40$ E-bay test pipes... Who has them?
 

just looking around E-bay. sure beats paying 200+.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/370Z-...Q5fCarQ5fParts

linky no worky

link Fixed

$40 for the pipes and $60 for shipping.

I'm sure they will separate from the flanges after a few drives.

Remember, you get what you pay for. This is a $30k car... don't cheap out.

If you want to mod the car...upgrade...dont downgrade.

:iagree:

lmao! Is this thread serious?

<-- thought the exact same thing when i read the title... :shakes head:

well if oyu add shipping its 100 bucks so they cant be all that bad riiiight?? riight? yes?

berk and fast intentions is like 275. might as well spend the little extra money for quality

or

http://www.the370z.com/parts-sale-pr...est-pipes.html
http://www.the370z.com/parts-sale-pr...est-pipes.html

They're fvcking test pipes. I'm sure they'll be fine. And if they don't fit, return 'em.

Yep, most of the pipes are fine its hard to mess them up. I would think it will be perfectly fine. I have ERZ HFCs and they are just fine.

Buying a $40 test pipe is just inviting trouble. When you start modifying your $35000 ride, the old axiom "You get what you pay for" is as true today as it has ever been. When performing mods, if you can't afford or are too cheap (frugal?) to get the best or close to it, then don't bother--you'll never be totally satisfied. Good Luck.

Yep with that analogy just go buy the high end pipes for $400 since you are buying a 40K car.... LOL

Pipes are pipes, I don't get it. A quality cat back I can see, but test pipes?

Buy whatever the hell you want, but after 35 years of owning high end performance cars, from a 1960s Boss 302 to Z28s to an M3 to 4 corvettes, I won't compromise my performance and investment by modifying with dimestore components.

It's just a short metal pipe. Relax man. lol

I get were his coming from but what is something does go wrong? Its like 50/50 chance. Idk man

No need for an attack, but do you honestly believe that a $40 test pipe will last as long, fit as well, and perform over the long run as well as higher end test pipe? Just a simple yes or no would be sufficient.

I think no. The material might also be different.

Thank you Mr Jamaica951. I love this forum--it provides some much needed excitement in my otherwise calm and relaxed life!

:ughdance:
I assume your joking...
Cheap test pipes will not last...
They'll probably break off one day and then what...
Wasted money.

OP, you have a Nismo don't rice it...

They are two pipes with flanges on either end. Not much can go wrong. Either they bolt up or they don't. If they don't, send them back.

Those look exactly like the ones I got off of ebay which were ~$150 shipped and they work just fine.

Seriously now... :ughdance:

Your point is well taken and I appreciate your making it without an unproductive attack. However, take your example. I try not to install most mods myself as My experience has taught me that I'll f*** something up...so I leave it to professionals to install my mods. So, for the sake of friendly argument, let's say I buy my $40 pipe off eBay, schedule an appt w/ my exhaust guy, drive 20 miles there, he uninstalls my stock cats, attempts to install my straight pipe , but, as in your scenario, ...it doesn't fit. My installer then has to reinstall my stock cats. I have to pay him his full charge--it wasn't his fault; and i now have to fool with the hassle of returning the $40 pipe back to the ebay seller (probably at my expense if he's like most ebay sellers), and then hope he sends me one that will fit. After probably some delay, i finally get the pipe and its back to the installer again, hoping this will fit. And I've got to pay him again to install. To me, it's too much risk of a continuous hassle and could cost me more $ than if I had bought the high end pipe in the fist place. So, to me, I've been better off buying the best quality aftermarket mods I can afford.

I'm confused here, did someone say to order a $275 TEST PIPE because it's better quality? Seriously? 2 flanges (cheap) welded to a short pipe (cheap) should not cost $275.

Do you understand how easy and cheap it is for these exhaust companies to make their exhausts (read: CAT BACKS)? How much time do you think they actually invest in making a jig for their products? It really doesn't take a rocket scientist to create these parts and decide what will sound good and work. Once they have a prototype or jig they do 1 of 2 things, send it over seas to be reproduced for the cost of peanuts or make it in house using their jig. Even if they opt to make it in house, it's still cheap.


People that have this train of thought are the single reason companies over charge for simple (and cheap) items like exhaust and exhaust components. Do you really think it costs certain American companies anywhere near the $1,300+ price you pay for their exhaust? I think if you added up the cost of the supplies and labor (including man hours spent fitting/creating the exhaust/R&D) and compared it to the final cost you paid you would laugh.

Money does not equal quality all the time. But hey, I can't knock any of these companies. They know that if they charge more (based on the car) for "quality" parts someone will go out and buy it solely because it's more expensive and therefore must be better.

I'm gonna have to say for that price if the inlet and outlet match up who cares if the welds crack and they eventually fall off. It's only 100 bucks lost and it's not going to harm the car.

its only 100$ lost if you have the spare time to do it yourself. for the people who can't its installation cost.

In all honesty if that's too much of a hassle (changing test pipes is pretty easy after you've gotten the stock cats off) then perhaps modding a car isn't a good idea for some people.

Even the "higher" quality test pipes are not 100% indestructible and are prone to cracking as well. (although it *might* be at a lower rate, but who knows) So you'd be out even more money if that were the case right?

Let's say you bought these ebay test pipes and got them installed (if you can find a shop that will remove cats for you) and one of the welds cracked, you could always bring it back to the exhaust shop and they should be able to fix the crack for like $50 tops. This would be the same for any of the more expensive pipes as well.

That said, has anyone on here bought these "cheap", "poorly made" "garbage" ebay test pipes and had an issue with them cracking?

your analogy if its not that big of a hassle.. let me reword that...

If you think cooking is too much of a hassle.. then you shouldnt eat..

I know im stretching it!

still. Some people dont have the time, tools or ability. Doesnt mean they cannot enjoy their car like some of us do.

Like what? Your car won't explode just from test pipes.

It's too much hassle for me, yes. I never do most of the work for my car. I don't have the tools, time, experience or patience to do it. My feeling is, I let a well known shop with a lot of rep take care of it, which gives me peace of mind. If they screw up it's their *** and I incur no extra cost or time repairing it.

Make sense? I seriously don't think I'm the only one that feels the same way.

:iagree:

I definitely see where you're coming from there. It wasn't meant as an insult to people that don't have the tools or time available to them in any way shape or form.

Since you're actually pretty close to me, if you ever need help installing or removing anything let me know. Got a garage with basically every tool you'd need to get any job done :)

Yep. Exactly.

On that note, wasn't someone on here recently very unhappy with the welds on their $1200 exhaust system? I thought it was an Ark CBE, but I could be wrong...

Nope.

To the OP, it's a set of two single pieces of steel pipe with two flanges. If it looks dodgy send it back, but my guess is it will be just fine.

The only "issue" with mine was that, inexplicably, the bolts they sent with it were too short and I had to take a run to the hardware store. Otherwise, no issues.

I think this is Hilarious. Come on guys. Money=Quality?? You should know better than that.

the great TP's can crack too, so the analogy of paying someone to do the work twice to install the pipes would be 4x's as much if your Berks were to crack.

if these 100$ E-bay pipes hold up for 2 years, and you get some new ones at that point, you have spent 200$ for 4 years worth of pipes.

The only Issue to me would be they don't fit from the start, other than that, a weld can be fixed. EVEN THE BEST WELDS CAN BREAK.

Material used would be my concern if any. The LISTING say STAINLESS STEEL, but I would be weary of that because of the price.

HP would be the same, they are Test pipes...

I would never buy an E-bay TURBO with moving parts, but to say you have to spend 200+ bucks for test pipes because we drive a Z sounds to me like you have your nose in the clouds...

Well coming from the 300ZX (Z32) crowd this was discussed in length over there a while back and it was deemed the ebay down pipes were just fine and worth the hassle. It's a hard part to mess up and break. A full cat back? Different story, and the reason I got a FI CBE. But I opted for cheap ERZ HFC's and I could not be happier. To each his own. I would "risk" it for $100. I did for $268 and it was worth it.

if the **** cracks then your car will be louder :) everyones happy Story over. bwahahaha

:iagree:

There are horror stories of ebay turbo kits not working out, but partly it because these aren't really kits and they don't even bolt up correctly.

This is just two pipes -- not even flex pipes -- there's not much to break. My guess is that the same pipes are floating around sold by different vendors that are identical to the ones I have and they are fine.

these pipes are far superior to berks, fi's or any other brand...lol..

lol