Exhaust gasket help needed fast :(
 

I'm getting a Stromung 2.25" catback installed tonight, and I'm having trouble figuring out which gaskets I need. I can find gaskets for the stock RS, but they seem to be 2". I can't find what WRX or STi stock gaskets are. I tried calling Napa, but the guy was really no help.

Any advice on where I can find the gaskets I need?

I got my last set from a subaru stealership

Should I just go with the stock RS gaskets?

Michael Hohl has 'em in stock.

New wrong gaskets are better than old wrong gaskets, but you'll want 2.25" ones to make it work.

Nice choice on exhaust BTW.

How can I find 2.25" gaskets by 6PM? :| Unless stock RS or WRX piping is 2.25"?

Edit - everything I see on rs25.com says to use stock gaskets. . . :?:

Don't bother. Anything downstream of the cat should be fine with high temp RTV. Go pick a tube of that up at any auto parts store, or probably even Walmart.

WRX exhaust is 2.25" and STi is 2.5" ;) Also, RS25.com is not a mecca of mechanical knowledge There are definitely some folks there who know their stuff, but for the most part it's people who don't really know any better about modding.

This is true, it works, but personally I would avoid it (speaking for myself, on my own cars) because I know I'll have exhausts on and off more than once.

When cold, it pops right off, and cleans up with a putty or utility knife. I like the stuff. I have considered using a bit of it behind the crush zones on some of the other higher temp leak prone Subby gaskets, but haven't.

That's true. I'll keep it in mind as a solution for problem exhaust leaks in the future.

Which is why I get most of my technical info from here.*









*And by here I mostly mean Cory :lol:


Edit: that sounds bad. I mean I ask him a lot of questions. Ah whatev. I'm beyond help.

RTV, even the "super-high-atomic-capable" temp stuff, will not survive on anything pre-turbo on a WRX/STi. Hell, even graphite gaskets will vaporize leaving a little steel mesh behind... which will also eventually melt. :lol:

And post-turbo, there isn't enough exhaust pressure for gaskets to be "prone to leaking"... any old properly sized gasket seems to do the trick.

The only thing that works if you're having leaks is a fresh metal ring gasket, and/or solving whatever's out of alignment that's causing the leak.

Or if you're me, just replacing header to up-pipe gaskets on a regular basis after the 1800F EGT temps destroy them.

oops, wrong thread
 

...

Well, I picked up a set of stock RS gaskets from Michael Hohl, figuring that if you can bolt up a Stromung axle-back to a stock mid-pipe, then everything should be about the same size. . .

Everything worked out fine. We even got the spring bolts off without snapping them :lol:

So now I have a Stromung cat-back! It's nice. I love the sound, and the car feels better overall. Good stuff.

After driving Cory's car, I'm pretty convinced I want to replace the intake next.

Oh, I also got a few video clips of the car running without any cat-back on (venting straight from the cat). If anyone's interested in getting a listen, I can post them up tomorrow. :D

I've got the Stromung dual tip and a Weapon R intake and I'm very pleased. The Stromung is by far the best sounding and looking exhaust for an RS. It's also the first exhaust I've tried where I felt an increase in power.

When you mis-match flange sizes, you want to use a gasket for the larger one. The crush-seal edges on your gasket aren't going to seat to the 2.25" side. But, it doesn't really matter. You won't necessarily get a leak from it, it's jus tmore likely than if you had the proper size.