(skip down to The Skinny if you just want the short version…)
THE BACKSTORY
If you came of age in America around the time I did and you were male, then you could not help but be influenced by the culture of the Detroit automobile industry. Cars were rightly meant to rumble and roar and you established at least part of your manhood by your ability to slide under one and find ways to turn an assembly-line car into one that proclaimed its presence aurally and was uniquely yours.
Then the OPEC oil embargo and accompanying emissions requirements arrived, along with the subsequent regulation and complication of automobile engines and ancillary parts and mechanisms, and so this definitive and pronounced era morphed into something a little more underground and even subversive in the face of the requisite need to grow a global conscience. Which, on some level, was fine with me as I was never very gifted at wrenching and my experiences were mostly limited to oil changes, car stereos, and plugs, points & condenser tune-ups of my pre-regulation Volkswagens (never seemed to get ‘em right, by the way).
As I moved into more of a professional life and started buying new cars with warrantees and doing drive-through oil and lubes, part of me was glad to have the pressure of proving my aptitude lifted from my shoulders. But, I always harkened back to my youthful perspective and somehow felt that every new car still needed something to make it a little less safe and a little more dangerous. And, of course, something to make it a little more mine.
So, I put a twin TRD cat-back system on my ’01 Tundra and followed that with a cat-back on my ’04 WRX. I loved the sound on both; however, as one might expect, the Tundra seemed a little more legit in this guise while the WRX always sounded a bit out of place (regardless of performance). My wife hated them both. She just couldn’t understand where I was coming from (basically accusing me of being engaged in a perpetual midlife crisis). Maybe she’s right, but I think it’s a little truer that car culture is not everyone’s culture and I married someone who can appreciate newness and reliability in an automobile and that’s about it.
I’ve written about my driving impressions of the 5th Gen
already. Suffice to say that I’m OK with the shortcomings and think there are some very surprising positives. But, there were indeed times when I felt like I was driving a rental car with its automatic transmission, quiet and smooth operation, and the general feeling of “safeness” that permeates the vehicle. I wanted more danger. So, even though I knew my wife was going to give me grief on several levels (noise, unnecessary expense, overt immaturity, etc.), I bought the Borla. I decided to order it from Crutchfield even though it could be gotten a little cheaper elsewhere because they seemed best suited to deal with problems or even returns if I needed to go that route ($649.00 after an easily found online coupon with free delivery and no tax).
THE INSTALL
The package arrived in a timely manner, despite the disclaimer from Crutchfield that there would be delays due to the special nature of the product. The box contained two pieces, nicely wrapped, one clamp, some stickers, a baseball cap, and absolutely no packing slip or installation directions (they apologized later saying that instructions were moving slower on the “assembly line” than the parts). No big deal as the concept is pretty basic, at least in theory. Although, having had dealerships install my previous cat-backs, I would have jumped at this option if it were possible, as the very idea of swapping-out the muffler and pipes filled me with unease, which I masked with denial and a dangerous false bravado. I should be able to do it, I reasoned, but I knew I might be walking into a hole I could not climb out of.
In anticipation of the install, I bought my first pair of lifts. I am so glad I picked them up as the extra room was great to have, although perhaps not completely necessary. Once under I was happy to see things looked pretty straight forward. I loosened the nuts and everything gave easily enough. Except, and here’s where it turns rough, the two bolts at the flange between the rear pipe and the muffler. The nuts were welded to the flange, so the only way to get the bolts out was to come at them from on top – Meaning you had to apply downward force to free them up. Well, they just wouldn’t budge. I soaked ‘em and worked ‘em and just couldn’t gain headway.
I spent hours on this dilemma. I called Borla. I called Crutchfield. I wanted a magic solution to what was an obvious problem. I removed the entire exhaust system from the hangers and bolts. I tried to jimmy it through the structure. I twisted and turned it. No dice. I was tired. I was hungry. Time was running out and I would have to get things cleaned up for when my wife got home with the kids. I was teased by the fact that I got one bolt loose, but then I stripped the head of the other one and my spirit faded. I was at a crossroads.
I knew that I could put it all back together and repack the Borla and ship it back to Crutchfield and call it an interesting experience. As I could hear my wife’s voice telling me that the whole thing was silly and immature anyway, it seemed like giving up was a good call. But, I started thinking about how I would always wonder if I made the right move or chickened-out; about whether I was “man enough” to work on my own car or some kind of sissy who strips bolts and skulks away with his tail between his legs. I got the hacksaw from the toolbox.
My head was spinning. My muscles ached and were so fatigued from all my contortions and awkward-angled attempts at loosening bolts that I could barely hold up the saw. I started to cut and stopped – aghast at what I was doing. “I’m cutting my new car,” I thought. What if I can’t cut all the way through? What if the Borla doesn’t fit? What if it’s too loud and my wife reams me big time and makes me change it back? There’s no turning back – What kind of fool makes this choice? I started to cut and stopped again. I was woozy and knew I shouldn’t make this decision feeling like I did. I thought about the man I was and the man I wanted to be and if these even had anything to do at all with what I was doing? I cut the pipe.
The cut was simple and quick. The two pieces came out easily. The crossing was made; the bridge burned. There was only forward for me now. I grabbed the muffler section and it slid on to the hangers as it should. The front flange lined up correctly and seemed solid. The rear pipe was a little tougher to position and required a good bit of maneuvering to put it together and get it right. In the end, I had to take it all apart to move the rear-most hanger a notch over to make the exit pipe line up properly. I just didn’t have the strength left to pull the rubber hanger-holders away – I was that gone. But, it all came together in a way that seemed right, so I tightened it all up, pulled off the protective plastic on the outlet and started the engine.
THE RESULT
Nothing exploded. Nothing fell off. Whew! My first impression was that there was no difference from stock. My emotions were mixed: Relief – my wife was not going to kill me for instantly becoming the bane of our subdivision; sadness – all my effort was wasted as there’s no discernable difference. I pulled it out of the driveway and took it for a spin. “Oh, there it is,” I remember thinking. Nice! I gently rumbled through the village and lightly gave it more gas as I left the gates of my community behind (literally and figuratively). It felt instantly great and even slightly improved, performance-wise. I knew I had the exhausted feeling of driving a car after a long hike, or run, or bike ride, or whatever, and how that can make any vehicle seem both amazing responsive and wonderfully serene at the same time, but it did feel like it jumped out there and up the road a little better than before.
In the several days since a few more observations have been made. First, I still love it. Before the install I drove almost exclusively in the sport mode in order to give me more control and feedback, but now I’m content to roll along in “drive” as the feedback from the engine via the exhaust is sufficient. That might seem like a small change, but it means a lot I think. I feel and hear the engine working, which makes me feel closer to really driving the car. This is particularly true when aggressively accelerating onto freeways as I can now hear the engine pulling and the shift points are more obvious based on the sound and feel of how much and how well the engine is working. Yes, it does seem to have a little more pop as it moves up the rev ladder and nears the high point in the curve, but this might just be my projection since I’m more involved in the process. It doesn’t matter to me as a notch more performance wasn’t what I was after anyway; it’s just a bonus if it’s there at all. A nice attribute is that the system seems completely unobtrusive once you are at cruising speed or at standard idle; it only comes to life when you put a little pressure down on the pedal. Still, it’s impossible to “turn it off” when you are driving around town as accelerations are channeled and acknowledged by an increase in rumble.
I took the family out the other evening and so had a chance to get the “wife test.” She graciously let me tell my story of how I “came to Jesus” with the installation and had been withholding comment because she understood on some visceral level that I was not ready to process negative feedback until a few days had elapsed. I tried to drive quietly so as to avoid the requisite overreaction, but it’s pretty apparent that there’s something new attached and she noted she could not only hear it but feel it in her butt as well. I was thankful that it does have moments of seeming to not be there, and (at least for the moment) I think it’s all OK.
So, the bottom line is that I crossed a threshold and survived intact. I love the system, although I can see where there will be moments when I wish I could hide it a little more, but that’s the obvious trade-off for moving in this direction. The unit seems to be built well and the fit is pretty good (see “caveat” below). Overall, it was journey I was glad I took and I think I’m better overall for the experience.
THE (BIG) CAVEAT
After a couple of days driving around, I noticed a distinct yet somewhat hard to define noise coming from underneath the truck. It’s a kind of scraping or rattling noise and mostly seems to present itself when I shift from one driving mode to another (i.e. Drive to Reverse), which would seem to coincide with a change in revs and force on the system. My best guess, since I have not been able to isolate it due to the fact that I can’t get it to “announce” itself while in Park, is that it is the rear heat shield. I talked to the folks at Borla and mentioned that I did crawl under the vehicle and confirmed that I had at least one finger’s clearance all around the rear pipe, but one tech actually suggested it could indeed not be touching yet still resonating via some kind of harmonic distortion; interesting, if at all true.
The noise is bothersome and can be a tad embarrassing, but it’s too infrequent right now to get a handle on and I think I will need to grab a friend and back the truck onto the lifts to try and isolate the area and see what it is and where to go next. Borla seems to want to work with me on the issue, but they are rightfully stymied by my lack of distinct information at this point. They promise to try to help when I give them more info. I will update this post when I know more…
DP
THE SKINNY
I put on the Borla. I had to cut the old pipe to remove it. It went on fine, but I had to change the slotting on the rear hanger to make it set properly at the exit point in the rear valence. I love the sound and it passed the “wife test.” No change at normal idle and at constant speed. It roars nicely when accelerating. Seems like it might be a tad quicker, but it certainly feels peppier when accelerating as it nears its peak in the curve. Either way, it’s loads more fun to drive (even in Drive). There’s some kind of rattling noise coming from underneath, most likely a vibrating heat shield. I’m working on isolating it and solving the problem with Borla’s help.
You should put the skinny first. 
