mine is around 18" also. I dont believe I have any leaks on my hot side, I dont see any carbon build up on my welds and I dont hear any distinctive leaks. I do get alot of backfiring when coming off of a pull. and thats when I smell most of the raw fuel smell. the car was running well with out any stuttering this morning, then I made some adjustments on the fitech for decel to try and get rid of the backfiring issue, after I made the adjustments is when it seemed to start running crappy. I reset back to default for the fitech but it still stumbles at a cruise above 2000 rpm.