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Cobb Stage 1 question ??

14K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  olivier_20 
#1 ·
HI , i have a 04 FXT and i'm planning to buy an Cobb ap !!
A friend of mine sell me an oem sti front pipe + catless up-pipe (but not installed yet)

So oem sti front pipe + catless up-pipe is it compatible with cobb stage 1 ??

And for those who already have an Cobb ap stage 1 , can you tell me if Cobb say the truth about the huge power upgrade from stock(210hp/236tq) to stage 1(265hp/285tq) , is it really noticeable ?? because for me it's sound a bit unbelievable to free up power like that !!!

I will buy one anyway but search a lot on the forum , there is so much stuff i didn't find what i'm looking for.

Thank you guys for answering
 
#6 ·
You can use a catless uppipe stock. The stock catted uppipe is junk and its probably the first thing I'd replace.

If you're going to get an AP, you might as well pick up a downpipe and use stage 2 as thats where you'll see real power. Stage 1 is an improvement but not really as noticeable as you would think from their claims. You could get a cheap catless bellmouth downpipe for well under $300.

Also, the off the shelf maps aren't that great. If you really want some good performance a protune (either dyno or road) is a great way to get lots of good safe power (this way its remapped specifically to your car perfectly rather than just a generic map that will work on any car).
 
#7 ·
i find the cobb stage 1 map extremely driveable. it's how my foz should have come stock (even with the catted up pipe). i even get better gas mileage too!

unless you're planning an exhaust manifold swap (stock sti) + downpipe + coolant flush...the time/energy spent replacing just the up pipe is a waste. yes you gain some "reliability" with no cat in the up pipe, but stock OR stage 1 you won't see any major gains from just an up pipe swap itself.

personally i would go stage 1 over and over and over again, before i spent the energy swapping an up pipe just to go stage 1.

this is MY opinion, thanks.
 
#8 ·
I would replace the uppipe with a catless unit anyway. It's asking for trouble.

Is "stage 2" for a cobb really just a downpipe swap? If that's the case, it's a no-brainer. If you need a whole turbo-back, then I could see why you wouldn't want to go that route. But if it's just a downpipe then there aren't any real downsides.. except for warranty issues.
 
#10 ·
Yup just a downpipe. The main restriction in the stock setup is the pretty terrible stock downpipe. A bellmouth thats either catless or a single HF cat produces a huge gain, while theres not much benefit from changing the rest of the exhaust. I had my uppipe replaced while the plugs and timing belt were being changed as the shop only charged me for the part ($50 total for the sti up installed). If you're just going in to change the up it makes no sense to not do the DP at the same time especially if you already have an AP.
 
#11 · (Edited)
AWESOME !!!!

Thanks all of you , now i have all the answer i needed !!

So first i will buy my Cobb AP , drive a while on stage 1 map...

i'll Keep my STi header w/ up-pipe non-install untill a got a 3'' Downpipe bellmouth to go stage 2 directly!!
For the protune the closest awd dyno for me it's about 3h of driving... but i'm pretty sure i can find someone with the on road protune knowledge closer than the dyno.

After that i will see ......

Thanks again guys
 
#13 ·
"Protunes" are custom. "OTS" are generic.

For stage-1, I wouldn't even worry about getting protuned. You'll be within a few hp either way.

For stage-2, you might see far more from a real protune.
 
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