Swift's Supercharged Black Limited BRZ

[swift996]

Quick update. I got the header installed but have an exhaust leak from hell. One sounds like it's coming from the drivers side bank and the other at the overpipe connection. Hopefully I can find somewhere to run it to tomorrow and get them to tighten things up. Several bolts are a pain in the rear. I probably didn't tighten down the bolts enough.

[Khazzy]

Originally Posted by swift996

Quick update. I got the header installed but have an exhaust leak from hell. One sounds like it's coming from the drivers side bank and the other at the overpipe connection. Hopefully I can find somewhere to run it to tomorrow and get them to tighten things up. Several bolts are a pain in the rear. I probably didn't tighten down the bolts enough.

Did you use a torque wrench? The Perrin exhaust I installed said 25ft lbs which isnt terribly much. Also did you do the tightening as even on both sides as possible? I still need to check mine as well but I have not noticed any leaks at all. I know this is completely different area of bolting but just curious.

But tightening down one side then doing the other can cause a uneven seal and therefore a leak. Car looks great by the way.

[swift996]

Originally Posted by Khazzy

Did you use a torque wrench? The Perrin exhaust I installed said 25ft lbs which isnt terribly much. Also did you do the tightening as even on both sides as possible? I still need to check mine as well but I have not noticed any leaks at all. I know this is completely different area of bolting but just curious.

But tightening down one side then doing the other can cause a uneven seal and therefore a leak. Car looks great by the way.

Thanks and yeah I did the best I could to evenly torque down the bolts evenly. The fitment is near impossible to get a wrench on two of the bolts. The same is true on the overpipe connection due to the O2 sensor. I might need to get a little thicker of a bolt, none were supplied. I was just hoping to run it by a shop with more tools and knowledge of what will work. I was in my driveway on jackstands. Perhaps on a lift it's easier to get to the bolts.

[Khazzy]

Yeah i put my car on a lift but i also have access to one on base luckily. Make a world of difference with full arm extension. Best of luck, those pipes look great!

[swift996]

Install/Impressions Update:

So having the exhaust leak I ran it up to PTunning and they were able to help me out this morning. They tightened up the V-band T-clamp and ended up dropping the header and putting my new gaskets in. I ran into a few snags on the install and overall was a complete pain in the rear. For those who don't have patience, I'd recommend having them installed by a pro. There are a few very tight fitments which make it really hard to tighten bolts.

It still sounds like there is a slight exhaust leak potentially from the V-band. I'm hoping I can get Brady @ Pure Performance to take a look at it when I go up there on Saturday for a local meet.

The car has a good amount of additional torque. It pulls harder as well. It seems to be a fuller acceleration feeling. Overall, about what you would expect out of a header. Pretty happy with the results, but still not 100% and just overly frustrated with it right now...I'll give it a few days.

Also - It's got a little more tone under load but not significant. I'm running the catted version. So for those concerned about noise, it's not an issue. No CEL either.





Quick update: took it out for a spin at lunch and the leak noise seems to have become very slight. Perhaps things will warm up and seal up nice. There is definite improvement in the power band, more torque and it pulls harder up top. I'm running a UniChip tune but thinking with a dyno tune with this header, you might squeak out a few more ponies. It really comes alive on the backroads, you notice it. It isn't enough to say drop everything you're doing and go order a header now. I'm happy with the gains. This car stock has a little trouble stopping and going, now it's very well balanced and the overall performance level is increased. I can keep much faster momentum in/threw/and out of turns.

I can't wait to get the R2s in and the new rubber. I'll be getting the car dynoed next Saturday (@ Performance Autosport in Richmond, VA - DynoJet) and will post the results.

[FA20Club.com]

typically the vbands leak when cold and seal up after a minute or so once the metal expands.

[swift996]

Originally Posted by FA20Club.com

typically the vbands leak when cold and seal up after a minute or so once the metal expands.

Thanks, it's also been a pretty cold up here so hopefully it will all seal up nicely. It's less noticeable now from when I first accelerated full throttle in a higher gear (low speed). So I'm guessing it was at the V-band. I'll let you know if the problem persists next week as I get some more miles on it.

[JoeBoxer]

Just sent another email checking on the coilovers, i'm so sorry it's taking this long for them to come in but i promise they will get there as soon as humanly possible once they make it here.

[swift996]

Originally Posted by JoeBoxer

Just sent another email checking on the coilovers, i'm so sorry it's taking this long for them to come in but i promise they will get there as soon as humanly possible once they make it here.

Thanks Joe, I know you're not slacking off...I'm just super anxious as I'm so close to getting everything done that I wanted to get done initially. Let me know when you know more. I've built up my tool selection and am ready to install.

[swift996]

Just some OBD II fun:

I did a few data logging sessions before and after the header install. Take this with a grain of salt, it's a virtual dyno with values loaded from a ebay blueooth OBD II reader to my android. (Real dyno coming next Sat)

Red line w/ header, blue line w/o header...you can see the torque flatten, first time it's looked like that:


Here is a comparisson with those and the green line which was just the AEM intake running a injen unichip map:


Here's my Torque layout. I just figured out how to add oil temp, so I'll be putting that on there!


Oil Temp working!:

[swift996]

Update:

Received my P&L uncatted front-pipe from a forum member as part of a package deal. I'm still debating on whether to run this or not. I don't have to worry about emissions, just not drawing attention. I might give it a try this weekend and see how it sounds and performs.

[swift996]

Update:

Received the rest of the parts I picked up from a forum member. This is a custom made muffler delete. I don't plan to run around with it on but thought it would be a good way to shave some weight when I take my car to the track.





I think I'll install that front pipe this evening and see how things sound.

[ftc~brz]

Originally Posted by swift996

Update:

Received my P&L uncatted front-pipe from a forum member as part of a package deal. I'm still debating on whether to run this or not. I don't have to worry about emissions, just not drawing attention. I might give it a try this weekend and see how it sounds and performs.

I know you weren't a big fan of how loud my car is but that front pipe just may bring you close to the same loudness. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it after you instal. You can always take it back off if its too loud for you so thats good.

[swift996]

Originally Posted by ftc~brz

I know you weren't a big fan of how loud my car is but that front pipe just may bring you close to the same loudness. I'm interested to hear your thoughts on it after you instal. You can always take it back off if its too loud for you so thats good.

I just threw it on and took it for a spin. It has a nice rumble at idle, but around 3-4k rpms some rasp starts to come on. It's a good amount louder than stock. Sounds similar to adding a cat back. It's hard for the butt dyno to work properly with the added noise, so I'm not sure if the car is quicker. The nice thing is if you're soft on the accelerator or cruising it still sounds stock. I'll leave it on for a couple of days and see if I want to keep it. I need to figure out if I'll keep it on for the dyno next saturday or not.