I keep wanting to put my lethal x pipe back on hoping my car will be quieter than it was before but hate to take them back off again.

 

Just took some goPro shots of the headers.

 

Those look nice. I cant wait to get some money saved up to start my exhaust build.

 

I ended up getting the Borla Touring (Same as the FRPP Touring with 4.5 inch tips), these things are just the note I was looking for. Quiet in the car while cruising and a nice mellow note under acceleration.
Will try and get a Video of it tomorrow.

 

Awesome dude! Those were the original mufflers I was interested in. then I found the frpp, which I hear is manufactured by borla.
I made a short clip of before and after BBK install of the exhaust note @ idle/cold start. It gave me a slight deeper note with the factory exhaust. I may go the route of the Tourings also, but first, I think you have convinced me to upgrade my Xpipe.

 

Here is mine with the Borla's
Those Automatic mufflers really are quiet.

 

Sounds good. The big tips look great also.
The stock auto mufflers have a resonated tip to quiet them down even more.
They are very quiet.

 

I do like the sound of those Borlas.

Chris, what program did you use to put your video together?

 

Adobe CS6

 

For future knowledge how hard are these to install? I see the 3-4 bolts on the top of the exhaust manifold (not sure if there are any on the bottom) and the 2 bolts that hold the cats but anything else? Easier to uninstall old/install new from under the car or all from the top?

Matthew

 

The stock manifolds come off, no prob. If you have the right tools, sockets, extensions, etc.
The BBK headers are a ***** to get on. Even with a surplus of tools, I had a very hard time to get the correct torque on the bolts. 3 on top, 3 on bottom.
I was almost going to throw in the wrench and have someone else do the 2 bolts I could not get to from the bottom, but it turns out through the engine bay was the only way to get to the bolts.
My arms were bruised and sore. Ford wanted 5hrs for the install.
I took it to Ford a couple of days later after driving for them to re-torque the bolts and inspect for leaks.
They charged me 1.5 hours for this service, and said they had to take the starter off to get to one of the bolts. Something I did not do on the install
A very worthy upgrade. I notice a huge difference now after driving for a week or so.
Xpipe on the way!

 

6 per side and the 2 on each Mid pipe
It will take patients, all but the bottom bolt on #6 (Back on drivers side) can be tightened up from the top. The bottom nut on #3 (back on Passenger side) I tightened with an open end wrench flipping it around to get it on the nut, the other 10 were a box end.
Using a 13 MM to tighten makes it a little easier to get the wrench on but they are 1/2 inch so have one handy for the final torquing.
Remove all the studs from the nuts, there are a few that the stud will not go through the hole of the headers. Removal of the stock manifold can be done with a ratchet and socket also.
Tools required
18 inches of 1/2 inch Extensions
1/2 inch breaker bar
1/2 inch ratchet
15 mm socket
17 mm socket
3/8's inch ratchet
10 mm socket
1/2 inch socket
5 mm socket or wrench
I think that is it

 

wanna sell me your take off mufflers?

 

don't mean to side track your thread, but im currently doing some research into headers/spacers/throttle bodies to see what my next mod will be.

whats the difference with long tube or shorty headers and stock? mpg? performance(what range? low or high? more torque?)
and as for sound, does it make the exhaust note deeper?

 

I would not go with LT's. Living in Cali you will not pass smog. LT's will add a low end tone, maybe 1-2MPG more (big maybe), and more TQ but again you will fail smog, and if you get pulled over and they pop the hood you could get hit hard in fines.

Matthew

 

They might already be gone, I'll let you know.

Short tubes are a bit deeper, more low to mid range power and since you don't have to remove your stock cats more emission friendly.
Basically stock exhaust with the FRPP Xpipe
Same but with the Short tubes

 

Thanks for the heads up. probably wont do lt's was just wondering what differences they have. but so then does that mean Short tubes are completely legal, or just give less problems legally? technically I don't think it matters since CAI's aren't legal either.. but would the LT's give more problems cause of the noise? in terms of the cops getting you at least, seems like it makes no difference with the LT's or shorties, if you're already running a CAI(unless the fine is bigger with the LT's than only having a CAI). same goes for the smog test. But im no expert, you are(and I mean that, so im sincerely asking cause I don't know lol)

sounds nice! I could definitely hear a small difference.. slightly lower. and yeah the short tubes just seem easier to deal with than the LT's overall. im not racing the car or anything, so im interested in the lower tone and maybe a liiiitttllee bit louder, and also the low end torque... sometimes feels like your towing a train Just not sure if its worth the price.

also, ive seen BBK makes them, but heard the design isn't that great for power, and might actually lose power.. not sure how true that is, but is there any other manufacturer for the v6 shorties?

 

You would get so much more enjoyment out of some 3.73s and a lighter, one piece driveshaft, versus the pain that headers are/become. You need to factor in maintenance on headers too - they need to be retorqued every so often, or you will develop exhaust leaks. I did shorties on my old V6, and I will never do headers again on my cars - their small gain is just not worth it unless you are racing and need to eek out every last tenth of a second. Have you removed the resonators?

You're complaining about low-end torque - the gears and driveshaft will make up for that. Even AM, the people who can make more money off you by selling you a bunch of stuff that won't do much (like the throttle body) are telling you to get the gears.

 

Well right im just gathering info on different things.. also looking at the throttle body and Poweraid spacer.. and driveshaft.. just different things to see whats worth it and whats not. im definitely going to go with the one piece driveshaft, its the only piece where ive seen there basically no negative point to it, its all around better(performance, mpg, etc). as for gears, the negative there(unless I misunderstood) is loss in mpg.. I already lost some mpg with my wheel change, so don't want to lose more. its my DD, so im trying to strike a nice balance between occasionally performance, and mpg. mpg is NOT my number 1 priority though(otherwise would have kept stock wheels).

thanks for the heads up on the shorties, hadn't thought about that... this is exactly why im gathering info before buying(which will probably be a few months from now anyways lol). for now im still paying around with the tunes

and no I haven't removed the resonators

 

Gotcha. Your stock throttle body is good unless you were to supercharge. You might pick up like 3-5hp throughout the range, as is. It's just not worth it. The intake spacers have been known to give a bit more, and are typically less expensive. Do you spend a lot of time on the highway? I have 3.73s in my '03 GT, with only a JLT intake and tune, and I get between 18-20. I know it's a completely different engine, but just to give you a heads up. I believe the EPA ratings for my car were like 16/24 when it was new, so I'm still getting about the same, and I am probably 40/60 city/highway driving. I also rev it up a few times per drive, but on the freeway I never go over 70. The car is just too loud, and it's red - I don't want to get another ticket. Most of the time around town, I shift right at 2k RPM. I also have a T56 from an '03 Cobra, so my gearing is a bit different.

Do you have the 3.31s or 2.73s? Lastly, spend $50 and get the resonators removed. It will make your exhaust deeper and a tiny bit louder.