Reverse OEM X-Pipe?

Hello all,

just got a OEM exhaust mod muffler from VCP, it's got black chrome tips so I cleaned up the welds and sprayed it flat black, just waiting to go on.

Now, for an X-Pipe...I know YouTube only takes you so far, but the old Riss Racing X-Pipes (, at 0:58 and 1:09 ) seem to have a unique sound that really puts out that high-pitch exotic scream. After comparing them to other X-Pipe designs, I think (correct me if I'm wrong here) this may have something to do with where the crossover is located (closer to the engine than in most other X-Pipes, compare below - left picture is OEM, right is Riss Racing).

So, question: would it be feasible to cut the stock X-Pipe (gut the secondaries while I'm at it, thanks erics02wrx) just before the secondary cats and just before the resonators (see below), reverse it, and weld it back up? Aside from the X, the pipes seem parallel, so they should line up with minimal or no bending. I realize the mounts will have to be moved, but that shouldn't be a big issue.

The secondary cats would then be gutted (test pipes as well, in the foreseeable future), the resonators would still be in play, and the crossover would be closer to the engine, a la the Riss racing piece.

Worst-case scenario, it doesn't work or sounds like sh*t...all I've lost is the stock X-Pipe. Should be easy to reverse, or I'll just buy an aftermarket X-Pipe at that point (probably AA). But I'm wondering if this could be another cheap and easy mod along the lines of the OEM exhaust mod. Just wanting to experiment a little bit here!

Has anyone tried this? Any thoughts?

some do have a crossover closer to the primary cats, and i don't think its by accident. i'd be curious what the sound difference is with the oem pipe reversed.

another thing that i've found to be interesting, is how the left side of the xpipe is sort of bent and squished from the factory. i'm not 100% sure, but i would speculate it is just sound tuning.

I don't think it has anything to do with the location of the X merge. Look at the Kreissieg system. It's very high pitched, but the merge is in the normal location (midway).

I suspect it has more to do with the material. Thinner steel will provide a higher pitched sound.

Do it and let us know. Record some before and after videos too. If it makes a huge difference, we'll call it the "timberwolf xpipe mod"

I have asked myself the same question about the location of the "X" on these pipes. I searched on google to try and learn more about exhaust xpipe design, but came up short.

I did find this video from Fabspeed on youtube

Redd wrote

I don't think it has anything to do with the location of the X merge. Look at the Kreissieg system. It's very high pitched, but the merge is in the normal location (midway).

I suspect it has more to do with the material. Thinner steel will provide a higher pitched sound.

maybe not for sound, but as the exhaust gasses cool, they become less dense and theoretically slow down. i would suspect a crossover closer to the headers (hotter exhuast gasses) would have a higher velocity and a crossover would work more efficient. it might be possible that a crossover towards the rear of the exhaust where the exhaust gasses are theoretically slower would be more of an obstacle.
i don't know, could be completely irrelevant.