AWOL

Ok, So I got the new headers on and bolted up. Im putting on the cats currently but seems like the OEM torx bolts are having trouble threading - not as in, it wont reach/fit, but as if its a different pitch.

So, do i need to find new bolts or should i just keep threading the torx.

Help a brother out

Benz-O-Rama

My VRP shorties came with longer bolts in the box with them.

That said, I used one OEM and one supplied bolt on each side. There was a bit of weld that the longer bolt would hit up against and wouldn't tighten down.

AWOL

Well I got these bitties on and not sure if its the header design, or what, but there might be an exhaust leak.

No codes, didnt unbolt the rear of the midsection, just dropped the entire exhaust sans headers, so that lining up isnt an issue.

Doesnt feel any different but its been hot and humid as ***** here so maybe shes just not having it.

Any help/sound clips of other vrp'd e55's would be great to compare. I hope its not a leak because this took me ~12 hours to do.

help/insight is appreciated

bassn_07

Contact Mikesamg. He has my old setup on his car which includes the VRP mid section along with race cats. Maybe he could answer a few question for ya.

AWOL

Thanks, Ill see what he has to say

anyone else?

930chas

Scott, they never sounded like they had an exhaust leak. In fact, they were pretty quiet. Probably not what you wanted to hear. And the car should feel different once your weather is right.

stevebez

Fitted my HEMS and I needed to tighten down the headers a few times in sequence to get them all torqued down right .. and make sure the gaskets are correctly aligned over the outlets...

Also had an issue with the Header / CAT bolts bumping into the welds and not seating fully - just chopped the OEM bolt down and she was fine ... no issue with the threads though. Just make sure its aligned right.... not sure where your leak is but initially mine was at the header due to a misaligned gasket.

Car sounded more raspy / metalic after the install - but its really marginal.


Good luck

AWOL

I think its the way they sound at this point. Every bolt is tight, the "downpipe" area is as tight as it can be. I put a jack under it and tried to crank it to see if it would move a tad, but that is snug as a bug.

I ended up going to the track.

Best et was 12.02, best trap was 116.94. This was with a 2200+ DA, and corrected that turns into a 11.91@118.

I must have picked up some power. Just need a retune er sumn

jangy

The thread is also different on some ....

AWOL

Im back to thinking its a leak. It only happens under load.

Idle - fine
Free reving - fine
WOT - nothing noticeably different

Its only when Im at 30% throttle, under load, without the car downshifting is it prevalent.

I checked youtube for soundclips of vrp headers and i think i messed up during install or something

Benz-O-Rama

I know this isn't it, but I thought I'd ask. You did install manifold gaskets, right?

AWOL

yessir, might be dumb to ask, but are the gaskets directional? I know they have those tabs, do they all need to be facing a certain direction?

edit: and it also seems to "go away" when the car is warmed up. Meaning, in the morning I get on the on ramp and juice it a bit, its noticeable because its reverberating off the median wall, but by the time I get to work (15-20 mins) and do the same on the off ramp, its less noticeable.

stevebez

hmm not a clearance issue somewhere?

pearlpower

If exhaust noise goes away once things heat up, there is a problem somewhere, a good exhaust shop can isolate it for you.

AWOL

Nah, everything lined up. I cant figure this thing out.

I feel I have lost some significant low end

shardul

iTrader: (1)

Really, that is what is stopping me from modding the exhaust tract. How does it sound?

AWOL

No noticeable increase in sound - which is fine. I bought these for the performance, i dont care about how it sounds.

I need to figure this out further before I pass my full judgement. Ill try and get a video, maybe tonight and report back.