Begi or ETD t3 manifold?
 

Which of the two do you guys think is better?

ETDs but BEGIs can use an off the shelf downpipe. Your choice.

I would probably make my own downpipe with a friend helping.

The ETD supposedly has one bolt that is difficult to reach with a wrench but people say it's doable, just takes more time than most would like (middle bottom nut). The ETD should flow better, it's all up to you though man. If you want cast then get cast if you want a well flowing shorty tubular then get the ETD.

I've debated between the two also. Turbo position on the Begi sits a little lower so depending on the turbo it can hit the "shelf" area of the chasses. The ETD turbo position from what I can tell sits higher which concerns me with how close it is to the braking system. You can address both potential issues so I'm going with cast manifold for reliability, and I'm not looking for that much power. hth

MY BEGI T25 manifold has a nut that is VERY difficult, is the lower nut that sits between 2/3. I had to grind down a significant amount of the wrench to get this bolt.

what about the JGS mani?

I would choose the JGS last of either of these.

make your own out of sch40
if not, then ETD for flow