Press left earlier and you will stop on the pipe earlier I do a full jump and hit the ceiling, and almost right after I hit the ceiling I press left Then when I come to a full stop in something like the middle or slightly to the left of the middle of the pipe, I go down.

Are you coming to a COMPLETE STOP on the pipe before going down? Are you holding left in mid-air before you reach the pipe? Mario needs time to slow down before reaching the pipe. You must come to a complete stop before going down the pipe; (so that the screen stops scrolling) otherwise, the screen will keep scrolling and the wrong warp will fail.

It's mostly a muscle memory thing (in other words, it takes practice). But yes, you do in general start holding left well before landing on the pipe.

I don't really know how to explain it, but I'll do my best. Don't hold the down button. And, press left when you hit the top of the pipe until Mario stops.