RevWorks UEL Headers, Nameless Downpipe/Axelback = TONS of Rasp!
 

I got the following setup a couple of weeks ago:
RevWorks UEL Headers
Nameless Downpipe - with Cat and Helmholtz resonator
Nameless Axelback Exhaust 2.5" 5" mufflers

Unfortunately it's just a raspy mess. It's slightly noticeable below 4K RPM, but at 4.5K and up, it's constant, just sounds horrible.

Not sure if anyone else has this setup or not, but I figured I'd give people a heads up that were thinking about this same setup.

Any suggestions on what I can do (if anything) to fix the rasp would be appreciated.

Sell the axleback and buy the 2.5inch Perrin resonated catback. I had a the same setup (jdl instead of rev headers) and the same issues. Sounds much better now. People have had success with the invidia q300 as well.

That's a bummer, I really like the Nameless exhaust. Especially since I got the Blue/Gold tips, looks great on my car.

Do you have any clips of your setup? No rasp at all?

Let me know if you sell either the UEL or the Nameless axleback, I'm in Central FL and interested...

Does anyone have this same setup, but with a different Down/Front pipe and not have rasp? I kind of consider replacing the Axelback as being a "worst case" scenario. Or is any more free flowing Down/Front pipe going to cause this?

Yeah, I really hated selling my nameless setup. I looked into adding resonators, mufflers or getting a catted header but after hearing what a huge difference it made installing the stock muffler, I decided to change out the muffler. I did my research and the quietest catbacks were the q300, greddy sp elite and perrrin. I got the perrin for a nice price from a forum vendor and I'm happy with my choice. I winterized my car before taking any good video of the setup. The rasp is completely gone and the car is almost too quiet (except for cold startup).

If you still have your stock muffler, try it. You will be shocked how quiet the car becomes.

Will do. I think I'll give it a try today after work. This blows! First time having to deal with "rasp" before, and it's absolutely dreadful sounding.

I tried this setup on 3", no helmholtz with a JDL UEL catless header and it was raspy. Only solution is to get more "muffle" in the system, specifically the axleback section. A new catback should take care of it.

The Q300 is ultra quiet.... I'm going to try an N1 to see if it meets my loudness needs without rasp. If not, I'll stay with the Q300 and call it a day. Sounds real nice but is real tame.

Yeah, I'm definitely not looking for something "quiet". I'm pretty happy with the volume of my current setup, although a bit quieter at least at highway speeds would be nice.
@industrial How does the Perrin compare to the Nameless in sound volume?

It's hard to say exactly. If you got to tool around with your nameless setup before the headers, its about that loud. Maybe a ch louder. The tone is completely different though so it's hard to make a comparison. It sounds just like a turbo subaru with a turboback.

I only ran with the Nameless Axelback by itself, not with the downpipe. I watched some videos and it seems "loud enough" for me. So I'm definitely thinking about that route.

The Q300 is also interesting because I like the titanium tips on my WRB (I like the blue/gold better, since I'll be getting gold wheels, but whatever), and it's also a lot cheaper than the Perrin.

Any particular reason why you picked the Perrin over the Q300 setup?

what about the ark grip exhaust paired with the uel? has anyone tried that? figure with how they designed it, t would eliminate alot of the noise and raspiness

Perrin is probably a bit louder, and also somewhat lighter than the Q300 in weight. Either system is almost the same volume wise, but I would put the Perrin resonated slightly ahead volume wise over the Q300, but they are close.

I got the Q300 because the blue titanium tips match Ultramarine. Looks great imo. Perrin is a great choice though for a moderate and tame setup. They do get loud when you get on them though. My cold start is even somewhat loud as well. Very noticeable.

10 pound weight difference and I liked the idea of a v-band for more adjustability.

The nameless setup was funny in that it actually got a little quieter once you installed the resonated & catted midpipe. The resonator really did a good job on that system killing the drone.

Catted midpipe? You mean front pipe?

Thanks guys, I'm pretty sure I'm going to just go the route of buying the Perrin Cat-back.

Err yeah, I meant front/over combo pipe. Make sure to get the resonated version of the exhaust. I think you'll be real happy with the sound.

I may try the Nameless catted downpipe with helmholtz if the drone gets too bad with the N1. I think the loudness is where I want it, but I may need to kill the drone a bit.

I had rasp with the RW uel and unresonated catless Perrin 2.5"

I have to agree the Q300 I just put on with my setup (fa20club long tube, nameless catted helmholtz) is almost as quiet as my single exit varex setup (on the closed position). It's acutally a little quieter in the cabin and a little louder out the back than the varex when closed. I almost wish i had gone for the resonated perrin 2.5 for just a little more volume. However, i currently have two cats, once i go to the nameless header i think the Q300 will be perfect for a daily driver setup.

Okay, here's something odd I noticed when I went to switch back to the stock axelback.

It looks like when the midpipe is attached to the axelback the pipe rests against one of the mufflers. I wonder if this could be what's causing such horrible rasp for me?

I think I might stuff a rag in between it for a few revs, just to see if it helps at all.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/IMG_2047.JPG

Meh, I adjusted it so it wasn't touching, but it's still raspy, so it looks like that wasn't an issue at all.

edit: Actually, I took it out for a drive and it does seem a little bit better (or it's a placebo). I think tomorrow I'm going to stop by the Subaru dealer and pick up a few extra gaskets to space out those pipes a little bit more. I might hook up my Go-Pro and angle it towards that area and see if it's still rattling against it.

Okay, tried adding another gasket, to space out those pipes, and it did add room, but nothing changed about the exhaust note. So it was a red herring.

I'm going to order the Perrin 2.5" Resonated tonight. If this doesn't get rid of the rasp, I'm going to go nuts.

stock cat back with the revworks headers and aftermarket catted front pipe will sound raspy as well. thats what i have now. i ordered the q300. i will let you guys know if it gets better.

If that's the case, the rasp might be coming from the headers themselves, as in, through the metal of the header pipes. Might be worth adding some heat wrap. My header is a different make and coated so there was no strange resonances from the pipes themselves. My car sounded silent with the stock catback on.

That's how my car is with the coated JDL UEL, JDL overpipe, Invidia catted fp, and the Q300. You can hear it pretty well though when I step on it. Pretty tame otherwise, 0 rasp, 0 drone.

Im pretty sure in Orlando or Tampa, there are guys in the group with different exhaust setups and jsut by going to a meet you would be able to listen the differences.

The exhaust rasp does not have to do with metal touching metal, that would be a rattle. Rasp is only induced by having too little muffling/resonators in the exhaust.

Does the rasp not get picked up very well in audio clips??

I've heard several videos of headers and nameless axleback exhaust and only one seemed to sound like ass or 'raspy'

No i can't go listen since more people go to the Texas and cali meets than live in my state lol.

ok Guys i am happy to announce that the rasp on my car is completely gone!
my current setup is: revworks header/plm overpipe/nameless catted front pipe/invidia Q300 cat back
the car sounds amazing! cold starts are a bit loud but not a bit of rasp and now no matter what rpm you press the gas there are no more annoying old car farts. this exhaust is very deep and quiet which was exactly what i was looking for. the car sounds the way it should have come from the factory. nice deep subie rumble with no drone at cruising speeds.

so definately the weak part was the oem catback. it seems its not able to handle the extra flow/different pulsations from the uncatted UEL.

Nice. I ordered the Perrin 2.5" Resonated, so hopefully that gets me rasp-free as well.

This blows. Just put on the Perrin Catback, and guess what, the rasp is STILL there! What the fuck? So now I'm thinking maybe I should just go back to stock front/over/mid pipes and just stick with the RevWorks UEL's and the Nameless Axelback. Which sucks, I really wanted to squeeze out all the performance I can out of this engine.

I don't understand, since I know people have the same setup of Perrin 2.5", RevWorks UEL's, and the Nameless Front/Over with no rasp. Could the Helmholtz somehow be causing rasp? Seems counter-intuitive.

You might of said it, but @industrial said it would, as have others. Also plenty of people said the factory catback with UEL headers/front/over has rasp.

This engine... sucks.

Can someone post a good and clear video on the FA20 engine with rasp. My current setup is a Borla UEL, Motiv OP, Stock Front pipe, Perrin 2.5inch CB resonated. I still don't understand what the rasp sounds like.

Here, this is rasp on my old 3"

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrR42x_MVIs"]JDL UEL catless header + Nameless Full 3" Headerback Exhaust - YouTube[/ame]

Here is my current N1 setup.


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arXr-sJuH1M"]JDL UEL Catless Header + JDL Overpipe + Invidia Catted Fron - YouTube[/ame]


Hear the difference?

how much drone is there with your N1 and UEL setup? I keep going back and forth on what type of exhaust to get and its killing me because i can't seem to decide. I want a louder exhaust, but i don't want drone.

yes big difference. First setup had a very rough, course sound. Not very pleasant. Second i much better. I think having the stock front pipe really kills alot of rasp from the headers. I need to get some decent rolling clips and a stationary one. Just need a decent video camera with a decent mic for SQ.

Thanks for the heads up! I think I'll just get their fp/op (catted and resonated) instead of their axleback, and go with a Q300 or Perrin catback. Still debating on whether to go JDL or NP for the header.

so basically all of you guys are saying nameless the mighty and powerful isnt so much when it comes to noise and headers? remember this peeps when you consider nameless all the way. lesson learned.

Don't did this setup then. Has some drone because of that extremely deep, bass line tone. I don't mind it because the sound is right where I want it. Might be worth trying this with a Nameless DP/OP with a Helmholtz to see if the drone is eliminated.

They still make the best DP/OP on the market as "bang for your buck" with minimal bends and an optional Helmholtz resonator. Their axlebacks just don't have much muffle because they are small mufflers. 3" exhausts just sound bad when they are loud. I've even heard a 3" Perrin resonated that had rasp from a Borla UEL. Beat to just stick to 2.5" until you want a turbo.