Back from the dead because I've got things to add, my new muffler:
I have an n/a with mild bolts-ons, Hotshot gen 3 header, OEM cat, and VRS 2.5" SS catback exhaust with the biggest magnaflow resonator that would fit. For over a year now I've been running the 6" magnaflow round exhaust that came with the VRS kit. Overall, it had a deeper tone and was not raspy. But it was loud and droned on the interstate, which was very annoying. Chatting with Ameen, he clued me in that somebody here had put an STi muffler on their car. Searching found that Vadim had done it and after some PMs with him over the details, I decided to take the plunge. Here are the pics of the magnaflow next to the STi muffler (with the original subaru piping and hangers):
Not knowing how well it would fit under the car (nor how it sounded), I took it to a local shop which used crushed bent 2.5" aluminized tubing to install it on my car (cost $75 and took an hour to do). Since 2.5" is too big for an n/a DE w/o cams, I don't feel too bad about the crush bends for now. When I drop the VE in, I will redo the muffler properly with manderal bends. Here's what they did with the hangers and tubing:
Here's how tight it fits under the body:
Clearance under the car:
For reference, from the ground to the top of my rear wheel arch is 22 3/4":
Here's a vid of it. Best not to watch the video, just listen to it, as my camera could not decide what to focus on. The last 15 seconds or so is the car idling, you can hear how quiet it is now.