[srey]

I tried to save a few bucks and bought Chinese downpipes. I've had good luck with my Chinese chargepipe, so I rolled the dice. The fitment wasn't good. I used the BAH method and have them fitting now without any contact on the subframe, etc. The worst was clearing a bolt on the engine for the inside downpipe. I had to pound the heck out of that one. The picture looks a million times worse than it really is, though. If they don't end up working for me I'll shell out for some VRSF pipes. I have their inlets and 7" HD FMIC, and have been happy with their fitment.

Like I said, I'm rolling with them and expect them to perform fine, but I'm posting this here as both a cautionary tale and to take any lumps y'all might want to dish out.



*Edit: I'm not worried about the welds at all. They're solid as. Even though parts look folded and creased, it's smooth inside. The pipes are real stainless steel too, as confirmed by a magnet.

[woodex m.e.]

Just an educational comment. Magnet testing alloys does not really tell you very much. Stainless steels come in magnetic and non magnetic forms.

Also there are MANY forms of stainless and they are not at all created equal in terms of quality.

[rjahl]

Originally Posted by woodex m.e.

Just an educational comment. Magnet testing alloys does not really tell you very much. Stainless steels come in magnetic and non magnetic forms.

Also there are MANY forms of stainless and they are not at all created equal in terms of quality.

Makes me wonder, without doing research I would expect these to be 304 stainless and there would be be some magnetic pull with 304.

If they fail, it will be the welds, not new and under the hammer but after a few hundred heat cycles.

[srey]

We'll see how they hold up. Here they are installed. You can see the clearance on that bolt as well as the subframe clearance.

[woodex m.e.]

Originally Posted by rjahl

Makes me wonder, without doing research I would expect these to be 304 stainless and there would be be some magnetic pull with 304.

If they fail, it will be the welds, not new and under the hammer but after a few hundred heat cycles.

True grade 304 stainless steel would have no magnetic feel. 17-4 on the other hand would have a noticeable pull. They have very very similar corrosion characteristics though. Structurally speaking not sure how 17-4 would hold up because technically you can change the strength properties by cycling through various temperatures with the exhaust.

So many alloys, so little time.

[woodex m.e.]

Originally Posted by srey

We'll see how they hold up. Here they are installed. You can see the clearance on that bolt as well as the subframe clearance.

I hope these things work great for you. Cheap stuff that functions just as awesome as expensive stuff is always a bargain we should be looking for.

[Jeef]

Originally Posted by woodex m.e.

I hope these things work great for you. Cheap stuff that functions just as awesome as expensive stuff is always a bargain we should be looking for.

hammering pipes to make them fit doesn't count lol.

[srey]

Originally Posted by Jeef

hammering pipes to make them fit doesn't count lol.

Agreed. In hindsight it wasn't worth the savings, and that's with a diy. If I was paying someone I would have gone a different route.

[dawhiz]

Even worse if RWD, AWD is a bitch in of itself. They fit so perfectly that if they aren't placed in orientated 100% correctly and correct order, they won't go in.

[halik008]

i recall you are the same guy that was proponent of Chinese turbo too! hah.

Austenitic SS is fine for exhaust. Ferritic SS can be a problem

Welds might be okay now, but give it few thousand miles

[srey]

Originally Posted by halik008

i recall you are the same guy that was proponent of Chinese turbo too! hah.

Austenitic SS is fine for exhaust. Ferritic SS can be a problem

Welds might be okay now, but give it few thousand miles

Not a proponent, just interested in their potential viability as a budget option. I wouldn't actively advocate for a product I wasn't personally running. It's all good, though.

The manufacturing on these pipes looks good. It's just the fit that's off. I bought vrsf for my inlets and fmic. When I do turbos I'll probably go name brand with those too. I tried these pipes because I figured they were worth a gamble. I'm confident in my wrenching ability, so the only cost would have been time. I have a beater I can drive while the 335i is on jackstands, so it was a calculated gamble. I lost, and that's ok. I'm hoping by sharing my op that it will help others who are looking for cheap options. The forums are full of guys saying don't by generic products, but not as many that actually share experiences with them. In a way this thread is part of my penance.

[turbohugh]

my NNQ catless didn't fit. Cost me $$ as I was having stuff done all at once, and it wasted my indy's time. They were cool about it but I can tell slightly irritated [here I am bringing in my parts that dont fit ] ..

TBH after researching all the hassles with DP fix, noise, smell etc, I will just save up the $$ and get some good catted [Turner or CPe] . ATM I have factory catted dps <-> secondary with Borla S type catbacks. Sounds nice but some drone. Once I get the catted DPs I may go with some small resonators in place of the factory secondary cats. I think that solution may give a better result than catless DPs [also no funky dp fix needed etc.]

Just my thoughts.

[srey]

Just wanted to update that everything is back together and the pipes seem fine so far. We'll see what happens after a couple hundred heating/cooling cycles, but they work. If I could time travel I would have just spent the extra money on pipes from a reputable dealer because of the extra downtime from test fitting, hammering, test fitting again, and so on.

[kazbek1]

Originally Posted by srey

Just wanted to update that everything is back together and the pipes seem fine so far. We'll see what happens after a couple hundred heating/cooling cycles, but they work. If I could time travel I would have just spent the extra money on pipes from a reputable dealer because of the extra downtime from test fitting, hammering, test fitting again, and so on.

I know this is an old thread but I've run into the same situation as you did. The rear turbo DP fit fine but the front has a gap at the turbo end because it's not clearing that bolt and part of the subframe. Did you just use a ball peen hammer to smash the hell out of the pipe to clear the bolt? Were you also experiencing a gap the the turbo end where the v-band wasn't able to close/seal all the way? Sorry for resurrecting an old thread.

[feuer]

I always replace that inverted torx bolt regardless of who the DP manufacturer is. Even the highly praised brands hit on if driven hard and engine and transmission aren’t in best shape. I use regular flat button head torx bolt.

[_N54]

In case anyone is looking for cheap down pipes I purchased the Circuit Werks and they fit spot on with no issues. I believe they're made in Texas:


https://www.circuitwerksusa.com/product/product-1/

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by ///S58

In case anyone is looking for cheap down pipes I purchased the Circuit Werks and they fit spot on with no issues. I believe they're made in Texas:


https://www.circuitwerksusa.com/product/product-1/

For 200 bucks they are maybe made in Texas, China but as long as they are a good fit for that price and ship in a day out of Texas then that is a deal!

[Tiago@VRSF]

Originally Posted by ///S58

In case anyone is looking for cheap down pipes I purchased the Circuit Werks and they fit spot on with no issues. I believe they're made in Texas:


https://www.circuitwerksusa.com/product/product-1/

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

For 200 bucks they are maybe made in Texas, China but as long as they are a good fit for that price and ship in a day out of Texas then that is a deal!

While I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the product, there is something very wrong about claiming these are made in the US. Please refrain from spreading misinformation. These products are made in China.

If you're looking to purchase a product that's made in the USA, take a look at AR Design or ETS.

[Andyrt200]

Originally Posted by feuer

I always replace that inverted torx bolt regardless of who the DP manufacturer is. Even the highly praised brands hit on if driven hard and engine and transmission aren’t in best shape. I use regular flat button head torx bolt.

Good tip thanks. I just ordered some from Germany (closer to the UK) but they look suspiciously similar to the ones at the top, probably from China too, fingers crossed they fit with minimal bashing!

[_N54]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

While I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the product, there is something very wrong about claiming these are made in the US. Please refrain from spreading misinformation. These products are made in China.

If you're looking to purchase a product that's made in the USA, take a look at AR Design or ETS.

They fit perfect for being made in China.