Different test pipes

[Frequentflyer]

Originally Posted by wassup61 About 2 inches to short and not worth it. Jeff at PG

That's what she said!

[karl-hungus]

i bought a speedaction test pipe off fleabay for $140 (buy now / free shipping). they have a 100% feedback rating on 524 transactions. i searched the mazdaspeed transaction feedback comments and none had fitment issues. a few buyers complained about fitment for other vehicles but none was a mazda.

again, this thing looks exactly like streetunit's test pipe. also, they sell what appears to be a cobb dp for $339. i'll report back after the install.

eBay Motors: Testpipe Test Pipe Mazdaspeed 3 MS3 Turbo Mazda Speed 3 (item 150327752311 end time Apr-19-09 1905 PDT)

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

Nice find let us know about the quality

[karl-hungus]

i pinged a couple of guys on ebay for feedback regarding the speedaction test pipe. one bubba hadn't installed his yet, but the other said this...

It was a perfect fit. Seller includes a new donut washer and hardware. I did reuse the factory bolts from the downpipe and used two different sizes of washers as spacers. Install took me 15 minutes on a carlift.

speedaction shipped mine out the same day i ordered it (yesterday). i'll let everyone know how the install goes next week and take pics.

[fred114]

That ebay thing looks like a SU knock off. Support em if you want, I wouldn't.

I have the SU pipe for a while. Perfect fit. Already had the MS cat back and the SU pipe brought that to life. Cars sounds great, power is smooth. Love it

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by pat bateman i bought a speedaction test pipe off fleabay for $140 (buy now / free shipping). they have a 100% feedback rating on 524 transactions. i searched the mazdaspeed transaction feedback comments and none had fitment issues. a few buyers complained about fitment for other vehicles but none was a mazda. again, this thing looks exactly like streetunit's test pipe. also, they sell what appears to be a cobb dp for $339. i'll report back after the install. eBay Motors: Testpipe Test Pipe Mazdaspeed 3 MS3 Turbo Mazda Speed 3 (item 150327752311 end time Apr-19-09 1905 PDT)

i installed the speedaction test pipe tonight and it doesn't leak. didn't bother taking pictures as the test pipe appears exactly as depicted on ebay (see above link) and their website (Welcome To Speedaction Motorsports, Inc.). pipe also came with the cbe side nuts/bolts and gasket.

again, i don't know if this piece comes from the same company that manufactures the su tp or not, but it sure as hell appears to be identical. $140 on ebay and $170 on their website.

[MadOzodi]

Originally Posted by pat bateman ...also, they sell what appears to be a cobb dp for $339...

Cobb DP has the flex joint on the engine side of the hangers. But I gotta say, that Speedaction pipe looks mighty tempting.

[Crossbow]

has anyone seen the speedaction tp? it looks identical to street unit's but sells for $170... Testpipe Mazdaspeed 3 Turbo

This is a company that is ripping off other manufacturers in the market place. If you care anything about the community, don't order from them.

Basically they're buying and copying designs, then farming them out to cheap labor to cut costs, then undersell the original creators of the product.

I posted about this in another thread on one of their ebay sellers. Basically you're telling SU to fuck off when you buy speedactions testpipes...there is a reason why their pipe looks exactly like SU's...they copied it. Guess where they got their DP design from? Take a close look, then go over to CP-E's website and compare. It's pretty fucked up =/.

If you work in any type of content or creation industry, you know how it feels when someone takes your hard work, copies it, then undercuts you, and sells it in such a way that it's nearly impossible to take legal action against them, without incurring thousands of dollars in legal fees.

So the end user is left with a choice. They can either save money by going with a company that stole another companies work, thus taking money away from the manufacturer who spent R+D on that component. Or they can purchase the original from the creator, giving them more incentive to create new products for the community.

Support the community by supporting the source of mods and manufacturing. If you don't, the creators will stop creating .

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by pat bateman was actually hoping for su mark to confirm whether speedaction has copied his test pipe since his fits the best based on forum feedback. jeff, let me know when pg's corksport and sls test pipes fit as well as su's (i.e. no leak videos). i have had wonderful buying experiences from both you guys (su & pg), but (a) i'm not going to overpay and (2) i'm not buying something that doesn't fit.

settle down, crossbow. i asked su to comment on this piece over a week ago and got nothing besides pg saying it wouldn't fit (lie). i buy from pg and su, but i'll be damned to overpay. guess we should all be driving fords since they invented the model t under your logic.

i doubt su is smithing these out back. i bet they sourced it from somebody else and proceeded to mark (no pun intended) it up to $200. looks like speedaction is doing a ton of copying based on their extensive catalog.

more competition = lower prices.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

That all aside .. I just installed my CPe rear mount and the SU Testpipe at the same time ... and DAMN this thing feels like a different car, feels like more power and not just that .. more power thats getting to the ground. I love my car again

[AmillieMS6]

Originally Posted by pat bateman was actually hoping for su mark to confirm whether speedaction has copied his test pipe since his fits the best based on forum feedback. jeff, let me know when pg's corksport and sls test pipes fit as well as su's (i.e. no leak videos). i have had wonderful buying experiences from both you guys (su & pg), but (a) i'm not going to overpay and (2) i'm not buying something that doesn't fit.

+1

Originally Posted by pat bateman i bought a speedaction test pipe off fleabay for $140 (buy now / free shipping). they have a 100% feedback rating on 524 transactions. i searched the mazdaspeed transaction feedback comments and none had fitment issues. a few buyers complained about fitment for other vehicles but none was a mazda. again, this thing looks exactly like streetunit's test pipe. also, they sell what appears to be a cobb dp for $339. i'll report back after the install. eBay Motors: Testpipe Test Pipe Mazdaspeed 3 MS3 Turbo Mazda Speed 3 (item 150327752311 end time Apr-19-09 1905 PDT)

Not flaming on you or anything

but

1.) why would i buy something from ebay when i can get it from Su/Pg or watever else and trust them instead

and

2.) last time i check su test pipe is 129$ and PG SLS TP is $90

So i think it be better to get it from them knowing that it has a good rating by fellow MSF members and its cheaper.

just my .02

Once again im not flaming or anything

Originally Posted by Frequentflyer That's what she said!

lmfaooooooooooooooo

[AmillieMS6]

Testpipe Mazdaspeed 6 Turbo

i love it how the MS6 TP is only $120

hahaha

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by AmillieMS6 Testpipe Mazdaspeed 6 Turbo i love it how the MS6 TP is only $120 hahaha

i trust su and 9 bucks probably wouldn't have been worth it to stray (ms6 tp is $120 on ebay too). however, $59 savings on the ms3 tp was enough for me to take the nestea plunge. donate your savings to haltech if you feel guilty about letting down the community by giving business to someone besides pg or su.

[iracer7]

How about the Corksport TBE? Only around $850 and looks pretty nice.

[mac823]

Originally Posted by AmillieMS6 +1 Not flaming on you or anything but 1.) why would i buy something from ebay when i can get it from Su/Pg or watever else and trust them instead and 2.) last time i check su test pipe is 129$ and PG SLS TP is $90 So i think it be better to get it from them knowing that it has a good rating by fellow MSF members and its cheaper. just my .02 Once again im not flaming or anything lmfaooooooooooooooo

Kk I may look like an idiot...but where is it 129? I just looked on their website and it said 199. Not saying youre wrong, just wanna know if it's the actual price

[Frequentflyer]

I wouldn't want to pay any more than $150 for a test pipe. When you can buy a whole cat-back exhaust for $449 (Corksport), I find it hard to pay $200 for a pipe that is less than 3' long and barely any bend to it. Just my opinion.

[AmillieMS6]

Originally Posted by mac823 Kk I may look like an idiot...but where is it 129? I just looked on their website and it said 199. Not saying youre wrong, just wanna know if it's the actual price

im really really sorry man. i didnt notice this was the ms3 section..... i was talkin about the ms6 TP im really sorry lol


FML

:friday:

[mac823]

Originally Posted by AmillieMS6 im really really sorry man. i didnt notice this was the ms3 section..... i was talkin about the ms6 TP im really sorry lol FML :friday:

Awweee man you're such a tease! More like FML cuz I got all excited. haha

[Crossbow]

guess we should all be driving fords since they invented the model t under your logic.

The model T was the first "affordable" car. It wasn't the ONLY car. And besides, we ARE driving fords. lol.

more competition = lower prices.

It's not competition, it's robbery.

This company didn't design anything, they STOLE another companies design, farmed out the labor to the cheapest place they could find, went with a cheaper supplier of material, and then undercut the original company.

Competition would have been if this company merely designed their own bolt-on's. But they didn't.

I work in the content creation industry, and I've had my work stolen before. Those people are the scum of the earth, and no one should support them. That would be my 2 cents, except someone stole it. You can do what you want to save a few bucks, but I'm still going to post in every one of these threads talking about cheap ebay/crap copies of SU/PG/CP-E products.

[karl-hungus]

crossbow, i hear you loud and clear on content theft. however, we have no idea who really manufactures this pipe. su branded it, but i doubt they make it. the one i have is a quality piece that fits.

it's okay to buy mt-90 or denso plugs on ebay, but not a testpipe?

arbitrage - the practice of taking advantage of a price differential between two or more companies.

[Crossbow]

it's okay to buy mt-90 or denso plugs on ebay, but not a testpipe?

If the company was selling the SU pipe at a discount...that would be fine. SU would still be getting money, as they'd be buying the SU at wholesale, and reselling it. When you buy MT-90 or Denso plugs on ebay, Redline and Denso are still getting some money.

What they're doing is stealing the design that SU (or the company that SU paid to do the design), and reselling it as their own. Thus SU gets no money whatsoever for the design they created or paid for.

Here is an example.

You create a product, lets say it's a self sucking straw. That's right, a straw that requires little or no effort to move fluid through it! It costs you 10,000 dollars in research and development, and to produce the first batch of straws. You decide to sell each straw for 5 dollars, because they're dishwasher safe, and will last forever.

A chinese company purchases your self-sucking straw, copies the design in no time at all, figures out they can make it cheaper by using thinner plastics, and puts it on the market, and sells it for 2 dollars.

Now suddenly nobody wants to buy your product, when they can get a product that looks and feels similar in function, for less price.

Now you're out 10,000 dollars, plus your inital investment...totally fucked. But here's the kicker. You're not the only one who gets screwed.

Because the company cut costs to make the copy of your product...now the straw doesn't last forever. It runs out of power, or it cracks in the dishwasher...etc.

The same thing happens in the car aftermarket...especially when piping is concerned. The easiest and fastest way to cut costs in terms of exhaust piping, is to cut labor and material costs. Going with thinner gauge steel, and using less experienced labor to weld. This results in metal that can fatigue over time, and welds which don't have the same consistency and penetration that they would with a robotic welder, or an experienced professional. Of course these cost saving measures never show up when you get the product, they show up a few thousand miles down the road.

Why? Because it's really easy to make things look shiny, not so easy to make them durable and strong for a low low cost.

[cxz]

Get the COBB Downpipe. It's awesome!! Install was easy, except for removing the stocker but otherwise just remember to get the new gaskets.

[GQ_WhiteMS3]

Meh .. I work in an industry where this happens ... it's called competition, it happens... markets get bastardized yes, but what are you going to do.

If it's such a revolutionary design, then copyrights exist, but lets be honest, it's a 28" piece of pipe with flanges welded on. I had a shop put mine on cuz I'm lazy and the guy owed me a favor, and when I gave him the part to put on (yes I bought the SU pipe, because I'd rather buy from a company then an ebay auction) he asked why I'd BUY that part and not have just had him make it up in the shop for 20 bux.

[AmillieMS6]

Originally Posted by AmillieMS6 im really really sorry man. i didnt notice this was the ms3 section..... i was talkin about the ms6 TP im really sorry lol FML :friday:

hahahaha

my baddd

FYL ( Fuck your life)

hahahaha

[Frequentflyer]

What design are we talking about? The idea of a test pipe is not something of rocket science. It's just a piece of steel with two flanges on either end with one, not even 45 degree bend in it. I can go to my local Midas and have them fab me up a test pipe. Granted, it wouldn't be T304 or mandrel bent, but to say someone "stole" the design is stretching it a bit. Did Corksport steal the design also? Who is the founder of the test pipe? If this were an innovative part for the MS3 that noone else in the world thought of, I could get your point, but test pipes have been used in many cars for years. I don't however discount the possibility that this cheaper pipe is made from shittier materials. That could very well be the case.

[karl-hungus]

the quality on the speedaction tp appeared identical to su's. it's 304 stainless and there were no weld slags on either end. included bolts and gaskets were the right size too.

i'd bet my trz tranny mount that they're identical (speedaction and su have the same supplier). the pics on their website and ebay are exactly how it looks in real life.

you can buy it from their website for $170 if you don't like ebay or "buy now" from ebay for $140.

[Frequentflyer]

Their downpipe looks pretty nice also.

eBay Motors: Downpipe Exhaust Mazdaspeed 3 Turbo MS3 Mazda Speed 3 (item 110359724245 end time May-03-09 14:56:30 PDT)

[karl-hungus]

$320 for the dp on ebay.

they also sell a wastegate dump pipe ($35 on ebay). i don't know what the gain is for this piece, but maybe they built a time machine and stole the wastegate dump pipe from su before they had a chance to release it?

Mazdaspeed 3 Turbo

[ptperformance]

Originally Posted by SharkDiver Im not so sure about that...Lots of people think these turbos need some back pressure and if you have no cats you have no back pressure or not enough.I dont think anyone has any hard core evidence on what is making the turbos smoke tho.

Sorry but that is just to funny. The turbos smoke because of oil control and PCV issues, I am working on it right now and might have a fix here shortly. If you have even seen a turbo torn down you would be suprised with the seal design on the turbine shaft. Not only that but trust me, there is back pressure in the stock housing, around 4 psi at 3000 RPM no boost, and close to 18 psi under full boost applications. There is pleanty of pressure in there if it needed it. Trust me, get a full downpipe, you will never look back and the power levels are very much worth the added noise from the DP.

[jeff4880]

Does the speed 6 have any turbo smoking issues?

[94jedi]

Originally Posted by ptperformance Sorry but that is just to funny. The turbos smoke because of oil control and PCV issues, I am working on it right now and might have a fix here shortly. If you have even seen a turbo torn down you would be suprised with the seal design on the turbine shaft. Not only that but trust me, there is back pressure in the stock housing, around 4 psi at 3000 RPM no boost, and close to 18 psi under full boost applications. There is pleanty of pressure in there if it needed it. Trust me, get a full downpipe, you will never look back and the power levels are very much worth the added noise from the DP.

exactly, the turbine itself provides all the back pressure you'll ever need.

[jeff4880]

I'm still wondering if other cars that use the same turbo have the same smoking problem?

[Frequentflyer]

Here are a few closeup pics of the Speedaction testpipe. UPS dropped it off today. Overall, the quality looks very good. I've got no complaints, yet. Don't know when I'll get around to installing it.

[Frequentflyer]

I believe several of the VW products use the same turbo, or at least a derivative.

[jeff4880]

Do any of the VW products have smoking issues?

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by Frequentflyer Here are a few closeup pics of the Speedaction testpipe. UPS dropped it off today. Overall, the quality looks very good. I've got no complaints, yet. Don't know when I'll get around to installing it.

that's what mine looked like too. again, i can't tell a difference between speedaction's and su's.

have fun w/ the install! i'm a wussy - no way i could do a dp.

[Frequentflyer]

Just got my test pipe in yesterday. It was an easy install except for getting the old gasket off and the new one on. The gasket supplied with the pipe was too small to fit over the downpipe, so I had to spend some time trimming lead off of it enough to stay in place. Then I was able to tighten the pipe down, squeezing the gasket onto the downpipe further. After startup, I reved the motor up and it shot a ring of lead out of the tailpipe that got trimmed away as I tightened the pipe down. LOL There were no fitment issues though. It fit perfectly with no leaks thus far.

The exhaust sounds a lot more throaty. It's actually enough to vibrate the car a little bit more. At idle, it's got a little bit more gurgle to it. Sounds good actually. I've got about 120 miles on the car since I put it on and I have to say that the power gain is quite noticable, especially low to mid range. It was a bit wet here today and I was able to break the tires loose in 3rd gear from about 2500-3000 RPM enough to cause wheel hop, which is not something I was able to do before. I would estimate a solid 10-15whp in the midrange. Not quite as significant of a gain as adding an intake, but very noticable. Overall, I'd have to say for the price, the test pipe is my 2nd best bang for the buck power mod after an intake for this car. If you're only interested in light bolt-ons, this should be one of them.

[Postulio4joo]

Does anyone have problems with the turboxs race pipe? im thinking about getting it from static X motorsports. Im just skeptical since on the turboxs website the product is discontinued. +1 on paying 150+ on a friggin pipe.. Also i guess theres no more test pipes on ebay from Speedaction

[karl-hungus]

Originally Posted by Postulio4joo Does anyone have problems with the turboxs race pipe? im thinking about getting it from static X motorsports. Im just skeptical since on the turboxs website the product is discontinued. +1 on paying 150+ on a friggin pipe.. Also i guess theres no more test pipes on ebay from Speedaction

type in 'mazdaspeed 3 test pipe' in the ebay search box and it will come up. price is down to $109.

[nycMS3]

So I was researching test pipes and decided i might as well post here instead of starting a new pointless thread.

Last week I bought a test pipe from a local for 90 bucks, I asked what brand it is and he has no idea (said he bought it from someone else and forgot). For 90 bucks I just got it, i mean a pipe is a pipe no? But i am curious if anyone can tell what brand this test pipe is and also do I need any new gaskets? can i re-use the factory ones (car has 8k miles). Seller didnt provide me with any gaskets, just test pipe.