doh! I'm in Dublin, would have been cool if I can see/hear it in person before I buy it. But yeah, this is looking like one of the quietest, no drone(on a wagon) exhaust out there.
kinda hard to find used though.

 

It is VERY hard to find but they're out there... on Nasioc.

 

actuall i had 2 of them before.....the sp2 is quietter.....and medallion touring is deeper ..is what i think...i had changed many exhaust before...here the sp2 pictures...

 

the sp2 looks a little better.

 

Thanks for the info about sp2 and the tanabe, that's exactly the kind of information I"m interested in.
As for looks, they look really similar to me but I"m really not that worried about looks...in fact, the more subtle, the better. I might even have to paint the muffler black...I"m going for the stealth look, haha.
The SP2 is easier to find though so I guess most likely I'll end up with that.

 

So I pulled the trigger on the Tanabe. Found a great deal on the other board.
Just got it today, the thing is though, the fit on my 02 wagon is pretty bad.
I first tried using the regular size kartboy hangers(same length as factory) but if I used those, then the intermediate pipe bumps into the bearing mount for the driveshaft.
But if I use the XL hanger then it fits but the junction where the down pipe meets the intermediate pipe is crooked. I had to remove the J hook bolt completely to even get the bolts in. Even then after I tighten it it just looks off, like either the downpipe flange or the intermediate pipe flange needs to be twisted for the two to mate up....did you have the same problem?

 

the kartboy non-xl hangers are the ones i used, just 2 in the back. if i had a 3rd hanger, i probably would've put it in the last spot righ before the midpipe. it's not hitting anything right now but a little more clearance wouldn't hurt.

did you try mating everything up loosely before tightening everything down? also depends on what kind of dp you have, my nvidia now isn't as slanted as the perrin i used to have.

 

Yeah I had to take the J-hook bolt completely off in order to even get them bolted up...even then it was a huge pain.
I started another thread in the 2.0 section with a couple of pictures

https://www.i-club.com/forums/engine-power-ej20t-pre-2006-wrx-jdm-60/anybody-got-fitment-issues-tanabe-touring-medalion-184665/

 

HMM

Mine bolted right up to the Helix down pipe that I have with no problems or issues what so ever. You might have gotten a bad one. I would contact Tanabe and tell them the problems that you are having and see if they can send you a new exhaust. That exhaust is way to expensive for it not to fit properly and to cause you frustration!


Dennis

 

like myself, he bought used though.

as long as it's not leaking, should be okay.

 

yeah. Plus I think it had alot to do with the kartboy hangers. They're so stiff that its hard to push the exhaust around to get it to fit.
I'm sure if I re-used the stock hangers it would have been much easier.

On the other hand, the exhaust is nice and quiet, just the way I like it. My radio shack sound meter registered about 2 db increase in sound level from inside the cabin at idle and no increase in sound at 70mph cruising between the Tanabe and the STI Axleback
I'm going to take some measurements from the outside later today to see what the difference is

 

I just have to put my 10cents in.

IMO Tanabe in general is my favorite and the best exhaust on the market (for sound). Touring medalion is their best to date. Im going back to my Touring set up.

 

How does it compare to an uncatted DP & SPT in a Wagon? I have that right now and looking for a quieter set-up.

 

i've gotta check out your exhaust, sunny. I'm looking for a second one lol :P no drone on highway in a wagon sounds miraculous

 

sure thing, man. ZERO drone.

still need that sandwich adapter?