Pros
Power increases brought on by the addition of the downpipe seemed to mirror those of the exhaust; small gains of horsepower and torque low-end, followed by large gains in both from midrange to redline. Side-by-side comparison will show the increased size the A'PEXi downpipe offers over the ridiculously restrictive stock unit; it's no wonder large gains were made. Still especially impressive is that these gains were realized with the stock catalytic converter still in-line. The included bracket was easier to use than some; it's elongated mounting holes bolted to the factory chassis mount with adjustability to spare-perfect for use with jenky no-name manifolds.
Cons
It seems that A'PEXi has switched from machined flanges to cast ones, and areas where they were once robotically TIG-welded now appear to have been manually MIG-welded. But with the overall construction of the product just as solid as ever, it doesn't seem that A'PEXi is cutting corners where it counts; and you can't blame anyone for trying to save a couple bucks these days-And saving you a couple bucks in the end.
Parts
Downpipe, gaskets, bracket, nuts and bolts.
Tools
12mm socket with extension, 12mm open-end.
Installation time
5 minutes
Notes
We tested the downpipe after the addition of the exhaust to better show its contribution to increasing flow; had we installed it first, we suspect the restriction of the factory exhaust would have kept it from showing any power increases. Still, with the restriction of the factory catalyst present, we were surprised it made as much as it did. We would typically expect gains this large in cat-less race applications, where the downpipe and exhaust can reach their full potential.