install was pretty straight forward. Was fortunate enough to have a 2-post lift, so that made it a LOT easier than laying on your back...

Getting the V-Band clamp back into place was a bit tricky. There is a coolant pipe that's directly above the rear part of the turbo, and it makes it more difficult to install the clamp than it should be. Took a good 20min with 2 people trying to get it into place.

I do wish that this DP had at least one of the mounting tabs on the side (OEM Cat has 2 tabs, VRSF has NONE). The tabs would definitely help to make sure that the pipe is rotated correctly.


The rear portion of the exhaust (the twin pipes) did bolt right up to the VRSF DP with the included hardware/gaskets. Alignment looked good, but it did "pull" the exhaust forward some from where it originally had sat. There is that exhaust hanger clamp that you have to remove (about 18" back from where exhaust bolts to DP) in order for the exhaust to have play. After install, I was unable to get that clamp back into place, as the exhaust was now pulled slightly, so the bolt wouldn't line up.
Doesn't seem like a big deal, as everything is tight.

Put everything back together and started it up. No leaks.
My only concern is that there is added tension where the rear potion of the exhaust bolts up to the downpipe. The bolts drew both parts together nice and tight, but I'm just hoping that the welds on the DP flanges hold up! They don't look the greatest, but hopefully they're solid...

It's almost as if the DP should have been 1/2" longer in overall length.




Those issues aside, it's a great upgrade. The stock N55 exhaust sound with the catless DP is great. Sounds very exotic, with no raspy sound that aftermarket exhausts seem to have. Lots of pops and burbles when decelerating too.
It has definitely free'd the turbo up. You can now just free-rev in neutral and the turbo spools. Power in the higher RPM range seems to be better as well.


I'm waiting on my Cobb to arrive in the mail, so currently no tune. I did get a Check Engine Light this morning when I started the car.

I'll report back after the Cobb.

Great write up, I also have VRSF FP however I was able to get the exhaust bracket back in place and tightened down, I agree a longer DP will fit better.

[adventr]

Got to go out to my test spot yesterday evening. Since I purchased the car bone stock, I've been able to compare each mod that I've done. This one was quite surprising! Upon takeoff, I can no longer put the pedal to the floor without breaking the tires completely free. Before, I could just punch it and go. It also spun a bit when shifting into 2nd (Alpina flash).
A pretty big difference in power.



Here's a question for the guys that have catless DP:

Do you hear a "resonant" sound that comes directly from the DP under light acceleration? It's almost like a little "rasp" that is echoing around inside of that big hollow DP. It goes away under heavy acceleration. Seems to me like it is the wastegate opening under light throttle, and maybe i'm just hearing the raw exhaust in there.

I've read about the infamous "wastegate rattle", and was wondering if maybe this was it?
It doesn't exactly sound like a typical "rattle" to me, more of a high frequency resonance. If that makes sense!

[Tiago@VRSF]

Thanks for the review!

The reason we don't include the mounting tabs is simply because they aren't necessary. We've sold hundreds of N54 DP's without the tab and have never had an issue in over 3 years running them.

As far as the length, we used the OEM DP we have in stock to create the jig for this pipe. I'll create a quick jig and make the necessary adjustments if required

[josega90]

I also got my n55 VRSF downpipe in last weekend. Takes some patience to mount it but its not impossible, the fit is good. I also did notice an exhaust misalignment if you will, the passenger side is higher than the driver (they were both centered before). Anyways it's not a deal breaker by any means, it should be an easy fix.

I am very happy with the purchase, its the best bang for the buck. The exhaust sounds great, I also have two vibrant resonators in there and I love it. There is also a difference in power as you would expect from a DP, I have to get my jb4 in to fully enjoy it.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Thanks for the review