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Downpipe What's the best brand ?

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
Yup.

The one trackslag offers is a $520 upcharge, so at that point I figured I would just wait and get a gen2 GESI welded in when available.
Which one does Trackslag use? The only thing they told me was that it was a high quality cat made in Italy. And that it was a 200 cell.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
i'm on the fence between the Trackslag and DBV2... i need to pull the trigger soon. i keep going in circles.
I already have a DP but I'm considering the Trackslag one because of how it spools the turbo sooner. If you don't already have a DP the Trackslag is the choice IMO.
 

NoNpLuS

Ready to race!
Location
cincinnati
Car(s)
2016 golf R base
I already have a DP but I'm considering the Trackslag one because of how it spools the turbo sooner. If you don't already have a DP the Trackslag is the choice
i wish there was more data out on the DBV2. quality is killer but, probably gonna go trackslag for the reason you posted. pricing is really fair also
I’m on the fence about building a 3.5”, but my car being pretty mild it’s probably not justified and I just built myself a new downpipe a few months ago with a GESI HO EPA cat





I’ve just been slowly collecting parts so I’ll probably do it eventually

love your work jake! if it was 4in with a 3.5in mid pipe i would probably be placing an order.
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
GESI actually has Gen1 300 & Gen2 400 cell cats, different rating and pricing to fit any budget and flow appropriate for 350-550hp as well as models for 550-850hp (larger OD body).

100-200 cell cats are generally so cheaply made that actually flow significantly worse than 300-400 cell good quality cats. Those 100-200 cell are more “fake it” than actually controlled emissions/smell.

Nothing I’d use for Mk7, but GESI makes Gen2 cats rated for 1,200hp per cat so don’t kid yourself about headroom there’s plenty to be had for any application.

HJS makes great quality, but far less common in the USA. The guys in Europe get most of ‘em
Fucking agreed. An epa/carb certified gesi cat on an aftermarket downpipe is definitely the way to go. It’s just proper. The ability to start your car and avoid that rich gas smell is worth it!

I think the only folks offering this is you and Cobb right?

EDIT the gesi in the cobb isnt actually epa compliant. my mistake, its a 200 cell. jake, is your dp the only one available with an epa compliant cat?!

EDIT 2, seems like gesi isnt carb compliant yet, magnaflow is but they only guarantee their cat will meet carb for only 5 years.
 
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GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
i wish there was more data out on the DBV2. quality is killer but, probably gonna go trackslag for the reason you posted. pricing is really fair also


love your work jake! if it was 4in with a 3.5in mid pipe i would probably be placing an order.

The weld and material quality on DBV2 far exceeds TS and that’s reflected in the pricing.

I wouldn’t offer 4” for several reasons, but I appreciate it. Still pretty unlikely I’ll offer the 3.5” since the R&D originally started for R/S3 and I don’t have one to play with so if anything I’ll probably build myself one and call it a day.

Fucking agreed. An epa/carb certified gesi cat on an aftermarket downpipe is definitely the way to go. It’s just proper. The ability to start your car and avoid that rich gas smell is worth it!

I think the only folks offering this is you and Cobb right?

No such thing as a Carb compliant cat that isn’t OEM unfortunately. I’m not up on who uses what exactly, but if it doesn’t say EPA on it with a serial number it’s the G sport (the standard option I use). The EPA version is $250+ more expensive than the G sport.

I’ve run both on my personal car and there’s definitely a difference, but both do a great job. The latter is as close to OEM as it gets.
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
The weld and material quality on DBV2 far exceeds TS and that’s reflected in the pricing.

I wouldn’t offer 4” for several reasons, but I appreciate it. Still pretty unlikely I’ll offer the 3.5” since the R&D originally started for R/S3 and I don’t have one to play with so if anything I’ll probably build myself one and call it a day.



No such thing as a Carb compliant cat that isn’t OEM unfortunately. I’m not up on who uses what exactly, but if it doesn’t say EPA on it with a serial number it’s the G sport (the standard option I use). The EPA version is $250+ more expensive than the G sport.

I’ve run both on my personal car and there’s definitely a difference, but both do a great job. The latter is as close to OEM as it gets.
gotcha, seems like magnaflow makes carb approved ones but can only meet carb for about 5 years or some such.
 

Chogokin

Autocross Champion
Location
So Cal
Car(s)
GTI Sport | Audi A3
Magnaflow does have some universal CARB cats...but they are specific to certain vehicles...it's a very small group of cars. I'm pretty sure they are not "performance" cats. 😁
 

Keehs360

Autocross Champion
Location
Denver
Car(s)
Mk7.5
Magnaflow does have some universal CARB cats...but they are specific to certain vehicles...it's a very small group of cars. I'm pretty sure they are not "performance" cats. 😁
i figured lol

speaking to the state ref last week or the week before. for a 2020, they want the cat to either be stock or stamped with epa and carb....
 

Subliminal

Autocross Champion
Location
Vegas
Car(s)
Slow FWD VW Hatch
What exactly does an EPA compliant or CARB cat mean? Just that it's not as bad for the environment? I assume they're still not legal for street use, right?
 

El_bigote_AJ

Autocross Champion
Location
Las Vegas
Car(s)
2019 GTI bunny
The carb thing is a hustle. California makes more from carb than they do from cannabis.
What exactly does an EPA compliant or CARB cat mean? Just that it's not as bad for the environment? I assume they're still not legal for street use, right?
yup as noted, CARB is just a California thing...that has their own extra level of requirements, that car manufactures pretty much just all started to comply with to avoid have "California" specific engine codes and setups.

EPA is federal, and yeah it just means that the cat works efficiently enough to reduce the pollutants to an acceptable level determined by the EPA/CARB groups. as far as street legal i think that really based on jurisdictions
 

EricsVdub

Go Kart Champion
Location
Chicago 'burbs
Car(s)
2019 GTI SE Exp pkg
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