Hey everyone,

I got my PPE headers installed while I was out of town this week and just picked the car up today. It definitely sounds meaner, not a whole lot louder, but much more presence. My first question, is it normal to hear a loud swooshing type noise coming from the passenger side of the car under acceleration? Normal driving, there is no noise, but give the car some gas and it almost sounds like a turbo spooling up in there somewhere. I definitely did not have this sound prior to the headers being put on. I have the Joe Z intake pipe and stock filter.

Also, it could be in my head, but I feel like the car may be a tick slower in the lower revs now. It really picks up and throws down the power as the revs climb though. Again, are others seeing this too?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Kevin

 

Congrats on the headers! The "swoosh" sound you refer to is normal with headers although I don't notice it coming from just one side. Check out the recent exhaust combination vids posted by VtotheJ and you can hear a distinct sound with the cars with headers regardless of their exhaust setup.

As for the the loss of power in low rpms - based on what I've seen from others as well as my own dyno results, the torque / hp pickup seems to be significant across the rpm range. At least from 2.5K on. The perception of less power could be related to traction control working more aggressively than before.

Enjoy the new power!

--
Todd

 

Yea the noise is definitely coming from just the front passenger side. It sounds like air moving and is very similar to my Legacy GT's turbo sound. I did watch VtotheJ's video, which was quite awesome btw, but none of the setups had the similar sound. Could be you need to be moving under load to hear it too. I am not sure if the JoeZ intake pipe is making the sound more noticeable as well.

It's amazing how great the setup sounds though. Caymandive was right, the slight droning noise that I had around 1,800-2,000 rpms is now gone upon the installation. After driving it a lot more today, the power increase is quite nice. From about 3k on up it just pulls and pulls. I can't wait to get to the dyno in the next few weeks and see what I'm putting down. Here are a couple pictures of the install.

 

I just had my Sikky headers and Borla exhaust installed as well just this week. But the droning or boominess below 2,000 rpms is to loud for me. How many miles did you drive the F before it disappeared? I actually ordered the venturis from Borla, a member, RECURSIVEL, was talking about to remove the boominess. I actually have the "swooshing" sound as well.
Also, are you experiencing any rattling or rubbing when turning? Did you have a subframe alignment already?

Thanks for the reply..

 

In a couple of weeks you'll think the borla and PPE will be not loud enough.

 

For me, the pre-header sound of the Borla was right on my boarderline of acceptability. Around 1,800-2,000 rpms the sound could just be terrible, depending on your throttle input. I have found that with the PPE headers on now, that resonance seems to be gone, but the overall exhaust note is slightly louder. A tradeoff I am perfectly happy with. So to answer your question, I didn't do anything but install the headers, and it was gone the first time I drove it.

Do you have an intake or intake pipe on your car? I would assume that this amplifies the "swooshing" noise.

I have about 250 miles on the new setup, and no rattling or rumbling when turning. We put the car back on the rack to check alignment post install, and everything was good. Hope you figure out the cause of the rubbing.

Kevin

 

Glad to hear I wasn't imagining the sound change! Thanks for confirming what I've been saying for some time.

 

nice diy install!

 

good job doing it at home. i'll be tackling this as well. nice to see another DIYer

 

Thanks for replying. I have a Joe Z intake which might be amplifying the swooshing sound. Believe or not, I think my car is quieting down which is a good thing for me. Midwest folks as you know are a little conservative and sensitive to loud exhausts.

 

Nice addition to the F!! Where did you have the install done in the twin cities, Elite?

 

Elite is closed, Cris. LOL. I had it done at Automotive Concepts in New Hope.

 

Yea, so I packed the family in the car today to run some errands, the wife thinks it is far too loud. She seems to be extra sensitive to loud exhausts. I think it sounds just right.

 

Great Pics, probably the best pics i've seen of an actual header install.

But do you have pics of the engine/headers post installation?

 

Talking about our better halves, coming home from C&C this morning, my wife commented that she heard me coming from afar and noticed that the F was really louder. She asked that I refrain from revving in the garage as this would unsettle my neighbors. Women in general would not be able to appreciate. That is why we went shopping for Coach bags today.