FVD HEADER REVIEW 991#1
#1
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FVD HEADER REVIEW 991#1
This a v2 iteration on the Red Dragan's(not misspelled) journey. See my last header review here: https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1038...rs-review.html
FVD Headers: https://www.fvd.net/us-en/BES9910121...atalytics.html
First impressions on quality. There are some interesting characteristics of these headers. The outside flanges seem to be tac welded. Inside they are clearly welded all the way around. Will get to some pictures in a second. Welds are stacks of dimes everywhere and the design of the 3-1 collector is very nice. The insides include a smooth transition with no obstacles for turbulence. Also, the flanges are very beefy. FVD uses the company that OEMs for Porsche and is TUV certified. A very high quality product.
Design. I mentioned the great design of the 3-1 collector. This is a very fluid design which is vastly improved from the Soul product(unique flaw isolated to the 991.1 race headers only from what I have seen). The runners are some of the shortest in the market from all I have seen. This does have a material impact on sound and power. The design on these when compared to Soul or OEM does make installation much more interesting but not insurmountable. There are just parts of the headers that need creativity to get around to tighten the bolts. I really appreciate the access I had to work with on the Soul and OEM headers. One things that I really like about the FVD design is the compact footprint that completely tucks in under the car. Soul, Cargraphic and some other brands do hang lower than everything else in the car.
Sound. I think these are just slightly louder than OEM with the 200 count cel cat. The volume of the IPE exhaust with the valves open is definitely not as loud or as violent at the SOUL race headers but the sound is also significantly more refined and less race car. With a valved exhaust; I'd not hesitate to recommend the shear ferocity of race headers but it would be a but much without a quiet mode. Perhaps the sound may open up a bit more with some break in.
Power. Consistent with my last review; the car sat on the dyno. Clear ECU > measure > install > clear ECU > Measure. Same day, same dyno, same settings. Printer was broken so we must wait for that. Highlights, Gained 11 peak RWHP over the race headers with the FVD sport headers. Why? Design and the collector construction. I mentioned the short tube design as well. This produced significant low and mid range averaging about 18 hp as well as a much smoother line where the cam opens up. I believe that header designs like Cargraphic would outperform these on top end but lose some of the low/mid range.
Driving. I haven't had a chance to really push these yet but I feel like the low range feels a lot stronger - it's weird to feel more power and less sound. The goldilocks effect is there for me with regards to tone and volume.
FVD Headers: https://www.fvd.net/us-en/BES9910121...atalytics.html
First impressions on quality. There are some interesting characteristics of these headers. The outside flanges seem to be tac welded. Inside they are clearly welded all the way around. Will get to some pictures in a second. Welds are stacks of dimes everywhere and the design of the 3-1 collector is very nice. The insides include a smooth transition with no obstacles for turbulence. Also, the flanges are very beefy. FVD uses the company that OEMs for Porsche and is TUV certified. A very high quality product.
Design. I mentioned the great design of the 3-1 collector. This is a very fluid design which is vastly improved from the Soul product(unique flaw isolated to the 991.1 race headers only from what I have seen). The runners are some of the shortest in the market from all I have seen. This does have a material impact on sound and power. The design on these when compared to Soul or OEM does make installation much more interesting but not insurmountable. There are just parts of the headers that need creativity to get around to tighten the bolts. I really appreciate the access I had to work with on the Soul and OEM headers. One things that I really like about the FVD design is the compact footprint that completely tucks in under the car. Soul, Cargraphic and some other brands do hang lower than everything else in the car.
Sound. I think these are just slightly louder than OEM with the 200 count cel cat. The volume of the IPE exhaust with the valves open is definitely not as loud or as violent at the SOUL race headers but the sound is also significantly more refined and less race car. With a valved exhaust; I'd not hesitate to recommend the shear ferocity of race headers but it would be a but much without a quiet mode. Perhaps the sound may open up a bit more with some break in.
Power. Consistent with my last review; the car sat on the dyno. Clear ECU > measure > install > clear ECU > Measure. Same day, same dyno, same settings. Printer was broken so we must wait for that. Highlights, Gained 11 peak RWHP over the race headers with the FVD sport headers. Why? Design and the collector construction. I mentioned the short tube design as well. This produced significant low and mid range averaging about 18 hp as well as a much smoother line where the cam opens up. I believe that header designs like Cargraphic would outperform these on top end but lose some of the low/mid range.
Driving. I haven't had a chance to really push these yet but I feel like the low range feels a lot stronger - it's weird to feel more power and less sound. The goldilocks effect is there for me with regards to tone and volume.
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Soul is alone in its price category but Soul and FVD each have very different value propositions. FVD is the most expensive I have seen @~$4,000 but the quality, construction, materials and design are very different than Soul and most others. I’d recommend Soul to any street car looking to sound as angry and loud as possible!
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#9
Cliff's Notes on 911 exhausts: the only power to be gained with aftermarket headers is on the 1975-1994 911's, which didn't use headers, but unequal length manifolds. You can't improve on the early headers. You can't improve on the 993 headers. And you really can't improve on the 991's. These are all equal-length designs. You can use aftermarket headers to move the power curve around the RPM range a tiny bit, but it's so minuscule I don't really understand why anyone bothers.
#10
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Ha! I’ll do as many reviews as I have the opportunity to do
Soul is alone in its price category but Soul and FVD each have very different value propositions. FVD is the most expensive I have seen @~$4,000 but the quality, construction, materials and design are very different than Soul and most others. I’d recommend Soul to any street car looking to sound as angry and loud as possible!
My Soul headers are still in the box - I'll hopefully get a chance to install + get a pro-tune on a local AWD Mustang, will post if I get any gains and if not I do like angry & loud sounds anyways
#11
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Cliff's Notes on 911 exhausts: the only power to be gained with aftermarket headers is on the 1975-1994 911's, which didn't use headers, but unequal length manifolds. You can't improve on the early headers. You can't improve on the 993 headers. And you really can't improve on the 991's. These are all equal-length designs. You can use aftermarket headers to move the power curve around the RPM range a tiny bit, but it's so minuscule I don't really understand why anyone bothers.
I do agree 4k is a bit spicy though.
#13
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I guess a more fair comparison would be an FVD catless vs the Soul catless since quite a bit of that price difference is for the cats as well as possibly the quality of construction that you've observed.
My Soul headers are still in the box - I'll hopefully get a chance to install + get a pro-tune on a local AWD Mustang, will post if I get any gains and if not I do like angry & loud sounds anyways
My Soul headers are still in the box - I'll hopefully get a chance to install + get a pro-tune on a local AWD Mustang, will post if I get any gains and if not I do like angry & loud sounds anyways
#15
With all due respect, 911 or not, catalytic converters are catalytic converters; and they're almost always the most restrictive section in any exhaust setup - I don't think it's unreasonable to expect 10-20 whp w a tune which does make a difference if it's sustained through a significant portion of the power curve.
I do agree 4k is a bit spicy though.
I do agree 4k is a bit spicy though.