An open wastegate screams "Ticket me! And harass me frequently in the future!" if you live in a place where noise tickets are given out freely. And you can't always know when a cop is around. It makes you paranoid.

Plus, in my opinion it sounds crappy -- like your exhaust system fell off when you hit the gas.

-Max

 

If your doing stuff that will allow you to hit full boost you have alot more to worry about then a noise ticket don't you think?

 

No. You can certainly hit full boost (or at least enough to pop the gate) on the street without doing anything "unreasonably dangerous". I'm not a kid, and I make a very conscious effort to drive within the limits of safety for the conditions at hand. You can boost and be safe at the same time.

You can squirt around in a reasonably quiet car without drawing much attention to yourself. With an open wastegate, you will draw the attention of everyone within ear shot the moment the wastegate opens. I've driven my car both ways, and I am much happier with the less-attention-grabbing wastegate-back-into-exhaust setup.

-Max

 

From the setups I have heard, the wastegate is still noticeable when it's plumbed back into the downpipe. Is it really that much louder dumped to atmosphere?

Zach

 

The difference can be enormous. It is probably especially large for me since my main exhsut system is so quiet (metallic cat + Magnaflow muffler + RS*R cat-back).

-Max

 

That's true. I didn't think of it that way Max.

Zach