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I have some first hand experience to share with these new resonated OAPs when combined with the Valved Rear System. I’m very happy with this combination for my taste. .....
I also tried to capture the difference in cabin resonance graphically with a 1-10 scale, the resonators lower the bass around 125 Hz across the RPM band which I think helps the tone and obviously helps keep the resonance in the cabin slightly lower. My subjective ratings are as follows across the area of concern inside the cabin at low RPM with load. V/O is Valves forced open, V/C is factory valves closed operation.
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This chart really helps, thanks Josh for the data logging....
It is surprising to me to see VC has consistently more interior resonance between 2000-2300 rpm than VO .......I wish there was a OEM line in the graph for reference
This chart really helps, thanks Josh for the data logging....
It is surprising to me to see VC has consistently more interior resonance between 2000-2300 rpm than VO .......I wish there was a OEM line in the graph for reference
Yeah, he’s the third person reporting more interior resonance with valves closed than valves open using the Soul exhaust setup. Sounds like valved closed makes it quieter outside but dronier inside. That’s my main concern at the moment, as I want the valves closed mode to be pleasant for relaxed sixth gear country road crushing (moderate torque around 2200 RPM).
This chart really helps, thanks Josh for the data logging....
It is surprising to me to see VC has consistently more interior resonance between 2000-2300 rpm than VO .......I wish there was a OEM line in the graph for reference
It’s been so long so long since I’ve driven stock, so I didn’t plot it. I also have a GT4 which is probably the most sensitive to drone with the least sound deadening and being cayman vs boxster/spyder.
Yeah, he’s the third person reporting more interior resonance with valves closed than valves open using the Soul exhaust setup. Sounds like valved closed makes it quieter outside but dronier inside. That’s my main concern at the moment, as I want the valves closed mode to be pleasant for relaxed sixth gear country road crushing (moderate torque around 2200 RPM).
IME the resonance only occurs when applying too much throttle with low rpm, and when starting off. I had no issue cruising. Valves fully opened on the valved exhaust is quite good because both x-pipe paths are being utilized.
IME the resonance only occurs when applying too much throttle with low rpm, and when starting off. I had no issue cruising. Valves fully opened on the valved exhaust is quite good because both x-pipe paths are being utilized.
I also don’t think outside noise level is all that high when cruising with valves open. When you are deep in the throttle it’s might be loudish, but this combo is still reasonable.
I also don’t think outside noise level is all that high when cruising with valves open. When you are deep in the throttle it’s might be loudish, but this combo is still reasonable.
I agree, it is pretty much perfect valves open all the time and I don’t really miss the valves opening and closing. That said I am going to try the collar mod to see if I can get it working for me valves (mostly) closed. Collars arrive next week. I find it a bit raucous at slow speeds in my neighbourhood (no one has complained) but I’m a bit conscious of the (glorious) sound I’m making as I head to the garage 😂
It is great fun tinkering with different combinations of exhaust with the 718 4.0's. These cars are so amazing in so many ways, but the stock exhaust sound is one of the weakest attributes of the cars, it really needs to be properly addressed to get the most enjoyment out of them. And there is no one perfect answer, everyone's wants and needs are a little different, and the nuances are a little different between the 4 models as well.
This time around for me, it is going to be fun to experience the experimentation with the Boxster version versus the Cayman version last year, with the subtle differences there.
Hats off to the Soul Performance team for their ongoing R&D for us, and for coming out with these Resonated OAPs!
So, I am writing this to share my opinion on Soul Valved Exhaust and hope this helps the members contemplating whether they should go with soul valved exhaust.
To me, sound is one of the most important aspects of a fun car. I sold f80 m3 and m2 comp within one year of ownership of those cars because I was frustrated with the sound of S55 motor. Although they looked beautiful, they did not sound good. I was very frustrated with their farting (?) noises. It was not about those cars’ drivability, it was purely the sound.
So when I purchased gt4, I expected a better sounding experience. I, however, was not happy with its stock sound as it was rather muted and all those chirping and ticking noises were not that nice. So I had to do something, either sell the car or do a exhaust mod for the first time. And I decided to modify the exhaust and now I am happy I did.
Firstly, I started with Akra OAP. Although I liked the soul OAP after viewing Matt’s (at Obsessed Garage) opinion and review about it, I did not want to wait for it (leading time was about 2 months at the time), plus I liked the fact that Akra had a heat shielding material already installed on it. Shortly after the installation of Akra OAP, I installed Cargraphic valve controller and removed sound symposer.
Although there may be a debate as to whether the sound symposer delete has any positive effect in reducing any unwanted noises like chirping, ticking, and drone, etc., I can confidently tell you that it reduced this unwanted boomy sound created by Akra OAP. And I agree, after its deletion, I cannot hear that nice intake noise I was able to hear when my car had stock system.
I cannot confidently say it but I was not able to hear the intake noise any more anyway after Akra OAP installation as that created boomy sound.
I was not perfectly happy with the sound of this Akra OAP at first, but sound symposer delet did help in reducing that boomy sound and I was somewhat happy with it from time to time but I knew it was not what I was expecting from P car. I wanted smooth and higher pitched sound as I rev it to redline. And Akra OAP did not give me that higher pitched, smooth sound. It did not change the tone whether you go from 5k to 8k. It’s just the same, loud, throaty, and BOOMY sound through out the rev range. I do not think it was really drone, but Akra OAP does make this uncomfortably loud boomy sound from 2k to 2,500 rpm with valve forced open. So you would not want to go 70-79 mph in 7th gear on a highway.
After 4,500 miles of driving with Akra OAP, I knew I had to change the rear section to change the tone and quality of the sound, and I finally decided to pull the trigger on Soul valved exhaust as it was always on my list. My other option was the Kline but I did not really like the sound of the system after viewing multiple videos posted by the forum members with Kline. Also this little kid in me made it impossible for me to resist getting Soul valved exhaust after reading the below on Soul website:
“Combining our Valved Exhaust Systemwith our Competition Over Axle Pipes is when the skies open up, the sun shines down and the Porsche Gods have blessed us with the sound we’ve all been waiting for.”
I know Akra OAP is not Soul comp. OAP. I, however, believed their functionality and performance in terms of the sound to be very similar with each other.
So, I installed soul valved exhaust yesterday and drove the car with valve open mostly for about 30 miles and if I can go back in time, I would not have wasted my time watching videos regarding soul valved exhaust whether that be from Soul website, Josh, Uncledude, or some random youtube because you have to listen to it with your own ears inside the cabin, not through the speaker. Crackles and pops are just enough, unlike F80. And that loud boomy sound from 2k to 2,500 rpm is gone with valve forced open. Although you get this LOUD but somehow smooth sound from 2,500 to 2,900 rpm with valve forced open (I would not call it drone or boomy sound.). Most importantly, the tone of the sound really changes as you rev up the engine. Now my car makes this loud, exotic, and high pitched but somehow smooth sound as I rev it up to redline. Plus, the car feels faster and smoother (my wife confirms it and she actually loves how smooth and fast it feels now), especially from 3k rpm.
I remember at least two members’ opinions about Soul OAP and valved exhaust that after the installation of the valved exhaust, the car somehow became quite inside the cabin. In my opinion, the sound actually gets louder but one may believe it became quite as it removed that unwanted loud BOOMY sound from OAP alone setup.
Although I have more to share about Soul valved exhaust, I will reserve that for later as I want to see how my opinion changes as I put more miles on the system.
I know this idea of a proper sound is and can be subjective, but I really love love love this system and I cannot wait to drive it want to drive it more and more.
04-06-2022, 11:22 AM
