Am I missing something, or is Darkside's DPF delete kit less than half the price of Rawtek's? Why is this the case?

[Dalon]

I have both with my rawtek kit currently on the ckra and one on my BRM. My turbo kit I just got from Darkside came with their 3” downpipe that I will probably run on the ckra since it’ll bolt right up without me having to modify my rawtek pipe. If the Darkside pipe does crack I’ll just have my exhaust guy fix it…I will say the rawtek pipe is definitely thicker and uses actual pipe rather than tubing so it is quite a bit heavier and has very solid construction. Definitely seems to be a hit or miss. Even if you got the Darkside kit for half off and it did break, you’d still be saving money if you had to pay someone to fix it. It’s really up to you

 

[adamss24]

Jnfo

If you're comparing a factory tune older TDI to a deleted but near factory performance commonrail, the deleted commonrail should produce less soot and more NOx. There's generally an inverse relationship between soot and NOx due to the mechanics of diesel internal combustion. High cylinder pressures that result in less soot create more NOx. A bad tune can result in an overabundance of both.

unfortunately the latest cr do have less compression ratios than the pd or ve engines, they do inject fuel at higher pressures which makes the droplets finer and don’t rely on TDC for injections a they can fire fuel at any moment for a cleaner burn ! I would say a cr is only for this reason much cleaner than a pd or ve engine if they are both dpf/catalytic converters deleted !

 

[turbobrick240]

Jnfo

unfortunately the latest cr do have less compression ratios than the pd or ve engines, they do inject fuel at higher pressures which makes the droplets finer and don’t rely on TDC for injections a they can fire fuel at any moment for a cleaner burn ! I would say a cr is only for this reason much cleaner than a pd or ve engine if they are both dpf/catalytic converters deleted !

I don't see why it's unfortunate that the commonrails can produce more power with lower compression ratio. That's a good thing in my view. The engineers know what they're doing.

 

[Adam_RoadTrip]

thought Id post an update with my darkside pipe, I've got over 35k on the 3in pipe I installed myself no issues. I bet the issues reported with cracks are like most things on the forums, exceptions people want to talk about, they have sold hundreds/thousands? and like mine no issue. The tune on the otherhand, supposedly it was done by Jeff Stevenson, it runs fine but the check light for the o2 sensor I removed when I installed it, then the dieseldna people stopped responding and I've just left it.

 

[FangersTDI]

My Rawtek exhaust on my 2012 is sooo nice. The welds are a level above Darkside, the fitment was spectacular, I live in michigan and after 3 salty winters still looks brand new, minus all the black on the tips.
You get what you pay for IMO, it’s not for everyone

 

[Owlbird]

My 2015 passat tdi needs a cat. I have tried to order one but they are on a national back order. CEL is on and inspedtion is due. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ryanp]

My Rawtek exhaust on my 2012 is sooo nice. The welds are a level above Darkside, the fitment was spectacular, I live in michigan and after 3 salty winters still looks brand new, minus all the black on the tips.
You get what you pay for IMO, it’s not for everyone

Do you have both to compare? I cant see how ours are not at least equal and fitment would be perfect with ours too.

The Cracked pipes (not crack pipes) are few and far between, we sell at least 10 of these per day.

 

[lemoncurd]

+1 for DS kit, nicely made and IF you have a problem theyll take care of you

i have known a couple people who have bought their stuff and it is good quality

 

[coolusername]

I ended up ordering Rawtek after hearing how their full 3" exhaust sounds online... I couldn't resist. Going to install later this week, but for now, wow I see what you guys were talking about. This is some really nice stainless steel. The welds are excellent. The metal is thick. The craftsmanship is great. I'm not saying it's worth it. It probably isn't. But wow, it's nice.

 

[lemoncurd]

I got my rawtek kit off ebay for like <$400 a long time ago, was in someone's garage and I assume the wife wanted it gone. Same with my AFE catback.

I too was surprised at the quality of the rawtek kit, and I was shocked at how heavy the damn thing was lol

 

[chubby]

Do you have both to compare? I cant see how ours are not at least equal and fitment would be perfect with ours too.

The Cracked pipes (not crack pipes) are few and far between, we sell at least 10 of these per day.

I know this is an old thread, but .... Would like to add that I am a customer of both companies.​

1. 2014 Passat has the Rawtek and Malone package, turbo to rear bumper w/cat and resonator. 30k miles on it as my daily driver. I run her hard from time to time and other than an occasional overboost/limp mode on my favorite hill coming home from work (typically in the winter). I see 35-52 MPG depending upon how I am driving it. Normal driving zero smoke. When you demand maximum output, there is a wisp of smoke at peak torque. But nothing that would draw attention... besides, I don't beat on it like that anyway. Noise: normal driving demands it is quiet inside the cabin. Beating on it, 2k RPM comes a bit of a bark, noticeable but not annoying (for me). Overall satisfaction for me is very high and I am happy with the results.
2. 2015 Touareg LUX has Darkside package. And just like with the Passat, I went with all they offer. Malone trans tune (non DSG, not a must but post dieselgate they changed the shif points) I just took delivery of the silencer delete and currently fitting it up. This silencer delete was more for a Euro Q7 but after discussing it with DS folks, I was more than happy to give it a shot. Besides afore mentioned silencer delete, I have about 15k miles on it. Fittment took some minor massaging going in (egg shape a hole on the down pipe-transmission-mount plate). Have put about 6 revisions of the tune on it. The use of this rig is more for long trips. Made 2 round trips from PNW to Rockies totalling 4k miles this past August. SUPER happy with this set up for that purpose. The T-reg was made for open highway, mountain pass, leg-it-out in Idaho 90 mph accross the boring parts. Fuel mileage on the open highway running mountain passes and speeds between 70 - 90 mph I saw and average of 35 mpg (two adults and luggage). Overall satisfaction for me is very high. Struts in rear are reaching Social Security elegibility.

Summary, I am very happy with both. Zero complaints. Differences: Malone was less willing to want any multiple datalogging / tune mod activities for OCD customers like myself. Darkside seemed happy to endulge my OCD and I feel like I have more of a partner on this journey. Zero craftsmanship issues, zero. Both produce works of art! I still have some more room to go on the T-reg (intake needs to come off to clean the soot - thanks to EGR!) and upgrading struts. The Passat is super fun to drive, especially as a daily commuter. Suspension upgrades, 26~mm rear sway bar w/stiffener plate. H & R Sport springs with Koni reds. Lowered it slightly but made a huge, HUGE difference in handling.

 

[adjat84th]

The Rawtek is one of the few options that has a two-piece design that makes install soo much nicer. TRW Performance in Portugal has similar styles for a fraction of cost and their quality on the 3" cat-back I got from them was surprisingly good.
Never had any bad welds from DS stuff either, and I don't think anyone has better customer service.

 

[x1800MODMY360x]

I did my Profidiesel pipe and it went great, only one downside was the hangers are off a little on the downpipe grommet and had to bend to fit.

But for $430 I can't complain too much.

 

[thatwhitejsw]

I went with Eco Diesel Canada and its been great...! Some nice looking pipes and welds. Stage 1 & 2 tunes plus DSG for under $1400 plus lifetime tune updates. Can't complain!

 

[BamaB4S]

I know that......and that is exactly what's attracting the feds to this topic in the 1st place IMO

The stench of ethanol combustion makes me nauseous, but Farmer Brown and Uncle Sam are dancing a little jig.

 

[coolusername]

Malone was less willing to want any multiple datalogging / tune mod activities for OCD customers like myself.

Huh, that's kind of interesting. I'm not doubting your experience, I'm sure that's what they're like with their canned tunes, but when I went CR170 Malone was super communicative. I think I went back and forth about ten times with tune revisions, adjusting smoke, boost, all that stuff. They were great about my concerns and details and I feel confident that I was able to squeeze the most out of my turbo in a safe manner.

As for the pipe, in the end I ended up doing a Rawtek 3" exhaust all the way back and, just like everyone says, it was super nice. Totally overkill but I felt like splurging.

 

[p.e.fletcher]

Can’t speak to the others but have used both Buzzken and Darkside exhaust and both did the job fine no quality issues. Will say that Darkside customer service is absolutely top notch and I would fully expect them to address any type of issue if it does ever come up. Wouldn’t have any concerns. They are great to work with/purchase from IMO.

 

[Pieninja]

The stench of ethanol combustion makes me nauseous, but Farmer Brown and Uncle Sam are dancing a little jig.

Add a high flow cat

 

[scrambld]

Add a high flow cat

Not 100%, but I believe he's referring to E85 type fuels ("gasahol")...?

 

[Jr mason]

The stench of ethanol combustion makes me nauseous, but Farmer Brown and Uncle Sam are dancing a little jig.

Farmer Brown doesn't get as much of the cut as he deserves.
Not that I'm for ethanol - I'm not. But family farms have largely gone by the wayside and it is all by design, courtesy of uncle Sam.
My family has had a dairy farm since 1901. Sold the herd off (250) in September. Tired of working to keep the lights on.
Guess who bought the herd, site unseen....a large (5000+ head) farm 8 hours away. The owner showed up the day of the sale. She was dressed for Wall St not a dairy farm in NE Ohio. We asked, how do you survive off these milk prices. She just laughed, "honey we don't make money off milk we get it back in tax breaks and write offs"
It was enough to make us sick.

 

[Jr mason]

Back on topic....

What is the consensus of the rubber plug Dark Side provides to cap the turbo off? A quick trial fit doesn't allow for a hose clamp to fit well enough for my liking.

Thoughts?

 

[Jr mason]

Back on topic....

What is the consensus of the rubber plug Dark Side provides to cap the turbo off? A quick trial fit doesn't allow for a hose clamp to fit well enough for my liking.

Thoughts?

Got it on. Had to slip the worm gear behind the inlet of the turbo and tighten it from over by the battery.
Awkward, but doable.
Still not sure I'm sold on the rubber plug as a long term solution. Anyone with any kind of time/mileage on this set up?