AMS Widemouth Downpipe vs the “Competition”
Recently, there have been a couple of poor attempts at copying our AMS Evolution X Widemouth Downpipe design. A lot of honest people are being duped by receiving a seemingly lower cost item, but in the end could pay even more in replacements and labor time.
ItÂ’s for this reason that we wanted to shed some light on the positive attributes of our pipe vs. the competition.
This post only pertains to the downpipes pictured. We are sure there are other quality units out there, but these two are copies (albeit bad ones) of the AMS piece. We are only comparing one of the competitors units because the two non-AMS copies are identical to each other.
We understand that at $469.95, our downpipe is one of the most expensive on the marketÂ…. We have also proven that itÂ’s the best made and most well designed through our rigorous testing and results.
The largest and most obvious difference in our pipe vs. the copy pipe is the fact that our pieces are 100% cast as they join to the flex section. Both AMS ends are cast because it provides unmatched performance, reliability and strength. Could we have cut down on costs by making it like the copy pipe? Sure, but we would be cutting corners resulting in a poorly designed pipe providing inferior results. We pride ourselves on providing the best product possible to our customers!
Now letÂ’s take a peek at the InternalsÂ…
The first thing weÂ’ll look at is the bellmouth section as it mates to the flex section. Our AMS bellmouth is one entire cast piece to not only provide strength, but more importantly ensure cleaner and smoother transitions for the exhaust gasses to follow. The taper we designed allows the gasses to cool and accelerate as they enter the flex section.
The competition took an inferior approach. Rather than spending the extra costs to completely cast the bellmouth section, they decided to slip a pipe into the mouth and weld it to keep costs down. This was a bad choice as they added another weld which greatly compromises strength on a part that has to endure extreme heat and stress. The biggest issue is the fact that the welded pipe protrudes ½” past the opening of the bell mouth. This in turn creates a nice deep groove around the circumference of the pipe that catches exhaust flow and results in greatly unwanted turbulence, back pressure and heat. The lip is so deep, it holds over a 1/2 cup of water!!!
LetÂ’s move downstream to the exit of the pipe. The AMS unit utilizes a full-cast lower section to provide the ultimate in exhaust flow and strength that discussed earlier.
The competition again took an inferior approach. They decided that stainless steel tubing was the best route to keep costs down and avoid casting. This could have been a viable solution, but they threw in another curve ball for exhaust flowÂ… They left the O2 bungs sticking up into the exhaust stream! Now the exhaust gas is fighting the massive lip up before the flex and has to move over more raised areas after the fact, creating even more turbulence and heat!
Next weÂ’ll take a close look at the bosses / bungs on the two downpipes. AMS engineers designed a prototype heat shield to be used with our downpipe. This product never came to fruition as we discovered a shield was not necessary. We did however keep it in our casting in case we wanted to utilize it at a later time or if heat ever became an issue. As of right now, those bungs are not functional on the AMS unit at all.
The competition somehow decided they needed to take the same exact approach as the AMS pipe for the bungs! The issue is that they copied a feature for a part that doesnÂ’t even exist! They copied our EXACT BUNG PLACMENT! WeÂ’re guessing they just assumed it was a functional feature and it wasnÂ’t expensive to incorporate. Another possibility is they assumed it was for the factory shield and never realized it because they never even tested their product. Or maybeÂ… JUST MAYBE, they planned on copying our heat shield if that ever made its way to the market. I guess weÂ’ll never knowÂ….
The last point we want to make is the labor/installation side of things; this is a topic many do not consider when purchasing a product. Anyone who has installed an EVO X downpipe can tell you it’s not something you want to do twice. I’m sure many of you have heard the phrase, “Do it right, or do it twice”
We can tell you with absolute confidence; our parts are designed to perform the absolute best for the life of your vehicle!
In closing, yes our downpipe has a price premium over some of these competitor versions. As weÂ’ve explained above, there is a reason for it: We spend more and invest more making our piece so it works the absolute best, makes the most power and is worry free for the life of the car!
We know that money in this day and age can be tight for anyone. All we ask is that you really look at the big picture before making a purchase. A few dollars saved now can turn into hundreds lost down the road doing things right the SECOND time.
To read more about our widemouth downpipe please view our site and click the link following:
https://www.amsperformance.com/cart/A…-Downpipe.html
Thank you and as always feel free to give us a call you have any questions.
