ND-Photo.nl 's - Seat Leon ST Cupra 280

[nd-photo.nl]

Tried out a wide angle mirror. You can see everything from one glance, but I could not get used to the field of view and it made me a little nauseous So I removed it again

Also with a "stick on" mirror you lose the self-dimming feature off course

Normal mirror

See alllll the things!

Maybe a good one for the trackday people?

 

[nd-photo.nl]

And now on to the good stuff, mounting the bigger downpipe

First some accessories etc

New turbo V-band clamp. Partnr: 5Q0253725G

New turbo gasket. Partnr: 5Q0253115B

Mine was in good shape, so I re-used and will keep this as a spare

Lambda spacers including a "mini cat". I bought both straight and angled, because I didn't know what I would be using. I used the straight one in the end

The mini cat

When you screw of the cap, it exposes the cat

This is how it looks normally

Also a new exhaust sleeve for connecting the downpipe and catback system. I ended up grinding the old sleeve, as the nut and bolts were simply perished...

 

[nd-photo.nl]

Getting the V-band off was easy, and an inspection shows that the IS38 turbo is in great shape. 0 Play on the shaft and no cracks etc

If you are wondering where the metal gasket sits, you can see it clear as day in the picture below. It sits around the turbo outlet

This was the "fun" part. Snaking out the downpipe was pretty annoying and I damaged the heatshield on the firewall a bit, which I will be patching up later

This...

 

[nd-photo.nl]

And then the differences become apparent. A smooth transition in the new downpipe instead of a steep corner straight into the cat. Also the cat will sit way lower, so I think the exhaust pulses won't be stacked up directly after the turbo compared to the stock downpipe

 

[nd-photo.nl]

Decided to add the Forge turbo blanket. This is a real pain in the ass to fit, I lost way too much time haha. You will read that everywhere and that is certainly no lie Just make sure the wastegate is free to move and you are golden!

Partnr: FMTUBL1

I paid 69 euro, which is a steal. Build quality is great btw!

 

[nd-photo.nl]

Fitting the new downpipe is way easier than getting the old one out Fitment is great as you have tons of adjustability

I love the look of the heatshielded part, makes it look pretty OEM

 

[Michael_LeonV]

Looks MUCH better.
How long did it take to fit the turbo heat blanket ?

 

[nd-photo.nl]

@Michael_LeonV I think about 2-3 hours. The angle is weird and you have to snake through a piece of the blanket through a tiny space. I used a combination of a tiny grabber and a plastic spatula (be careful not to damage the blanket) to complete this step.

If you succeed in that, you need to connect the 2 pieces together via the click button using 1 hand only, making sure that you apply enough pressure for the button to click in eachother.

As a final step, you connect the spring(s).

[edit]
I filmed the procedure, but takes time to edit etc

 

[nd-photo.nl]

Some under the bonnet shots

 

[nd-photo.nl]

More pictures from the brake disc + pads change. I went for Zimmermann drilled discs + Zimmermann pads. For the rear, I needed to buy different pads, as the pads in the set did not fit.

The discs were the original discs, so there were due for replacement. The pictures speak for themself

The new Zimmermann pads for the front

New sliding pins for the front calipers

Old brake disc

The old dust shield. I replaced them with new shields, but it seems I forgot to take a picture

 

[nd-photo.nl]

And pics from the rear axle. I also replaced the dust shields, but it seems there are differences between the 4drive and non-4drive. I bought the 4drive shields and did not want to wait for new shields. So I adjusted them, so they work for my car

Quite rusty...

Fresh discs always look good, especially when cross-drilled

The sorta mangled shields, but you don't really see them so....

Rear brackets with new hardware added

The old rear pads

Looks way better! The rear calipers need a little touchup, something for later in the year

 

[nd-photo.nl]

The rear shields were knackered

 

[Bluepower]

@Bluepower Aliexpress

Turbo Downpipe Uitlaatpijp Voor Vw Golf Gti Mk7 Mk7.5 Ea888 2.0T Motor 13-19 - AliExpress 34

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

nl.aliexpress.com

With shipping etc it was below 400 euro, which is an absolute steal. I bought a O2 extender with mini cat builtin and I have no error messages.

Andy, which O2 extender did you get?

 

[nd-photo.nl]

Andy, which O2 extender did you get?

This one:

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005005544744298.html

Works like a treat. I am testing the decat pipe as we speak and no CELs to this day