Apex or Protege Garage???

[vangj01]

I am debating which to get, either the Apex jpipe+midpipe+cat or the PG midpipe+cat. PG is cheaper, but which one will give me a better hp gain? How about physical quality of the parts? Will the addition of the jpipe make a difference? Any sound differences? I plan on running it with my stock MSP catback. How much louder will it make my exhaust? I don't want it too much louder.

These will be my mods: SS AFC, Injen CAI, FMIC, Midpipe, stock boost. will I run into any back pressure problems with just the midpipe?

[cmahlig]

i have the apex and love it

[vangj01]

Does it run pretty good/strong with just the mods that you have in your sig? I'll probalby get the catted version though.

[cmahlig]

car runs great, i have an afc but its not working right. it starts then just immediately dies

[exNeon]

sls makes one that is another option for you. they have both j and mid options.

[vangj01]

That happened to me when I first installed my AFC too. It was used, so I didn't know if the AFC was bad or I just hooked it up wrong. Right when I start it, I'll have to give it some gas for it to catch itself. It turns out I didn't have the AFC's power/ignition wire crimped good enough. Now it seems to be working fine (I've only had it in for about a week). Good luck.

There's gotta be others with experience with these midpipes. Let me know.

[vangj01]

sls makes one that is another option for you. they have both j and mid options.

Where can I see the SLS ones? I haven't came accross them yet? Any reason why they might be better than the PG or Apex ones?

[BradC]

I have an SLS and its nice. Mine is catless though, definately a noticable improvement over stock.

[1moreMPH]

they are all going to be similar products -- they are all just piping, and all of them are going to fit.

I have heard that the PG one will absorb more sound than the SLS performance one due to different materials, but i doubt there's much difference.

the sls ones can be found here: http://www.slsperformance.com/slsp/ListProduct.asp?bSub=T&idCategory=172
THERE IS ALSO A THREAD ON HERE SOMEWHERE where you can get $30 off the J-midpipe from SLS.

[vangj01]

Wow, the SLS seems to be cheaper. The SLS J+Mid+Cat doesn't look polished and mid+cat looks polished. Is that just how they make it? Now I have too much to choose from. lol.

[vangj01]

i have the apex and love it

Is your Apex j+mid pipe pretty loud on your stock catback exhaust?

[ghetto waggon]

SLS is not stainless.

Will aluminized steel make it through winters?

[vangj01]

Oh. It says "stainless steel flex joint". So the actual pipe probably isn't. Is the Apex stainless steel? PG says theirs is stainless steel.

[1moreMPH]

remember, looks aren't really going to matter. unless you park your car on top of your house with a Plexiglas ceiling, nobody's gonna be lookin!

I don't think the SLS is stainless Steel, but again, i doubt it makes much of a difference.

[vangj01]

I thought I read in a thread on this forum somewhere that stainless steel gives better flow.

Anyway, will it matter for the winter though if it's stainless or not?

[ghetto waggon]

remember, looks aren't really going to matter. unless you park your car on top of your house with a Plexiglas ceiling, nobody's gonna be lookin!

I don't think the SLS is stainless Steel, but again, i doubt it makes much of a difference.

cute, but I was not interested in stainless for looks.

just not sure if the aluminized steel will last through the winters

[fr0st]

cute, but I was not interested in stainless for looks.

just not sure if the aluminized steel will last through the winters

surely it will be less than SS..

[1moreMPH]

im pretty sure Aluminized steel would get more fucked up in winters, but i could be wrong. That was materials Science like 4 semesters ago lol...

[vangj01]

If stainless steel will be better than I might as well go with the PG midpipe because I need it for quality as well with our Minnesota winters. It looks like the SLS and the Apex are not stainless steel right? I wonder why the Apex is so expensive if it is not stainless steel.

[BOOSTR]

My Apex catless pipe has surface rust on it and I had to replace the flex hose section. No holes or leaks. Have had it for 4 years.

Think about getting a custom pipe fabbed up as another option.

[ghetto waggon]

The PG pipe is all stainless, and kinda makes sense to go with it.

BUT, one of the few posts i've seen about it, the user was complaining that they were getting a large amount of black buildup on their rear bumper from it. It was a catted version.. deficient cat maybe??

[cmahlig]

dont get the sls. apex or pg ftw. the black is from how rich the car runs

[ghetto waggon]

dont get the sls. apex or pg ftw. the black is from how rich the car runs

makes sense, but it was a 1.8L with just a header, no EMS

Granted, it would be even more deposit if there were no cat.

Maybe just an individualized issue...I dont know

[gearhead]

Stainless pipes are inherently quieter too... They won't give you the raspy, bumble bee noise you get from mild steel pipes.

[vangj01]

I'll probably be getting a PG midpipe. It probably makes the most sense for me right now because my car is a daily driver.