Questions about Y pipe - CEG Archives

Where can I buy a Brullen Y Pipe From??

The man with the fastest NA Contour on these boards (not me) says the best Y pipe is a modified stock pipe.

Take it off the car and have a shop mod it for you.

Originally posted by XKontour98:
Ok before I start I did run a search and i didnt find the info I needed. I have a 98 duratech non-svt with a Brullen 2.5 cat back system. my questions are:

1. what is the best Y-pipe, and who sells it?

2. what finish do i get stainless steel or aluminum? (i live in MN and drive in the winter with lots of salt on the roads!)

3. We no longer have inspections so should i go with the off road or with one with a cat?

4. If I go off road y, will an exhaust shop give me crap and not put it on?
5. Other than headers is there any other exhaust mod I can do?

thanks in advance -Doug

ps- I havent gutted the pre cats? will an exhaust shop do that as well?

1. Not dyno proven against Trubendz that I am aware of, but ShoShop is good. I like the design better than the trubendz.

2. Stainless (currently in stock at SS)

3. Off-road

4. shouldn't be a huge problem - you have pre-cats.

P.S. never say never, but I don't believe ANY exhaust shop would gut your precats for you.

Originally posted by robb99se:
Where can I buy a Brullen Y Pipe From??

That is where the problem exists. I got mine from a group buy with Performance Fords; but it was a struggle and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

As said above, a modified stock y is the way to go.

But, I am very happy with my performance and sound gains.

Originally posted by Trapps:

1. Not dyno proven against Trubendz that I am aware of, but ShoShop is good. I like the design better than the trubendz.

Since when does Trubendz make Y-pipes? And I can't recommend SS to any one that I don't particularly hate.

Modified stock like others have said, would be your best bet and least expensive to boot

You can get a Brullen y-pipe from Performance Fords

Originally posted by Ed98.5SVT:
That is where the problem exists. I got mine from a group buy with Performance Fords; but it was a struggle and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

As said above, a modified stock y is the way to go.

But, I am very happy with my performance and sound gains.

Yeah there were a ton of problems for a lot of people in the cat back group buy where i got mine from. I would rather not go through performance fords!

Ok So now I am thinking about having my y-pipe modified?
What exactly does that consist of? If I go into the local exhaust shop and tell them "could you modify my y-pipe?" are they going to know what I mean?

I also have a SE not a SVT y-pipe, is that going to make a difference or are they the same?

And finally, I think my cat is going so that is why I am looking into the whole y-pipe in the first place, so would i have them cut it out or are they going to want me to replace it?

thanks for all the help!

Most likely an exhaust shop will look at you stupid and say" Ford designed it that way on purpose..." or something stupid like that. You might find a shop to do it, but I'd go with BNoon or Buckshot, cheap and good service. The model of the car does not affect the y pipe I believe, just whether it is a 2 or 3 bolt. As for the cat part....the cat should be a bolt on affair and it is only connected to the y pipe, not part of it. If you mean you are trying to get rid of the cat, go with a test pipe and an optimized y. If not, just get a magnaflow cat or something. Those cats (magnaflow) are on Ebay for like 30-40 bux buy it now option and all!! Good luck either way. A little advice before hand, make sure you have PB Blaster on hand for the y pipe bolts.

Originally posted by XKontour98:

Originally posted by Ed98.5SVT:
That is where the problem exists. I got mine from a group buy with Performance Fords; but it was a struggle and I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

As said above, a modified stock y is the way to go.

But, I am very happy with my performance and sound gains.

Yeah there were a ton of problems for a lot of people in the cat back group buy where i got mine from. I would rather not go through performance fords!

Ok So now I am thinking about having my y-pipe modified?
What exactly does that consist of? If I go into the local exhaust shop and tell them "could you modify my y-pipe?" are they going to know what I mean?

I also have a SE not a SVT y-pipe, is that going to make a difference or are they the same?

And finally, I think my cat is going so that is why I am looking into the whole y-pipe in the first place, so would i have them cut it out or are they going to want me to replace it?

thanks for all the help!

You can go HERE to the mods/parts section on the main page for a how-to on optimizing your stock y-pipe. With the cat you have a few options. You could just remove it and have a straight pipe put in its place but its not legal and could cause you issues if you have emissions testing in your state. Also, a lot of muffler shops in different states won't even touch it for that very reason. Or you could just buy a high flow cat to replace it with, that's the route I would go. I beleive the y-pipes are the same on all duratecs but I'm not positive on that ss hopefully someone else will "pipe" up and clarify that as I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment.

Ok So now I am thinking about having my y-pipe modified?
What exactly does that consist of?

Where the two pipes come together you will notice that the two are crushed to 1/2 their size. You want them to cut out the center walls so the pipes merge into a single pipe rather than get squashed into the flange. This will likely consist of just replacing the crushed sections with some welded pipe. Some shops won't touch it because it is located in front of the cat, but you can shop around.

If I go into the local exhaust shop and tell them "could you modify my y-pipe?" are they going to know what I mean?

Nope, see above.

I also have a SE not a SVT y-pipe, is that going to make a difference or are they the same?

Same. The flange may be different, but the pipes are the same.

And finally, I think my cat is going so that is why I am looking into the whole y-pipe in the first place, so would i have them cut it out or are they going to want me to replace it?

They won't let you leave the shop without a cat. You don't even want to ask them to do that. A performance shop will likely do all this work for you - including a high-flow cat.

Now keep in mind there are THREE cats in our exhaust systems. Yes, three (3). The ones that typically give us trouble are the two in the exhaust manifolds. They are also known as pre-cats. They suck, we all hate them. If these are your problem, Buckshotmotorsports.com has gutted pre-cats available for exchange for about $80 a pair last I checked.

Originally posted by JonnySVT:
A little advice before hand, make sure you have PB Blaster on hand for the y pipe bolts.

CAN I HEAR AN AMEN?!!

Originally posted by TourDeForce:

I also have a SE not a SVT y-pipe, is that going to make a difference or are they the same?

Same. The flange may be different, but the pipes are the same.

Yep, SVT Y has a 2.25" flange wheras an non SVT Y has a 2" flange.

Originally posted by TourDeForce:

Originally posted by JonnySVT:
A little advice before hand, make sure you have PB Blaster on hand for the y pipe bolts.

CAN I HEAR AN AMEN?!!

AMEN!!

I learned the hard way.

Actually, I did have some good stuff with me. Only problem was that mine had been taken on and off some many times in the past year that the threads just gave out the last time it went back on. Left me with a broken bolt on the bank 1 flange that connects the y-pipe to the manifold.

Since I am now in the market for a Y myself, I knew that going with a modded stock Y is best. Mainly because of the added protection that the heatsheilds offer. So what I did was printed out the how-to that Warmonger did (Gosh! I think it was "war" that did it??) and took it around to some of the local exhaust shops. I noted that every single one of them just looked at me like I asked them to bend over.

So!! I am going to buy a y-pipe and some heat wrap. I'm going that route, just because I can't weld (never could, probably never will) and I not want anyone goofing with my car.

Just some added thoughts.

There is nothing better (or cheaper even) then a modified stock Y-pipe. (when using a Y-pipe

)

Remove the crush flange piping.

Actually the best idea would be to skip replacing the flange at the end of the Y-pipe and replace all the piping straight back to the cat-back and flange it there.

Originally posted by Ed98.5SVT:

Originally posted by TourDeForce:

I also have a SE not a SVT y-pipe, is that going to make a difference or are they the same?

Same. The flange may be different, but the pipes are the same.

Yep, SVT Y has a 2.25" flange wheras an non SVT Y has a 2" flange.

Incorrect. The Y-pipes are exactly the same. The piping coming out of the cat is 2.25" vs. 2", but has nothing to do with the Y-pipe size or shape between the two models. The only difference for Y-pipes is the year they were put on the cars.

Early cars have a two bolt rear flange going to the cat which uses spring nuts and a ball/cup type of flex connection. The later years use a 3 bolt cat flange, normal nuts, and a stainless mesh flex joint instead of the spring nuts.

3 bolt vs. two bolt, that's it, no matter which V6 Contour or Cougar it comes from.

Available through BNMotorsports Dot Com.

My 2000 SVT had a 2.5" flange on the stock Y-pipe.

There is NO REAL SET rhyme or reason to the multiple different Y-pipes other than the SVT's "on average" have a larger flange then Non-SVT's because the piping before and after the cat was 2.25" not 2".

Originally posted by DemonSVT:
My 2000 SVT had a 2.5" flange on the stock Y-pipe.

There is NO REAL SET rhyme or reason to the multiple different Y-pipes other than the SVT's "on average" have a larger flange then Non-SVT's because the piping before and after the cat was 2.25" not 2".

All two bolt y-pipes I've optimized have had 2.5" flanges on them. All three bolt Y-pipes I've optimized have had 2.5" flanges on them. Of the two bolt ones I've done, one was an SE, one was a Cougar. The three bolt ones I've done were from SVTs. Perhaps the flex joint three bolt ones are a bit different on an SE only. Until I see one, I won't know for sure.

I just happen to have mine lying in my shed. I was gonna optimize it & installed an old SVT Y until I do the work. I'll check the ol' SE three bolt piping & post here when I get the chance.

Originally posted by path914:

Originally posted by Trapps:

1. Not dyno proven against Trubendz that I am aware of, but ShoShop is good. I like the design better than the trubendz.

Since when does Trubendz make Y-pipes? And I can't recommend SS to any one that I don't particularly hate.

Modified stock like others have said, would be your best bet and least expensive to boot

I am aware of some people having less than optimal experience with SS. I have had only positive experiences in dealing with Vadim. Tru bendz makes this: Trubendz Y Pipe

They are listed as Cougar parts, But Josh (owner?) has stated via e-mail; to me that they fit Contours as well.

here ya go:

http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=perf&Number=378020&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

Ok so now I am considering having my ypipe modified adding a performance cat and a magnaflo resonator. Does anyone have a good hi-flow cat to recommend?

I've heard the stock one flows pretty good, plus the the cost of welding a universal up to the flanges is eliminated. But if you want, I would recommend Magnaflow (or Autosound, same thing). They go on Ebay for $30-40. I say optimize your stock y and retain the original cat, unless it has an ungodly amount of mileage or is in poor condition due to lack of maintenance (of the engine...).

Originally posted by JonnySVT:
I've heard the stock one flows pretty good, plus the the cost of welding a universal up to the flanges is eliminated. But if you want, I would recommend Magnaflow (or Autosound, same thing). They go on Ebay for $30-40. I say optimize your stock y and retain the original cat, unless it has an ungodly amount of mileage or is in poor condition due to lack of maintenance (of the engine...).

WEll I have been smelling a gas odor outside my car after I shut it off and someone suggested that my cat could be bad since there is no evidence of gas leaking. I am also getting poor gas millage. The only problem now is finding a place to get my y-pipe moded.

Quote:

The only problem now is finding a place to get my y-pipe moded.

I would say Brad Noon, but he says he stopping that because it takes him too long. You can try though, good price. Bribe him with a little extra $$.

Originally posted by JonnySVT:

Quote:

The only problem now is finding a place to get my y-pipe moded.

I would say Brad Noon, but he says he stopping that because it takes him too long. You can try though, good price. Bribe him with a little extra $$.

I tried him and buckshot and they both said they are out of the y-pipe mod business

Your next best bet is to remove it from the car yourself & take it to a good PERFORMANCE muffler shop. Show them the crushed piping in the flange & they should know exactly what to do.

As long as it doesn't have a cat attached to it, they should be happy to help & will likely charge less than $100 for a professional job - no leaks.

I was searching and came accross my old thread about y-pipes.. Well to this day I have not purchased one or optimized my own. The gas smell I was experiencing which I thought was the cat, was actually a leak in the fuel filler tube that I have had replaced. Then I was going to optimize my Y, however when examining the Y I noticed that my flex pipe is torn to shreads and is in direr need of replacing. I spoke with someone selling a PF y-pipe in the classifides and they said they would look into shipping and still had it on their car so they would get back to me and they have yet to so I am back in the market for one. As stated before I have the 2.5" ss cat-back system right now and would like something affordable ie. not Trubendz and also needs to be SS so I can survive the winters with it. Any new suggestions? I am thinking of going through BAT and getting theirs but I want to look at my options again. thanks!

you do know the flex tub is a seperate part from the y-pipe, you could have an exhaust shop take it out(or you could do it yourself) and have them cut out the old one and weld in a new one

Originally posted by gearhead98:
you do know the flex tub is a seperate part from the y-pipe, you could have an exhaust shop take it out(or you could do it yourself) and have them cut out the old one and weld in a new one

Yeah, I realize that but the idiots at the shop told me that it was going to cost around $300 for that so I left and never thought about doing it that way. Besides then I would have the problem of trying to find someone that would optimize it and thats hard in this area.