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DIY: Stock 2.5 Exhaust to Stock GTI Exhaust

Krautmobile

Ready to race!
So I had been looking around for a good DIY for swapping a Stock GTI exhaust in place of the Stock 2.5 exhaust. I couldn't really find what I was looking for, but only found more general swaps, or swaps on TDIs, which are pretty similar. Regardless... I did the swap, and decided to throw together a short DIY. So enjoy! Cheers! :thumbsup:


Parts required:

  • Stock GTI Catback. I got mine used for $50.
  • 1x P/N: 1K0253141N Exhaust Clamp. I got mine for $23.09 on Parts.com OEM beats aftermarket on this one big time.
  • 1x P/N: 5K6807521H9B9 Exhaust Valance. I got mine for $119.07 on Parts.com. It was OEM as well.
  • 1x P/N: 5K6807441C9B9 Tow hook cover for the valance. $9.20 on Parts.com.
  • 1x ROL P/N 548634 24"x 2-1/4" ID Tailpipe. Got this from Oreilly for around $7.
  • 1x Exhaust expander for the above pipe. Oreilly rented me one for free.
So the whole project cost me about $210. Not bad at all. It is a looks project mostly, as the performance gain will be almost nothing. The sound is a little different. Under load, at around 2.5k RPMS the sound is nice and low if you have the windows down, but other than that it sounds the same. It does however give you the much better looking valance and dual pipe setup. :w00t:


Step 1 - get the car off of the ground. You can use a jack and jackstand method, ramps, or a lift if you're lucky. I just had some rhino ramps, and while the working space was cramped on my 24"FTG car, it was still very doable.





Step 2 - Remove the 2.5L exhaust. This is a simple task. Under the center of the car, there is a single clamp behind the catalytic converter right about underneath the arm rest. There are two nuts on it. Undo them.



Step 3 - undo the support bracket right behind that clamp. Below is a picture of what it looks like. It will get in the way of the removal of the exhaust if you leave it there.






Step 4 - Undo the exhaust from its exhaust hangers. You will see the exhaust hangs on to the car from 5 rubber exhaust hangers such as the one below. You will want to lube these with WD40 to aid in removal. I found the best way was using a pair of vice grips to push the peg out of the hanger. They are a little bit difficult, but they go back in much easier then they come out.






Step 5 - Now that the exhaust is removed from the car, you should be looking at something like this.






Step 6 - Expanding the Oreilly pipe... The Oreilly pipe comes pre flared on one end and should be the same size as the exhaust pipes on the car. The other side of the oreilly pipe is too small, and needs to be flared out with the expander to be able to properly mate with the pipes on the car and work with the butt-type exhaust clamp. Note that with Butt-type exhaust clamps you only butt the pipes together and clamp them, you do not put one pipe inside of another. Below are some caliper dimensions of all of the pipes. First ID and OD of stock 2.5 exhaust, then ID and OD of GTI exhaust. They are practically identical. This is against some of the info I got on other DIYs.




ID 2.5 Exhaust



OD 2.5 exhaust



ID GTI exhaust



OD GTI exhaust.





The two exhausts side by side. GTI on the left. (Gig em Aggies)



How the pipe will make of the the extra resonator on the 2.5 exhaust.


Step 6 - Remove the 2.5 exhaust valance. There are two screws, and a bunch of snaps holding on the valance. Undo the two screws, and push on all the snaps from the rear of the bumper to remove it.




The two screws.



Removed valance.





Step 7 - Now that the oreilly pipe is the same OD on both sides, it will fit exactly in between the 2.5 Cat sill on the car, and the inlet on the GTI exhaust. So install will be inverse of the uninstall.



Step 8 - Hang the GTI exhaust on the 5 same hangers that the 2.5 exhaust came out of.



Step 9 - Slide the original 2.5 clamp, and the new clamp you bought onto the oreilly pipe, slide the pipe in between the gap between the two exhaust systems, and then tighten the clamps over the joints. If you expanded the pipe correctly there should be no play in the pipes, and thus no leaks.



Step 10 - Install your new GTI valance in the reverse of the removal of the 2.5. Note the GTI valance has 4 screws instead of 4. I had a few extra VW screws laying around, so im not sure on the PN for these. Just the standard T20 black torx screws. 2 in the original locations, 2 on the very outsides of the valance.



Step 11 - Fire her up and walk away from your beautiful little car with a big smile on your face. :w00t:





 
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