Stebro test pipes - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

yellowboxster01 · 01-19-2008, 08:09 PM

I ordered some test pipe/2ndary cat deletes a while back and forgot I ordered them. I had them delivered to my parents house in case anyone had to sign for them while I was at work. My mom called me on Friday and said there had been 3 messages on their answering machine from a company that had a package for me. She didn't know the name of the company but, said it came from Canada so, then it dawned on me that I had in fact ordered them and that was the package. After work I went and picked them up and never did get a straight answer as to why they weren't delivered to the house.

Paid $330 for them shipped. Nice looking pieces, exactly like the Fabspeed pipes at a fraction of the cost. I will take pictures of the install. I was going to install them in the garage today but, all my tools were at work and I decided a lift will be my friend in this install. So, come Monday or possibly tomorrow if anyone is at the shop, I'll install them. I already have the Stebro Race muffler so, these should compliment it nicely.

I'll take some video of the car before and after the install for a sound comparison.

blinkwatt · 01-19-2008, 09:55 PM

Any pics of the set up?

YKS 971 · 01-19-2008, 11:50 PM

I was considering the Stebro catback exhaust. Do have any feedback on that?
Thanks.

jmatta · 01-20-2008, 05:07 AM

I'll be curious to see/hear about your installation. I recently purchased a pair of Fabspeed bypass pipes and plan to instal once winter lets go of Chicagoland (months). The pipes were slightly used and missing some hardware, but the price was right. I have a sport muffler, but hope to achieve even a bit more sound and who needs a second set of cats anyway?

yellowboxster01 · 01-20-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blinkwatt

Any pics of the set up?

Only difference in these and the Fabspeed pipes is Stebro's are not polished. I had the Fabspeed pipes before I got a new muffler. Had a local Porsche guy offer me more than I paid new so, I sold them. I could care less if they're polished or raw as, they're going under the car. Oh and the gaskets were $3 each.

djomlas · 01-20-2008, 10:09 AM

interesting, looking at them, cant that be made at a local muffler shop for under $30 and velded up? i mean, its just a pipe

tholyoak · 01-20-2008, 12:33 PM

I see a couple of issues with these.

A) they look simply like aluminized pipe, not stainless,
B) the bends also do not apper to be mandrel bent, and thus the ID tapers down at the bends

thus like djomlas states, they could be fabbed up for about $30 by any muffler shop.

Todd

yellowboxster01 · 01-20-2008, 04:05 PM

Somebody go have them fabbed up at a muffler shop and post pictures. I'm fairly certain these are mandrel bent but, I'll contact Stebro and make sure.

djomlas · 01-20-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowboxster01

Somebody go have them fabbed up at a muffler shop and post pictures. I'm fairly certain these are mandrel bent but, I'll contact Stebro and make sure.

you can actually see in the pics where they were bent man, were not trying to diss you or anything.

Kirk · 01-20-2008, 08:52 PM

I'm with you guys, you can see where they are bent and the diameter changes. I really doubt they were mandrel bent.

A few years back I had a muffler shop make a straight pipe replacement for the muffler on my Subaru WRX. With the turbo on that car and two cats you really didn't need the muffler for volume control. The straight pipe I had made looked almost exactly like these Stebro pipes. Same material and same kind of bends. I think I paid about $70 for my straight pipe. So I think you're dreaming with the $30 estimate, unless you've got a friend in the business. I don't want to guess how much it would cost, but I don't think it would be that cheap. Still I'd opt to go that route as there's no question you'd still save over the cost from Stebro.

Kirk

Gary in BR · 01-20-2008, 10:06 PM

Stick the pipes on already I want to hear them!!!

yellowboxster01 · 01-21-2008, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djomlas

you can actually see in the pics where they were bent man, were not trying to diss you or anything.

I know, I'm just curious to see what they'd look like and how much they'd cost to have them done at a muffler shop.

I'm installing them today, after work. Look out!

chaudanova · 01-23-2008, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowboxster01

I know, I'm just curious to see what they'd look like and how much they'd cost to have them done at a muffler shop.

I'm installing them today, after work. Look out!

So, how did this turn out? Any sound clips and driving impressions?

porsche986spyder · 01-24-2008, 06:56 AM

With no O2 bung wholes for the sensors I hope you plan on keeping the cats at least in the headers on. Otherwise you will get your cells to come on and stay on. Or you can do vice versa, delete the ones on the headers and keep the ones on the secondary down pipes. Either way, you can only delete one set(pair) with out any problems but not bot sets(all four). Not to mention the problems you would have with passing emissions. The real question here is which set of cat deletes gives you more power, the ones located in the headers, or the secondary ones? Any one know? I would bet deleting the ones in the headers would be more to benefit from.

Kirk · 01-24-2008, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche986spyder

The real question here is which set of cat deletes gives you more power, the ones located in the headers, or the secondary ones? Any one know? I would bet deleting the ones in the headers would be more to benefit from.

I believe you are correct on the cars with four cats total that you'd probably get more benefit from removing the header cats. They're not much of a straight-through type of design and the aftermarket headers just look so freakin' sexy with all of those curves!

Still I think that in a four cat system you'd have a LOT more headaches with removing the header cats. I've been awfully tempted buy the cheap eBay headers and so have researched this a bit, even crawling under my car tonight. On my 2000 S there are four cats and four O2 sensors. All of the O2 sensors are on the headers. For my car I'd leave the headers alone. Even if there is more to be gained there in power, there is also a potential for a LOT more headaches. I've read a lot of mixed reviews about going to just two O2 sensors. You may get CELs and rough running, or you may not...

The test pipe or mid pipe is SO MUCH easier. No O2 sensors. No worries about the car reading funky O2 and adjusting your timing or something else. No CELs. Easier install and removal for smog testing. Blah, blah, blah...

I'm going to add some test pipes to my wish list. But I think I'm going to go the custom route - not to save money, but to install some nasty by-pass valves to give my quiet Gemballa muffler a little more balls.

porsche986spyder · 01-25-2008, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk

No O2 sensors. No worries about the car reading funky O2 and adjusting your timing or something else. No CELs.

I think you may need to crawl back under your car. There are indeed 2 O2 sensors on the down pipes because they have the 2nd set of cats on them. The early 97-99 only have one set of cats.

Kirk · 01-25-2008, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by porsche986spyder

I think you may need to crawl back under your car. There are indeed 2 O2 sensors on the down pipes because they have the 2nd set of cats on them. The early 97-99 only have one set of cats.

It's really funny that you should mention that - the O2 sensors in the mid-pipes, down pipes, whatever you want to call them. I had looked up the drawing for the exhaust from the Porsche parts list and noted that it shows four O2 sensors per side, eight total. I even made some comments about that in my post yesterday, but decided to take them out before posting. So when I got under my car last night to look things over I very specifically looked for the two O2 sensors on each down pipe. I don't have them... count me lucky maybe.

This is on a 2000 Boxster S. Attached is the diagram from the Porsche parts list. The down pipe O2 sensors are #25 in this diagram.

I wonder what's going on here... I even ran my hand over the down pipes in case I couldn't see the O2 sensors. No wires, no bungs, nothing... I wonder if that's not something they added in a later model year.

porsche986spyder · 01-25-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirk

I wonder what's going on here... I even ran my hand over the down pipes in case I couldn't see the O2 sensors. No wires, no bungs, nothing... I wonder if that's not something they added in a later model year.

Thanks for posting that image. I started a new thread to try and clear this subject up. I'm going to highlight the bung wholes with sensors in red. Maybe the model year is actually 97-00 and not 97-99 for the single set of cats. You would still have sensors right after the headers and inside the cats before the muffler. Look at my picture in the new thread I started.

SeattleBoxers · 01-26-2008, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yellowboxster01

I'm installing them today, after work. Look out!

How did the install go? Was everything a simple bolt in with no mods?

I'm considering ordering a pair for myself, but want to get your opinion first.

Any chance of posting a video/sound clip?

yellowboxster01 · 01-26-2008, 02:58 PM

I'll post a video when I get them on. I tried last Saturday and this Saturday to install them at the shop and no one has been there to let me in. So, I bought an air compressor with an impact and the one impact socket I needed. I'm doing the install in the garage tomorrow afternoon.

I did take some video on the highway this morning of just the Race muffler, I'll see if any are good.