This is a common concern but it really shouldn't be. Even if all of the interior coating failed in a very short order, it would blow right through the turbine without the turbo ever knowing about it. Most people don't realize the amount of crap that blows through the turbine on a regular basis as-is... mostly carbon and even chunks & flakes of carbon that break off of your exhaust parts and off of your valves/pistons/etc. Also water and oil regularly and then anything that makes it through your intake and through the combustion process, which is usually like little bits of sand and whatnot.

Anyway, if it stays suspended in the exhaust gas, it is going to blow right through the turbine without even touching the wheels. The coating essentially does not bond to itself, but only bonds to the metal. So if any fails, it turns into little more than a very fine dust (whereas a coating that bonds to itself could come off in larger chunks... which actually would also likely not be a problem as long as it's not too dense) and that is what will be in your exhaust and blowing through the turbine.

The things that are capable of damaging your turbo when they go through your exhaust are dense objects. Typically this means pieces of metal. Because of their density, they don't actually blow through the turbine. They get stuck in the cup of the turbine wheel's blades from the centripetal force and then the weight of the object affects the balance of the turbo. Usually this actually makes the compressor blades touch the compressor housing, and they get ruined. The turbine blades are pretty thick and they're high grade steel or Inconel so it's actually not very easy to hurt the things. Plus the design of them (not much more than a plain paddle shape) allows most objects to pass right through without even touching.

In contrast, the compressor blades are significantly thinner and are aluminum, which is much softer. They're much easier to damage because of this. AND.... because of their extremely cupped design and their function of compressing the air, an object getting sucked through the intake is much more likely to get caught in the wheel and cause damage.







Yeah, we get a lot of STI and 06+ WRX owners e-mailing about our uppipes and typically I suggest they put the $$$ elsewhere in the car.... the stock uppipe is *okay* and the cost and huge hassle of swapping for an aftermarket one isn't worth it for most people. Yes, because of the significantly smoother internal design and smoother bends, it's normal to see ~5-8 whp gains on a stock turbo STI from swapping to a decent aftermarket uppipe. For me, that wouldn't be worth a couple hundred bucks + the labor to change it out. BUT.... if I were doing an upgraded turbo or wanted to get the most out of whatever my setup was, it would definitely be on the list of things to do along w/ our P&P&C manifold elbows and some great tuning and all of the little small things you can do... But obviously if the OEM uppipe has a problem (and there are a lot that crack in the flex section, and they're notorious for a rattling heat shield that tricks your knock sensor into pulling timing :lol: ) then it's time to go aftermarket.


Jeremy

Yes, it's NOT a quiet catback :). Definitely not the loudest on the market, but it's loud.

We can do a great package for you with the Vibrant Street catback if you'd like. I've become a really big fan of them over the past few months. REALLY nice quality and fitment, OEM-like dual tip styling. 100% straight through & full 3". Great price. AND.... very subdued in volume. Equivalent to Borla Hush and also very nice, deep, and clean-toned.

LINK TO VIBRANT SITE... it's normally $100 off that MSRP from us and if you're doing it as a package w/ a downpipe setup, even more :p...

Jeremy

I will look into that. I know that my wrx was loud becuase I just drove home my new sti from sac and now have a basis for comparison. In the all stock sti I can't even hear my engine or exhaust over the road noise when I am WOT (the bad california roads). I am looking for something that is not as quiet as a hush, not as loud as the tanabe race I had previously. I know there is a happy middle there somewhere and I need to find it.

I am pretty sold on your dp after doing all the research and reading lots of reviews. I like getting things grouped all from one place because I know they will all work together correctly which is why I like your tbe. The only clip I have seen of the crucial is on your page and as you said it is in a shop and between warehouses making it sound louder. I do like the tone but might be looking for something slightly lower in db which is why I was waiting for a clip of the catted version. Hell a clip of a few cars running stock and various aftermarket exhaust back to back with yours would be money but I don't expect you to make personalized video clips for me :lol:

I like the advice on the upipe. I do think about a turbo change down the line so that would be a better time to pick one up.

and yes I am super anal about everything I buy for my car to those of you who are annoyed by my ramblings :(

Just in case you didn't notice, the CBE "comes with a black in-tip silencer for those times you need the exhaust extra quiet."

I am annoyed that you have not updated your profile. ;)

We'll get it done! Most of the time even good highflow cats still work quite effectively as resonators so it might quiet the exhaust down pretty well. When we tested these cats out it was before this catback was finished, so I actually haven't even heard this exhaust with the cat in it myself. There are a few customers out there already running the full TBE w/ cat so hopefully we'll get some clips rolling in from them as well... BUT... not worries, we'll do one ourselves so it's more of a direct comparison from the same video camera w/ the same settings, etc...

Jeremy

http://www.turbomagazine.com/tech/02...lts/index.html

If I go by this cool little test, my tanabe was louder then a blitz, 107db :eek:

Holy cow that's loud! I'm pretty sure ours is quieter than that, then. HKS Hi-Power rates quieter in that article and ours definitely isn't louder (at least subjectively) than the HKS.

All I am hearing are good things so far. Any progress on catted system in and out of car video clips? Not trying to be a dick, just have some cash burning a hole in my pocket! :grin:

here is a clip of my old wrx for shits and giggles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQHZhdUsAr8