Do all catless header sound like complete garbage?

[Muskoka800]

Gruppe-S UEL (catless) with JDL Quiet-Pipe (Catted & resonated with integrated over-pipe) into stock mid-pipe and stock axle-back.
Sounds good to me. Pleasing increased sound level inside the cabin without neighbour waking exhaust note. Just what I wanted.
Also, OFT stage II tune. This combo has livened up the mid-range nicely.
No rasp, drone or nasty sounds experienced by the OP.

[RayRay88]

I don't think I've ever heard a graceful cold start from a car with High flow full exhaust (headers and back). I think this is just inherent to cold metal/internal baffling. The cats do wonders in filtering out nasty harmonics.

[86MLR]

Originally Posted by RayRay88

I don't think I've ever heard a graceful cold start from a car with High flow full exhaust (headers and back). I think this is just inherent to cold metal/internal baffling. The cats do wonders in filtering out nasty harmonics.

You can tone it down when fully catless with a catless header and full exhaust, a "good" twin resonated front pipe and a "good" catback does wonders.

Resonators come in different designs internally, and typically different lengths.

Same with catbacks, my ARC GRiP works extremely well mated to a SME resonated front pipe.

Having a good sounding exhaust was a thing way before the introduction of cats.

Simple exhaust design, using sound engineering principles, choosing well designed resonators and mufflers isn't really that hard.

Sadly most don't look at these principles, most look at mass produced shiny brand names.

[Impureclient]

Originally Posted by RayRay88

I don't think I've ever heard a graceful cold start from a car with High flow full exhaust (headers and back). I think this is just inherent to cold metal/internal baffling. The cats do wonders in filtering out nasty harmonics.

Tune out the high rpm cold start and it's fine.

[solidONE]

I would have said keep the stock front pipe and you should be golden, but you dont have that option with this header. All the other headers you can run the stock front pipe and you'll hear a lot less clinking and clanking from the valves.

[Wil]

I don't think UEL vs. EL or catless frontpipe vs. catted frontpipe is the issue here.

It's rather the unpleasant noise that the OFH header makes in the engine bay.
It sounds like a leak (or like the header is made of soda cans...), which makes the car sound like sh*t a lower rpm.

I haven't found any exhaust leaks for the moment.
Is there a more "scientific" method I could try to spot if there's any with my OFT? Just to be sure.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Wil

I don't think UEL vs. EL or catless frontpipe vs. catted frontpipe is the issue here.

It's rather the unpleasant noise that the OFH header makes in the engine bay.
It sounds like a leak (or like the header is made of soda cans...), which makes the car sound like sh*t a lower rpm.

I haven't found any exhaust leaks for the moment.
Is there a more "scientific" method I could try to spot if there's any with my OFT? Just to be sure.

Watch your idle fuel trims, if they’re not 0 plus minus 5 you likely have a leak.

[Wil]

Originally Posted by Yoshoobaroo

Watch your idle fuel trims, if they’re not 0 plus minus 5 you likely have a leak.

ST = - 0.78%
LT = 0%

At idle.

[Yoshoobaroo]

Originally Posted by Wil

ST = - 0.78%
LT = 0%

At idle.

You're probably fine then. The header is just made out of reaaaallly thin metal compared to the stock one, or even a JDL one. This will make it sound a bit helicopter-y.

I ended up going back to a stock header with a Greddy SP catback for some noise. I got tired of the noise and after learning how to drive around the dip, the UEL wasn't worth the ~10hp bump over the tune+catback for me.

*edit* I guess what I'm saying is people shouldn't feel pressured into going Full Bolt On 'bEcAuSE tHe cAR nEeDS iT', there are plenty of us in this community that enjoy the car stock or close to it.

UEL and catted front pipe:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhqJbV_kg8U"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhqJbV_kg8U[/ame]

Stock header and catback:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZYzWFqfQJU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZYzWFqfQJU[/ame]

[Chamaco]

Originally Posted by Wil

I don't think UEL vs. EL or catless frontpipe vs. catted frontpipe is the issue here.

It's rather the unpleasant noise that the OFH header makes in the engine bay.
It sounds like a leak (or like the header is made of soda cans...), which makes the car sound like sh*t a lower rpm.

I haven't found any exhaust leaks for the moment.
Is there a more "scientific" method I could try to spot if there's any with my OFT? Just to be sure.

the OEM front pipe won't get rid of the noise or lower it for that matter. I'm currently running the ACE350 with, OEM front pipe, OEM mid pipe and Magnaflow muffler and still hear the "exhaust leak" "tapping" noise. before that I had straight pipe all the way to the Magnaflow from the Ace350 and it sounded RASPY and LOUD. when I did the current set up it got much quieter 0 rasp and a more "mature" sound.

[Goingnowherefast]

Just want to pop in here to say I also have the weird "exhaust leak" but no exhaust leak sound with the Tomei UEL header.

I've been through 6-7 times either replacing, inspecting, re-torquing, or replacing exhaust components on a lift to identify the leak and I've since just chalked it up to there being no leak, just how the car sounds.

[solidONE]

Originally Posted by Wil

I don't think UEL vs. EL or catless frontpipe vs. catted frontpipe is the issue here.

It's rather the unpleasant noise that the OFH header makes in the engine bay.
It sounds like a leak (or like the header is made of soda cans...), which makes the car sound like sh*t a lower rpm.

I haven't found any exhaust leaks for the moment.
Is there a more "scientific" method I could try to spot if there's any with my OFT? Just to be sure.

I figure you had the ACE. I'm using a long tube PLM header. Stock headerback. No tapping or tin can sound. Remove the stock front pipe and put a test pipe in place, now it sound like a trashcan for mufflers.

So does the front pipe reduce the noise? 100% yes. Does it fix a ugly nasty sounding engine or headers? 100% no. But, it does make the tapping clanking sounds form the valves and header much quieter. Which I though was what we were trying to do here. Reduce those noises.

[RayRay88]

Originally Posted by 86MLR

You can tone it down when fully catless with a catless header and full exhaust, a "good" twin resonated front pipe and a "good" catback does wonders.

Resonators come in different designs internally, and typically different lengths.

Same with catbacks, my ARC GRiP works extremely well mated to a SME resonated front pipe.

Having a good sounding exhaust was a thing way before the introduction of cats.

Simple exhaust design, using sound engineering principles, choosing well designed resonators and mufflers isn't really that hard.

Sadly most don't look at these principles, most look at mass produced shiny brand names.

Of course, i'm not arguing that the car doesn't need resonators and properly tuned exhausts to get it to sound "good".

The fact of the matter is, highflowing/low restriction exhausts, made of thin wall materials, will naturally sound "raspy" or unpleasant. It's just harmonics.

There is a reason why exotic car manufacturers and larger makers spend millions tuning exhausts and making their cars "sound a specific way".

[JIM THEO]

Originally Posted by Muskoka800

Gruppe-S UEL (catless) with JDL Quiet-Pipe (Catted & resonated with integrated over-pipe) into stock mid-pipe and stock axle-back.
Sounds good to me. Pleasing increased sound level inside the cabin without neighbour waking exhaust note. Just what I wanted.
Also, OFT stage II tune. This combo has livened up the mid-range nicely.
No rasp, drone or nasty sounds experienced by the OP.

That's more or less the setup I'll have when I fit the Berk catted frontpipe custom resonated and hope it will not rasp/rattle