Forge/Scorpion Stainless Cat-Delete Pipes Review

[bsmack]

After doing a little bit of research, I decided to get Forge's offering for secondary cat-delete pipes. Here are some quick notes for questions you may have:

-Cheapest offering I could find in the states at <$200. AWE and Milltek were the others I looked at, both $300+, AWE has a ~7 week lead time as of Mid June 2012, Milltek distributor I found in NY had them on the shelf. In AWE/Milltek's defense, I think these kits actually come with new gaskets and all the bolting you need and won't require a run to the hardware store.
-No check engine light after installation.
-The kit DOES NOT come with everything you need to install it.

When it comes to wrenching cars I am an amateur. The installation took me roughly 6 hours with a trip to the hardware store after discovering that I needed both bolts and bolt studs. The bolts that came off of my exhaust at the flanges were simply not re-usable after ~10,000 miles. I also very stupidly forgot to take the gaskets off of the cats and apply them to the cat-delete pipes, which probably accounted for another 45 mins to an hour. Here are a few things I would've made sure of/done differently if given the chance.

-I wish I had a lift. If you have a lift, this will obviously make installation much easier. If you don't have a lift, I suggest you befriend someone that does and give them a 6 pack and pizza for their troubles.
-Make sure you have a flex-head wrench! Some of the bolts are tough to get to and I ended up buying a set at the hardware store. I used these: http://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-Fle...+wrench+metric
-I re-used my gaskets since the pipes didn't come with new ones. I wish I had known this because I would've just ordered new ones instead of re-using my old ones.

Another small note. After installing, I instantly noticed a small water leak from the flanges and the sleeves (which also needed to be re-used since the pipes did not come with them). I was worried, but figured I needed to heat cycle everything a few times to let it settle. I was right, and after driving for a weekend everything is perfectly sealed with no leaks.

I don't have video yet, but I imagine these pipes sound no different from the other offerings which I'm sure everyone has heard already.

The car sounds great now! I would say that there is absolutely no difference in sound at idle after warm-up or at cruising speeds, but under load the car doesn't sound muffled any more.

[bsmack]

Update 7/16

After having these installed for a month the leak has come back. I'm convinced it's the gaskets since I'm sure I torqued everything appropriately. This not coming with gaskets and bolting has been very frustrating to say the least. I currently have a complaint in to Forge and they have requested that I take pictures so they can send it to Scorpion because they do not have knowledge of how the system was designed or what is necessary/unnecessary to supply.

We'll see what happens after I send pictures, I'll be sure to give updates of the resolution and how long everything takes.

[JohnLZ7W]

Could always give this a try



http://store.blackforestindustries.com/wuexpa.html

[bsmack]

I'll give this a shot. I still think the pipes should have come with new gaskets as gaskets should always be replaced in situations such as this. Not to mention the bolting too!

Thanks for your help.

[mageus]

Couple points:

- The pipes are supposed to come with nuts/bolts. Mine didn't, and Scorpion sent me a set from overseas in 3 days. That's service for you.
- The gaskets are metal, quite reusable.
- I agree getting the original bolts off is tedious, since you can't get a socketed or even a ratcheting wrench in there. Use a closed-end wrench and go turn-by-turn (takes about 5" per bolt). When putting the new nuts/bolts on, put the nuts on the rear side of the joint - you can get a socket wrench in from that side and it's much quicker.
- It's not too hard without a lift if you use 4 jack stands. Lay on a piece of cardboard; a creeper will be too tall.
- No leaks here.

[bsmack]

Couple points:

- The pipes are supposed to come with nuts/bolts. Mine didn't, and Scorpion sent me a set from overseas in 3 days. That's service for you.
- The gaskets are metal, quite reusable.
- I agree getting the original bolts off is tedious, since you can't get a socketed or even a ratcheting wrench in there. Use a closed-end wrench and go turn-by-turn (takes about 5" per bolt). When putting the new nuts/bolts on, put the nuts on the rear side of the joint - you can get a socket wrench in from that side and it's much quicker.
- It's not too hard without a lift if you use 4 jack stands. Lay on a piece of cardboard; a creeper will be too tall.
- No leaks here.

Dude, I can't thank you enough! Rather than go through Forge I e-mailed Scorpion Exhausts directly. I'll report back when I have PROPER bolting and use the sealant.

[keitth24]

Are you going to put your secondary cats back in for the MOT testing? I'm still trying to figure out how to pass this test without doing that, unless they do not actually check the exhaust gases

[tdi-bart]

how did it sound muffled before? i think the sports exhaust is perfect sounding, i was hoping to retain the same or similar sound but louder, i definitely don't want any rasp

[RS Pilot]

I'm wondering the same thing as Bart. Has the sound/tone changed? Is it raspy at all? Love the sound from the sport exhaust

[mageus]

What do you guys mean by 'rasp'?

The pipes add more fidelity and crispness. The difference between a 192kbs and 128kbs mp3, or a CD vs average record, DVD vs VHS. You just hear more snaps, crackles, and pops. The best is a little burst you hear when _up_shifting from 1st to 2nd. Is this what you mean by 'rasp'? It gets a little louder, but primarily in sport mode. I don't notice any increase in volume in stock mode.

Also, if smog check needs visual inspection, just swap them out. 20" job max.