ZRE152 / ZRE182 exhaust compatability

[Rattle Rattleson]

Hi,

Does anyone happen to know if the exhaust systems of the ZRE152 hatch and ZRE182 hatch are identical, especially as regards mounting / hanging points, etc?

Although I realise these are not even "warm" hatches I am drawn to the rather pleasant and sporty tone of the TRD high response mufflers together with the fact that they are not really that much louder than the stock exhaust and so won't draw attention to the car (something I don't want). It sort of gives some of that original "twin cam" feel of the early Toyota / Suzuki twin cam motors from the 1980s :)

But looking at the TRD parts catalogue, they don't have anything listed for anything later than the ZRE152, which to me seems more of an oversight - or at least a possible indicator that it still fits the current ZRE182 model given this model is two years old now.

I did read a post here from early 2012 where someone put a TRD exhaust on the ZRE152 but there wasn't any feedback as I think it was reported via a third party.

Anyway, I'd certainly be interested in acquiring the TRD part as I am not comfortable with another brand, especially as almost every aftermarket exhaust I have seen is illegal (either too loud or have variable baffles which are also street illegal). So if anyone has put a TRD exhaust on the ZRE182 or has otherwise looked at both models to compare the exhaust systems, I'd appreciate the feedback.

Thanks

[Extreemius]

Hey man - I'd actually like to know as well - I'm after three TRD parts myself and would also eventually get the exhaust as well!

PTR40-02080

PTR02-12080-COR

PTR11-12080

These are the three TRD parts I'm after - I have the 2013 Corolla Ascent Sport!

[Rattle Rattleson]

Having done more research into this, I think it is too risky to go ahead unless someone has already fitted a TRD exhaust successfully to the ZRE182. TRD do list a centre-exiting exhaust for the ZRE186 which has the same chassis and bumper shroud, but it requires changing the bumper shroud for a TRD diffuser (exhaust exits under diffuser), which makes the whole thing ridiculously expensive unless you are going after that "look".

The closest part I could find in the TRD catalogue is part no. MS153-12009. It's listed for a few models including the ZRE152 Corolla and the overseas equivalents of our Rukus that use the 2ZR-FE engine. After exchanging quite few emails with Garage88 yesterday (good, quick responses and helpful), the cost excluding local shipping is $600. That was the best price I could get after checking with some other places.

The problem is that although I am fairly sure the TRD part MS153-12009 will interface to the existing exhaust flange and rear exhaust hanger, I am not sure the tip will clear the stock bumper shroud sufficiently. I found a website that had OEM parts diagrams for both the ZRE152 and ZRE182 and although the rear exhausts share the same part number prefix and look identical, they have a different part number suffix. Then again, they could be the identical part and Toyota merely give them different suffixes simply because they are destined for different models or perhaps the ZRE182 has some minor revisions that do not effect mounting points, etc.

If you look at the TRD part MS153-12009, however, the piping is the same diameter as stock (2 inch?) but the tip is much larger. Then if you compare that to how the stock exhaust fits in relation to the bumper shroud, you can see my misgivings about it fitting as regards the tip itself. It well might fit but there is no way to really know unless you have the part in your hands ready to fit.

In the end I suspect it would fit OK but I don't have $600 to throw around unless I know it will fit, since then I'd have to on-sell it at a loss to a ZRE152 owner.

I don't really know why TRD did not bring out an exhaust for the ZRE182 specifically, since it was effectively the successor to the ZRE182 and the ZRE182 has been around - at least here - for two years now. As I say, if someone has fitted the part successfully I would not hesitate to buy it. I wish there was a contact email for TRD directly but there does not seem any way to contact them. And dealers don't really want to help out regarding TRD any further than looking up the parts catalogue - something anyone can do.

Here is a link to pictures of a used MS153-12009 on eBay. You can see what I mean about the tip size relative to pipe size and you can then compare that to your stock exhaust.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/TOYOTA-Auris-ZRE152H-Corolla-Rumion-ZRE152N-High-Response-Muffler-Ver-S-/141426795376?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item20edb1a370

[Rattle Rattleson]

Ah, stuff it. I took another good hard look under the rear end of my ZRE182 today whilst also looking long and hard at that photo of the MS153-12009 exhaust. Now I think it is likely that it will fit. I think the tip expands at a point where it will still clear the shroud, since the tail pipe is aiming downwards at that point and it is a little longer than the stock one (so the tip will stick out more than the stock one does and hence be a bit lower to begin with).

So I have bitten the bullet and ordered the part through Jerry at Garage 88. Extremely helpful bloke. $600 which is by far the best price I could find and seemingly reasonable considering people were paying around $500 for these around 6 years ago.

Once I get it I won't take it out of the wrapping at first - I will just measure the flange to hanger distance and compare that to the stock exhaust. I will then only attempt to unwrap and install it if the distances are the same. If it does not pass that fundamental measurement test then at least no other ZRE182 owner will have to waste money on it. And a member here will get a brand new exhaust for the ZRE152 at a considerably reduced price. And I won't be buying Christmas presents for anyone.

But I will try to think positive :) Before ordering it I did download that picture from eBay and checked it Microsoft Paint to try and ascertain what the length is between the flange and hanger mount. Based on the eBay picture it seemed to be roughly 82 cm based on an exhaust pipe diameter between the muffler and flange of 53mm. And when I measured my stock muffler and flange piping, it was also roughly 82 cm. So a good start. I am feeling positive the part will fit without any dramas.

I will update once I get the part.

Edited October 15, 2014 by Rattle Rattleson

[adrenalinmotorsports]

Great post! Please keep us posted on how you go. Is the exhaust cat back or does it bolt onto a flange between the cat and muffler somewhere? Be really interested in hearing the sound. If it all hooks up o you will have to post a vid on youtube or something and post up the link :)

[juvenile]

Rattle Rattleson you have PM

Unfortunately for the 182 TRD only have the centre mount muffler which you'll need to also purchase their rear bumper diffuser. I have the Modellista muffler but they don't make one for the 182 either, they only have dual chrome tips,no muffler

[Rattle Rattleson]

Thanks for the info. Yes, I saw the centre exhaust / diffuser combo earlier in the week (Jerry at Garage88 mentioned it as well). But I don't want to alter the rear bumper cosmetics at all, let alone radically, plus the all-up cost is extremely high.

Adrenalinmotorsports,

The part consists of the pipe leading from the rear flange joint to the muffler, muffler itself, tail pipe plus tip. You can see it in the photo I linked to. So it is an axleback, not a catback. TRD never made any catbacks for the ZRE models that I am aware of. I was intending to post photos plus audio files if it all works out, though no loud crazy revving - just enough so that you get the idea over stock. But if it is like I am expecting, it should just be a slightly louder sound than stock, but noticeably more "sporty" sounding - I am pretty much expecting it to be somewhat like the original AE82 Corolla twin cam, which had a very similar stock exhaust compared to what I would end up with after installing the TRD part. I don't want to change the character that much and I certainly don't really want it much louder, which is why I picked the TRD part - it is Japanese emission / noise law friendly which means it is fine for Australia as well. Last thing I would want is a "loud" exhaust or anything that draws un-neccessary attention to the car. The TRD exhaust parts are relatively subtle improvements and more like what you would expect from the Toyota factory if they hypothetically brought out a fully compliant "sports" version of a 4 cylinder Corolla.

[adrenalinmotorsports]

Sounds good, look fwd to hearing how it goes!

[Rattle Rattleson]

Well don't get too excited. It's a 50% bet I will end up with either an exhaust that does not fit or one that is illegal due to noise regulations. Even if it fits I still need to run a exhaust noise test on it to ensure the car's exhaust noise is still legal. And under the latest ADRs and EPA regulations, the ZRE182 Corollas (along with anything else manufactured after 2011) needs to meet extremely stringent noise regulations pertaining to the exhaust.

Without going into too much detail, the test for the Corolla ZRE182 hatch is that the noise level cannot exceed 83 dB when measured using an "A" weighted sound meter (set to fast response) when placed a distance of 500 mm from the rear of the exhaust tip at a 45 degree angle (microphone is at exhaust height). Then the engine needs to be revved to exactly 3750 RPM whilst the gearbox is in neutral and the throttle then suddenly released. The resulting loudest reading taken during this whole process is the noise level for the purposes of the EPA test (thus determining if the car is legal or not).

There are lots of details regarding the rules but basically the Toyota ZRE182 Corolla hatchback has a prescribed noise level of 78 dB for this test (as per the Government's Green Vehicle Guide Stationary Noise Level for the 5 door ZRE182 Corolla Hatch), however there is a 5dB allowance over and above that. That's how you get the 83 dB, however I think some of that allowance is to allow for the ageing of the car and exhaust system.

Anyway, since I already own the required gear (Class 2 meter plus tripod), I did the test on my Corolla this afternoon. The readings I got were 77.5 dB and 77.8 dB. What this means is that Toyota gives us nothing to play with and all we have is the 5 dB EPA allowance.

The bottom line is that if the TRD exhaust is more than 5 dB louder than the stock exhaust, it is illegal and I'll have to take it off regardless of whether it fits perfectly or not.

Had I been thoroughly acquainted with the severity of the news laws I would not have risked it, even though subjectively I think the TRD exhausts are relatively quiet and possibly within the 5dB allowance. The saving grace is that since the measurement is "A" weighted, the fact that the tone becomes a bit more "bassy" to add to the volume makes it easier on the "A" weighted reading, since we humans are less sensitive to bass sounds than we are midrange sounds. I think if the TRD exhaust "passes", it is going to right on the absolute limit.

Another ridiculous thing about all of these new rules. Somehow, the Green Vehicle test done on the Toyota Corolla Sedan manual transmission seems to have been stuffed up by the Government (or Toyota). It has an 89 dB rating which means according to the official sources, that exhaust is more than twice as loud as the one on the hatchback version (a 10 dB increase in sound pressure levels is a subjective doubling in loudness). Which of course is utter nonsense, since the CVT version of the sedan measures "normally" at 80 dB (though interestingly still 2 dB louder than the hatch). The bottom line is that if you wish to buy a current model Corolla and you love noisy exhausts, buy the sedan and then install the loudest possible exhaust you can find for it, since you can legally have that exhaust at 94 dB - only 1 dB below the levels they black flagged you at Amaroo Park in the racing days for excessive noise!!. Enjoy the Government loophole lol!!

[Rattle Rattleson]

Just received a call from Jerry at Garage88 to say my exhaust has arrived, so TRD still make the part. However as they are all heading to a trade show in the US for two weeks, I mightn't get it for while (though they are going to try and get it delivered Tuesday). I am pretty busy between now and end of year anyway so I am not sure when I will have the time to test it for correct fit, install it (if it fits) and then test it for noise compliance. But I just thought I would at least update the thread to say the part does still exist and can be purchased.

[juvenile]

Excellent, looking forward to some pics..

Found a rare pic of the current TRD one

[Rattle Rattleson]

Thanks for that picture. Lucky I did not buy the TRD ZRE182 "centre" exhaust then. It won't fit any Australian Corolla as it obviously only fits ZRE182 Corollas with the independent rear end (ours have torsion beams).

Anyway, good news! I received the exhaust yesterday afternoon and having today off, I have already fitted it and test driven the car! I am very impressed with it. It fitted without any modifications, though the metal hanger bracket on the exhaust itself is in a very slightly different position and angle on the TRD ZRE152 exhaust versus the stock Australian ZRE182 exhaust. What this means in practice is that the rubber hanger does not fall perfectly vertically once the TRD exhaust is installed, but is very slightly canted and twisted (but only a matter of a few degrees). It is probably something no one would ever notice unless you pointed it out. The rubber hanger is not actually being stretched or pulled - we are only talking about 1cm difference alignment and you have that big chunk of hanger rubber to absorb that difference. It also does not prevent the tail pipe and tip from being properly aligned - they look perfect. Finally, it did not add any complications to the installation process. I doubt this minor alignment issue will cause any problems down the track but it would be prudent to check the rubber hanger every 6 months or so. Apart from that, the new TRD exhaust fitted perfectly.

The exhaust actually came with the internal flange gasket (I had already bought a new one from my local Toyota dealer for $16) plus the two flange bolts. The flange bolts it comes with are slightly different to the stock ones (though thread diameter and pitch are the same). I actually prefer the stock Toyota ones as they are longer and have a taper at the end making them easier to insert. So I bought two from the Toyota dealer (only a couple of dollars each) and have just kept the ones supplied with the TRD exhaust as spares.

The tip hangs well - not too high, not too low and it does not stick out past the rear bumper insert (I was a bit worried that it might, but it hangs very nicely). You might think from some of my supplied photos that the exhaust actually hangs too low but it is actually fine. It does give this illusion because the muffler is thinner and therefore there is more space around the heat shields and torsion beams. But the new tip is pretty much still at the same height off the ground as the stock tip.

If you wish to buy this part and install it yourself, I would recommend you try to find a mate to help you. I did the job solo and it would have been much easer with two people - especially when removing the old one from the hanger, installing the new one on the hanger and to hold the original muffler when undoing those pesky 14mm head bolts (they are very tight indeed and you will need to apply considerable torque to loosen them). I had all the right tools (including an exhaust hanger removal tool) but it was still difficult with one person. I ended up putting bubble wrap on the rear end stiffeners, torsion bean, left rear spring and the exhaust components themselves, just to be certain I did not accidentally scratch anything during the removal and installation process, given at certain times three pairs of hands or even four would have been good. As it was, I never hit anything but it was better to be safe and sure.

After installation, I ran a noise meter test comparable to the ADR 83/00 Stationary Noise test. Under that test, the EPA requires a maximum noise measurement of 78 dbA plus another 5dBA for the 6 speed manual hatch, making a permissible exhaust noise level of 83 dBA (if you were ever to get one of those letters from the EPA, 83 dBA is what will be quoted as the maximum allowable if you own the manual hatch). I measured 82.7 dBA (versus my stock exhaust measurement of 77.8 dB),so this exhaust would appear to just scrape in as legal, despite it actually still being quieter than a completely stock Toyota Yaris exhaust! It is, however, almost 5 dB louder than the stock Corolla hatch exhaust. I should add some caveats here. My noise meter is a class 2 one whereas the noise meters used by the EPA are class 1, meaning they are more accurate than mine (mine is specified to be accurate to 1.5 dB, though that is not to say it can be accurate to within 0.2 dB too). Secondly, I am obviously not a professional tester, so although I attempted to duplicate the ADR83/00 test as accurately as I could, in the end it is an EPA measurement that determines compliance and nothing else. On the plus side, however, my stock measurement was only 0.2 dBA different to the EPA one for the stock Corolla so it is possible that my TRD measurement is similarly accurate. Furthermore, if the EPA take a reading to a fraction of a decimal, they have to round it down. So my reading would actually have been 82 dBA, not 82.7 dBA had this been what the meter used by the EPA had measured. Finally, I would be really amazed if anyone with this exhaust on this car would ever receive an EPA notice or fail rego. The car so modified is quieter than many brand new stock cars and there are plenty of stock small cars around that are louder than this - even with the TRD exhaust fitted. The stock Yaris being one of them as mentioned. One other thing to bear in mind is that the TRD muffler itself bears a plaque which my research indicates is a noise compliance "certificate". Apparently since around 2010, any Japanese mufflers have to be rated to a maximum of 82 dBA. Given that I measured 82.7 dBA, if you round it down according to the internationally accepted rules (the ADR83/00 test methodology appears to be one that is adopted more or less worldwide, or at the very least throughout most of Europe form where most of our emissions compliance rules originate), then I also got a reading identical to the muffler's 82 dbA rating.

When I was driving around having fitted it, no one turned around and looked. No one seemed to care. Which is good. I did not want a car that would attract any attention. The only interested person was my neighbour after I had run the ADR83/00 test. He came over and wondered if I had bought a new car.

Anyway, to the exhaust itself. Unfortunately I do not have way to make a decent fidelity audio recording so any attempt to do so would just be misleading. There are enough YouTube videos of TRD exhausts and pretty much any of the TRD exhausts fitted to late model Corollas (even US ones) or the Scion tC would give you as good idea as any of the sound. There is definitely a TRD exhaust "house sound" and this one is no exception.

Inside the car, the exhaust now has a more baritone flavour, has a bit more meat and vigour and makes an especially pleasant, crisp, resonating sound on trailing throttle. So much so that I actually enjoyed taking my foot off the throttle simply to enjoy the sporty noise! Heel and toe downshifting is also now more fun, since the sound you get the from the engine / exhaust seems much more in line with what you are actually doing with the controls.

But the thing that surprised me more than anything is that the car actually does seem to go better and also that it has noticeably better throttle response. I was not really expecting either of those things, since we really have just changed the last 1.1 metres of pipe and a muffler. Yet the difference was sufficiently obvious I would bet my house that if I were completely deaf I could still tell a Corolla with this exhaust versus one with the stock exhaust. This exhaust really does go a significant way to making the engine feel like it has a cable throttle instead of a fly by wire one. Furthermore, the engine now just seems to rev more happily. It now feels just as happy and unstrained at 3,000 as it does at 5,000. If anything, it now seems to be smoother and happier the faster it spins (within reason of course).

Perhaps the best way to summarise it is that this is the exhaust Toyota should have put on the Levin models as "stock". It looks the sporty part, I am sure it does help performance and it definitely beyond any question at all improves throttle response. Who knows, it could do for the Corolla what the dual exhaust does for the stock Camry - 135 kW versus 133 kW for the "standard exhaust". So Toyota might even have been able to claim a higher output which - however small - would still have differentiated the Levins from the two base models. I had also added an Apexi air filter at the last service and the two combined definitely make the Corolla a better car to drive, especially if you are sensitive to throttle response and were brought up on cars that had cable throttles.

Anyway, I am very happy with this purchase. I don't regret the expenditure at all and I think I am pretty safe when it comes to ADR83/00 noise emissions (though I will be keeping the stock exhaust anyway). Put it this way. If some clowny prude reported a car that makes less noise than a standard Yaris, I certainly won't be putting the stock exhaust back on for an EPA test!

I did take quite a few pictures but for some reason was unable to upload them. If anyone can suggest why I can't do this, please let me know so that I can upload them.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Rattle Rattleson

[adrenalinmotorsports]

Thanks for the detailed info! Just looked up a few trd exhaust vids on youtube, and keen to know does it sound like any of these ones in particular? More or less noise than these etc? Thanks in advance for your help!

TRD Muffler Exhaust Toyota Corolla 8th gen 2001:

Toyota corolla 2000 TRD exhaust sound:

2014 S Plus Corolla With TRD Exhaust:

[Rattle Rattleson]

You have to be careful judging people's videos. The quality of the recorder, recording, microphone and distance / angle from the exhaust make a big difference. That's why I am reluctant to attempt to record it as it will likely mislead people. But the first of those three videos is the closest. As far as loudness is concerned, because it meets the stringent Japanese requirements of <= 82 dBA (which I also measured once installed), it is never going to be a "loud" exhaust. As I say, it is about as loud as a stock Yaris, but unlike a stock Yaris, the sound has a very clear sporty pretension, a very pleasant tone and it let's you get a better idea of what the engine is doing. Put it this way, my neighbour noticed the difference immediately, and he isn't a car enthusiast - he thought I had bought a new sporty hot hatch or something when I was doing the noise testing lol. And you will definitely notice a difference under foot in terms of the engine feeling more like it has a cable throttle rather than this fly-by-wire stuff.

I've now been driving it a couple of weeks and I had to drive Mum's Yaris around yesterday. Up until this exhaust change, the Yaris had always had the better actual throttle response (though obviously it never did much compared to the Corolla when you did press the throttle). Now it is the other way around and it is the Yaris that is doughy in terms of throttle response. To put it another way, with the TRD exhaust, the Corolla feels like the Swift Sport I was test driving a couple of years ago - both in terms of throttle response and performance.

But you best do a decent job of it and swap out the air filter as well (I put in an Apexi as I was a bit worried about oiled filters). Suddenly after years of never taking a car out of the garage, I am actually now taking this Corolla out because I want to drive it - funny how two very minor tweaks can make the car cross that line between a car that gets you from A to B and a car that actually puts a smile on your face.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Rattle Rattleson

[adrenalinmotorsports]

Awesome thanks so much for the info! A few more quick questions for you if you dont mind.

1. Is your corollla manual or cvt? Ive got a cvt and its the first auto car ive owned and can obviously notice the autos arent as responsive off the line as a manual, wondering whether this exhaust might help with that? By the sounds of your info above, it may well.

2. Did the dry panel filter add any induction noise or not really? Can you please advise of the part number and send a link to site u purchased it from?

Thanks heaps for your help :)

[Rattle Rattleson]

I purchased my Apexi filter here, however you might be able to get a better price from Garage88

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400732607761?

The Apexi filter if anything was very slightly quieter than the stock filter. I attribute this to the stock filter being made out of a single piece of material which includes the sealing on the edges - only it is a higher density and more compressed on the edges. The Apexi filter, however, has a dedicated rubberised seal independent of the filtering material. So although it permits a better air flow, it creates a better seal around the airbox edges. This probably accounts for it definitely not making the intake any louder and if anything it is slightly more subdued.

My car is a manual. I can't really say how the filter / exhaust might change response in the CVT. Remember that these tweaks effect the manual and auto engine models in precisely the same way, so I would expect some sort of difference, even with a CVT. But remember that I am talking about response here and response does not necessarily equate to more power or torque. It means that when you change the position of the throttle, there is far less lag between moving your foot and the engine actually doing something. Whether these two tweaks actually add any power I can't say, however based on how they have improved other Toyota NA engines, then my guess is you probably get about 3 more kW in total from both these changes. This is just an educated guess based on what more powerful Toyota NA engines have gotton on a dyno when they have had a TRD exhaust and filter added and I have then reduced the total gain for the Corolla based on a lack of relative power compared to the engines tested (i.e. the more powerful engines like the one in the 2.0 litre 86 or 2.5 litre Scions made more gains than 3 kw).

I'd suggest that you get the Apexi filter first then drive around with it for a few hundred kms. If you notice an improvement then the exhaust should offer you more of that. I'd say the filter gave me about 35% and the exhaust about 65% in terms of making the bog standard Corolla engine feel like the engine in a Swift Sport.

btw, I decided to make a recording of my exhaust using my Windows 8 phone, so the quality is not very good. This was with the car sitting in the driveway after the weekly shopping trip. I just gently pressed the throttle lightly a few times - just enough really to increase the revs to around 3,000 - so I was barely cracking the throttle open. Then you hear me drive it into the garage. Obviously if I had been remotely aggressive with the throttle, you would have gotten what you hear in those other videos, but living in a very quiet street with doctors, laywers and engineers as next door neighbours, I'm not one for making un-necessary noise :)

https://www.sendspace.com/file/zr3czw

Edited November 23, 2014 by Rattle Rattleson

[Rattle Rattleson]

Pictures:

[adrenalinmotorsports]

Sounds & looks great! Did you have to do any welding or is it just a few bolts at the axle flange location and "clipping on" the pre-welded hangers to the rubber exhaust mounts?

[Rattle Rattleson]

It's the two 14mm bolts at the exhaust flange plus the one rear hanger at the rear end of the muffler. No welding or anything else required. As I mentioned, the hanger on the TRD exhaust itself is at a slightly different angle to the stock ZRE182 exhaust, so the rubber hanger will have a very mild twist in it but it is barely noticeable (see my previous post 12 for details). If you were pedantic you could have an exhaust shop re-align the metal hanger to make it a perfect fit for the rubber hanger but I don't really see the point.

But please read my post 12 as it gives more details. This is really a two person job unless you are very careful and patient and can raise the car sufficiently high so that you have ample room to work underneath. Otherwise it's probably better to leave it to a professional exhaust shop. The stock bolts are on extremely tight (even after soaking them in WD40) and the necessary torque is hard to apply unless you have a long bar and thus ample room under the car for leverage. And unless you have an exhaust hanger removal tool (about $40 - $50), trying to remove the stock hanger will be a nightmare, especially on a car fairly new and with "tight" exhaust rubbers and especially with the Corolla where it is not at an easy angle to apply the tool. I already had all the tools but if you don't you might as well leave it to the shop to do.

As I also mentioned, it is worth buying two stock bolts from the Toyota dealer as they are better than the replacement bolts supplied with the exhaust. You do not need to buy a new gasket as one is supplied with the exhaust.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Rattle Rattleson