UncleDude

Pete, when do the pipes go in?

IL_Pete

Friday!!

Should have some more to report by the weekend!

spyderphile

That's good to know. Thanks for clarifying. Ideally, if I can avoid having a Header, better. In fact, I will try to avoid having a Header.

Why do you think VC is a must? In my driving use cases, I don't have a need for closing the valves. I'll have it permanently open. What am I missing?

flynlo

You need a VC to keep the valves open all the time. Even when you have the PSE button activated, the valves are closed from 1500-4000 RPM.

Reedy

Or you can disconnect and plug the vacuum lines if you legit never want them closed.

IL_Pete

That works too. So a Valve Controller or having the Valves wired to be permanently open.

IL_Pete

Okay, so I got the car back with the JCR Silenced Valved Exhaust plus the new Cargraphic High Flow Filter (Shielded) OAPs. The thought process and goal with this setup was find something "in between" the JCR with Stock OAPs and the JCR with the "Straight Through" Soul OAPs. The JCR with the Stock OAPs was a tad on the quiet side, particularly at full tilt on the country roads, and also lacked some of the 5,000 RPM+ extra "Pull" you get with a good free flowing aftermarket exhaust plus an OAP, which I got in spades from both the JCR + Soul and Kline Exhaust + OAP setups. Once you experience that it is hard to go without it, which is what happened to me. After experiencing that with the JCR + Soul, going back to the JCR + Stock OAPs was hard to settle for, despite it being the best to-date with regards to volumes (although a hair on the quiet side) and drone (quite minimal). That said, I hadn't experienced the Kline yet, which is the very best I have heard with regards to ZERO drone in the 2,000 to 3,000 RPM range. (More on that later with a summary comparison.) The JCR plus the Soul OAPs was a bit on the loud side at full tilt on country roads, but the most problematic issue was the drone it introduced was basically intolerable, for me. With regards to drone similar it was similar to @tdlondon 's GT4 with Fabspeed Exhaust + Fabspeed OAP + VC + SS Delete. He doesn't as much mind it as his is not his DD. (I have the SS Delete as well, did that when I first went to JCR + Stock OAPs.)

So with regards to the goal of finding something in between the JCR with Stock OAPs and the JCR with the "Straight Through" Soul OAPs - I hit the bullseye on that, that is EXACTLY what I got! It is not at all perfect, as the drone is in between JCR + Stock OAPS and JCR + Soul OAPs, so it is still bothersome for daily driving / running errands, etc. But MUCH less bothersome than with JCR + Soul OAPs, and slightly annoying but tolerable. But I get the benefit of now having about perfect volume on the country road driving, not too loud where I feel like I am being an *** re bothering people, but loud enough where I get to hear all the noises I want with both windows fully down (a criteria of mine that I have been mentioning). And I get more "pull" above 5,000 RPM. It feels like less dramatic pull than from the JCR + Soul or the Kline Exhaust + OAP, but enough that I don't feel like I am missing something now.

Right now I feel like I have found the best solution so far FOR ME. I have two fairly unique and idiosyncratic criteria - (1) optimizing for windows down country road drives and (2) a damaged left ear that is sensitive to volume and certain frequencies. So keep that in mind, YMMV.

Here is a summary of my findings and recommendations:

• Super value first step - do a Valve Controller or disconnect the Valves. That may be enough for some people.
• Next value next step - Do OPF Delete OAPs plus a VC or disconnecting the Valves. About $2K USD, and pretty great. I ran that way for many months and many thousands of miles, and really dug it. It was a little loud for my tastes, had to wear an earplug in my damaged ear. Also less refined and "Motorsport" than the higher pitched high RPM exhausts like JCR, Kline and others. But a terrific value!
• Best Exhaust with Stock OAPs that I have experienced, or from my impression from video reviews - JCR. Mine are Silenced, but I would bet the Unsilenced version is as good, if not better with Stock OAPs. Keep in mind that my criteria there was for a higher pitched GT Car / Motorsport tone over 5K RPM. So with that criteria, JCR for me for Exhaust only, but there are plenty of great exhausts out there with different sorts of tones.
• Best Exhaust + OAP combination with balance of great tones and least drone - No question, the Kline! No drone whatsoever at 2k-3K RPM. Amazing in that regard! Great tones all around, definitely need to have a VC or Valves disconnected to get the most out of this setup
• Best Exhaust + OAP combination for me so far, given my two unique criteria above - the JCR + CG High Flow Filter OAPs. Like I said, not at all perfect, I am still slightly annoyed by the drone and managing around that (still it is MUCH better than JCR + Soul OAPs), but I dig all the other attributes of that enough that I will roll with that combination for the foreseeable near term. (There are a couple of other things I am thinking about, but I now don't feel as much in a hurry, given I now feel I can live with this setup.)

The Kline is really great, just not the best for me as the volume and tone from 5100 to 5600 RPM bothers my bad ear. So I will be selling it soon. I think it would sound amazing in a GT4. @tdlondon and I have been discussing that, and he has volunteered to try it on his car and give his thoughts, for the benefit of you all here. (Gotta keep this thread going somehow! )

BTW - when I say I didn't like the JCR + Soul OAPs, I am not at all picking on Soul. Those guys are awesome to work with and make great products! Most straight through OPF Delete OAPs will sound similar, and it is one of the primary issues with the 718 4.0 exhaust, when you fully delete the OPF with straight through OAPs and replace the stock PSE with something more free flowing, you get drone. The Kline system is the only thing that I have seen/heard that fixes/avoids that, with a very clever flipped around design with OAPs with small canisters.

I will provide some more thoughts on the nuances of the current setup as I get more time with this new configuration.

flynlo

Damn I should have waited to buy your Kline set up. I will be waiting for quite awhile for mine to arrive. Thanks for the write up!!! I am very happy I went with Kline.

SpydrGuy

The JCR does indeed sound great. I'm glad you found a setup that provides a little extra volume. Does running with the OEM valve control help with the drone?

IL_Pete

Yes, I forgot to mention that. Drone is most pronounced when the VC has the valves open all the time. Switching to PSE control reduces the drone, making it more tolerable. But then the exhaust doesn't sound quite as good. But if it gets annoying, yes, you can do that and that helps a decent amount.

The worst spot is right around 2,000 RPMs. But also there seems to be some from 3,000 up to the upper 3's, but the 2,000 one is the rough one. If you are in a higher gear and cruising around that RPM and hit the throttle, it bogs and is really loud, sounds pretty horrible in the cabin. I am really never cruising in that low of an RPM, unless going very slowly through the neighborhood or something. Still, you can go from 3rd to 2nd and avoid that. Also you can avoid that on a slow turn by using 1st instead of second. So for the most part you can drive around it. For the principle of the matter, it just seems annoying that you have to.

This car is almost 100% perfect, really the only two things that annoy me are the stock exhaust sound and drone after going aftermarket to fix the stock sound, and the Engine Ticking Noise. But still, even with that, there is nothing on the planet in this price range I would rather have. Nothing even close. I feel that way about all 4 4.0's, I would be happy with any of them.

SpydrGuy

How much drone were you getting with the JCR and stock OAPs using the PSE valve controller? Was it significantly less than with the Cargraphic OAPs?

kart125

Wow I was away from forums in the last month or so and I just read through this thread. Amazing source of info! Awesome work IL_Pete! I wish I had all these info when I ordered exhaust parts last year. I bought the Soul OAPs before I got the car and installed them quite early so no real seat time with stock car. I then drove for 2 months with Soul OAP and stock exhaust and stored the car for winter. I ordered the JCR Silenced valved exhaust in july (also before car came) but due to delays in production I got it in november once car was stored. It served as a wall ornament until april and I then installed JCR exhaust and Soul valve controller at the same time.

I'm super happy with curent setup but agree about the drone. It's not a deal breaker for me when I drive alone in car but can be anoying when passengers are riding shotgun. WOT above 5500 rpm are epic. Tunnel runs are... well... EROTIC! Car is getting stored soon and I will consider a set of street headers over the winter so I have something to live by until next spring. It should wake the sound even more and add a bit of butt-o-meter fun. Might go fo a tune at the same time.

The way the exhaust is made on this car amazes me! So easy to switch configurations, all bolt on, no cutting or welding! It's as if Porsche wants us to play with exhaust!

UncleDude

Excellent report! Thanks again for all your efforts @IL_Pete

I have come very close to buying the soul rear section since there is no drone reported in that low range with that slip on unit. The kline system is also very interesting and priced favourably considering what you get, and the option of stainless steel is nice too, to further keep the cost down. I’ve got 4100 km on my stock system and it is most certainly more lively than when I got the car.

The cargrphic x-pipe rear section is also interesting, but I don’t think I’ve found anyone on the forum just running that unit with all else stock. So many options, and Black Friday around the corner!

Alpha Ice

If I can't bum a lift off of someone soon, I'll have my indy install my JCR Manifolds. I'm very anxious to hear how it sounds, and I'll either install the Soul VC, or if we're short on time, I'll just wire the valves open for now. Hopefully in the next few days I can have some more great data to provide to the group, albeit starting from the other end and working back to stock oap and PSE (unless my Fabspeed valved exhaust arrives in the next week).

IL_Pete

That is a good question for clarification!

Let me answer it this way - at that 2,000 RPM level where it is most prominent, I will rank the level of annoyance of the drone on a scale of 1-10. With JCR plus Stock OAPs, I would rate it a 2. Noticeable every now and then, but not bad, and easy to drive around. JCR plus Soul OAP, a 6. Very present, louder and harder to drive around. Now with the JCR plus the CG High Flow Filter, I would rate that a 3.5. Still minor and easy to drive around. If you intentionally put it in a higher gear with lower RPMs and punch the throttle, it is very annoying, but I never drive like that. In spirited driving, you only hit that spot once, in first gear accelerating from a stop. You pass through it very quickly and often don’t even notice it. From there to cruising speed in third or fourth gear, you are entering the next gear way over 2,000. Cruising around town, it is a little harder to avoid completely, but still manageable and not too bad. The place you get it the most is 90 degree turns in second gear, especially the tighter right hand turns (for those of us who drive on the right side of the street). You can avoid that by taking those in first. To me it is worth driving around it or hearing it occasionally for the greatness I get on the country road spirited driving.

So I do very highly recommend the Cargraphics High Flow Filter OAP for someone that has an aftermarket exhaust and wants to take up the volume and HP/Torque a bit, without increasing the drone as much as you would get with a straight-through full OPF delete OAP. Actually I think it would also be a good solution for a car with Stock PSE and VC (or Valves permanently open) for improving the sound and increasing the volume but not as much as a straight-through full OPF delete OAP - per above the Soul OAP with Stock PSE was a little loud for my tastes.

If I wasn’t more enthusiastic about that in my initial report, it is likely because I was coming from the Kline system with zero drone at 2K RPM, so my initial reaction was to be a bit disappointed. But after a second day of driving, I realized more so that it turned out to be pretty much exactly what I was shooting for.