Inexpensive Upper IC pipe alternatives

Inexpensive Upper IC Pipe Alternatives
19 January 1998
Updated 20 March 1998

Seems after market parts for the 2g DSM's are finally getting realistic and pertinent. Why do I say this you ask. Simple: there are a lot of after market parts out there (Upper IC pipes in this case) which are seriously overpriced for either what you get or the performance gain they give.

Now I don't claim to be the last or even first word on modding our cars. I simply don't have the years of experience that others do. But, 2g DSM's haven't been around that long and many of the mods are just variations of 1g mods. The problem is the two generations of DSM's are different enough that there are some differences in how they should be modding. And quite frankly, there aren't that many people with tons of experience modding 2g's like there are for 1g's.

What is the point of all this rambling? I am not convinced that the average 2g DSM modding owner really needs to spend $200-$300 on a 2.25", mandrel bent, Intercooler-to-Throttle body, pipe replacement. The fact is, most people agree the throttle body elbow on the 2g's is pretty good. As for the hose used from the stock upper IC to the TB elbow: it is pretty large and doesn't have that many bends. So why does it need to be replaced if your not shooting for 11's? Even then I'm not convinced it needs replacing but I'll hedge my bets here.

So where does that leave us? A basic stock pipe replacement with smooth and minimal bends. Nothing more nothing less. Mandrel bending is nice and smooth and I would say you might be silly not to get it. But press bent 2.5" tubing might be just as good since the bends aren't all the severe. So we are left with a piece of pipe that is about 2' long with maybe two bends in it and one rubber coupling. Anything else is extraneous. Such as Stainless Steel. What does this give us? Is this part really in such a harsh environment that plain steel with a good paint job, aluminizing, or even powder coating isn't enough to prevent rust.

"But polished SS looks so good," you say. I can't agree with you more. However, not everyone is so concerned with looks that they are willing to pay all that extra money for SS and the labor to polish it. Some people would just like a nice painted pipe to match the rest of their color accenting. In my, case that would be blue. Then the cash saved could pay for another mod, and the end result isn't "ugly" just because it isn't polished SS. Some people are just a little less gaudy then others :)

Ok so now that I have preached, maybe even to the choir, we can get to the good news. Three new Upper IC pipes have hit the scene which address this very issue. The first is from Road Race Engineering. RRE has a very good reputation amongst members, especially those in the California area. They make quality parts, have good prices and seem to have the type of customer service we dream about.

The next pipe comes from Doug Derby and Doug's Dynopower. I don't have a lot of info on Doug's pipe, but by his short description in the Digest it sounds similar to the one that RRE sells. As you can see from the picture below Doug's pipe uses the stock mounting point for his pipe. I'm not sure how necessary this is since I have been using my setup without a mount with no problems. However, if this is a selling point for you then you now have a part that maintains the stock mounting points. The person who sent me this picture was quite happy with his pipe.

The last pipe comes from Dave Brode. A club member who seems to just like helping others get decent parts at reasonable prices. If you remember, Dave started out offering test pipes at the reasonable price of $30 for 2.25" and $35 for 2.5" aluminized steel with flanges. So far comments on the Talon Digest have been quite positive concerning quality and service. Now Mr. Brode is offering Upper IC pipes.

All of these pipes are replacements for just the stock pipe, retain the stock flex hose, and use a rubber couplings to attach to the Intercooler.

NOTE: A very important thing to remember here is that unlike the $15 upper IC pipe mod these pipes do not need the 1g BOV adapter. This mean you can save $45 on a Upper IC / BOV combination by not buying this item. That means buying the Brode pipe and a 1g BOV would cost about $155. Doing the $15 Upper IC mod and buying a 1g BOV w/adaptor would cost $145. Not much of a savings any more now is it :) and you get to retain your stock pipe for later reinstallment.

Feature	Road Race Engineering	Doug's Dynopower	Dave Brode
Bends	Mandrel	Unknown Mandrel is assumed	Mandrel
Material	Steel	Unknown Steel is assumed	Steel
Finish	Painted Black	Black Powder Coated	Unpainted, Aluminized, Can be painted any color
BOV Flange	GReddy	1g BOV	1g BOV
Price	$95+shipping	$165+shipping	$65 ($70 shipped)
Picture
Contact Info	MIKEatRRE@aol.com	DDynopower@aol.com	dbrode@hereintown.net
Reviews	None Yet	Coming Soon	Kevin Shimp

Concerning the BOV flanges: I've e-mailed Dave Brode and he is able to supply other BOV flanges, but as he says, "... why would anyone pay all that money?" I suspect that RRE could also supply a 1g flange although I haven't spoken to them about it. I am also pretty sure Doug is able to provide other BOV flanges

So if mirror polished SS is your desire, by all means get one. I will ooh and ahhh at the Shootout car show. If, however, you are a little more frugal minded like me and want to either save money or buy more mods, then consider either of these pipes. I don't think you will be disappointed.