So today I had a little time and decided to do remove the intercooler muffler. It took me about an hour, the tubes are a real pain, but all in all it's a pretty straightforward install.

As far as parts, I bought a 2 inch diameter aluminized steel pipe from my local auto parts. Cost = $7.99
(If you are worried about rust, pick up a bottle of high temp paint and give the pipe a few coats inside and out)

For the install I moved the coolant overflow out of the way so that I could access the mounting bracket for the intercooler muffler. I loosened all the hose clamps and then removed it.

I matched the length of the new pipe to the intercooler muffler, tightened everything up, and reinstalled everything. Make sure you double check all hose clamps because you don't want on of the tubes coming loose when you step on the gas.

As far as performance increase, I think it's probably negligible, but you can definitely hear the turbo alot more. This sure as hell beats spending a hundred+ bucks for an aftermarket silicone hose or muffler delete pipe.

 

Looks great. Im always down with hearing more turbo. Might have to try this if I can get to the thing lol

 

i had one of those on my car for 4 months... got kinda bored of it so i upgraded to NMs pipes... :P it's a great way to get a nice cheap muffler delete though..

 

Ya, I'm all about cheap mods. Next up is an intercooler upgrade for <$200.

 

Good luck. the cheaper those get the more cutting is involved lol

 

Ya I'm doing alot of measuring beforehand lol

 

any tips on removing the bolt holding the muffler in place? I spent a few hours trying to get at it from the bottom/top and couldn't remove it. Was trying to use a t25 socket on a 1/4 ratchet.

 

It's the hardest part of the whole install, I got it from the top. It might help to push the coolant hose that is in front of it to the side

 

What tool(s) did you use?

 

I used a stubby 1/4 inch drive ratchet with a torx bit

 

It would be a good idea to use a pipe flange tool to slightly expand the ends of the pipes to ensure a better seal.

 

Ya, any local muffler shop can do it for you in about 10 seconds. I've put 300 miles on the car this weekend without issues, you just have to make sure all the hose clamps are tightened correctly.

 

Details on the intercooler? Ebay core with your own end tanks?

Also, would it be a bad idea to use PVC instead of aluminized steel?
The only thing would be @ 2" Diameter, the wall thickness of the PVC would probably on the thinner side.

 

Considering it is on the hot side of the intercooler, I don't know how well pvc would hold up. If you want to be the guinea pig you could try it and let us know

As far as the intercooler goes, I am going to attempt to install a generic one with little to no cutting involved. People will talk about how they are inferior to more engineered intercoolers, but at the end of the day the differences are pretty negligible in a street driven car. The key is to mount it properly where it can get good airflow and not have a poor fit that looks like ***** behind your grill.

 

anybody know how much piping i should buy? 1 foot seem ok or best to go with 2 and trim down.

Lastly, is it right to assume that everybody has been successful in installing this tube without removing the front bumper?

 

Just watch out for large pressure drops, which would be significant on the street as well. Feel free to take lots of photos, links, etc etc. I'd love to go about a fleabay core to mount up.

 

You will only need 8 inches of pipe, and no, you do not have to remove the front bumper, you only need to move the coolant reservoir out of the way

 

gave up... That bolt is nearly impossible to get out without the proper tools (which i do not have)

 

interesting mod..

how did the sound of teh car change after u did it?

 

It's kind of hard to describe, and since I have an intake as well it might be more pronounced. If you can imagine, it sounds sort of like a bottle pressurizing when you hit the gas, and then you hear the BPV when you get off the throttle

 

hmm i'd like to give this a try!

Here's NM's installation instructions for replacing that pipe
http://www.nm-eng.com/images/488856_ins.pdf

 

does anyone think that their will be and reall diffrence between this vs. alta, m7, or nm in performance? seams like thats all nm did was put a pipe inbetween the hoses?

 

i got a mini mania one and didnt notice any peformance but it hisses alot more when your on the gas with the windows down.

 

I'd check for leaks if I were you. You can bead the pipe ends with JB weld or Epoxy. Just put 2 peices of tape with about 3/16" gap between and put a bead around at each end. Remove the tape before it sets too much. If you have any lumps just file them smooth once it dries.

 

Nice, god job I just changed mine today for the M7 one.

Hell yeah that lil screw is a bish to get to.

Hey OP have you thought of doing this to the cool side to delete the sound chamber?