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First of all, I want to thank Joseph at BoostAddict for getting me the headers. He was on top of communication through the process (12 week lead time on the headers) and his price was the best by far.
Thank you @basic666 for the install overview, I read it over a few times to prepare mentally and tools required.
That is a Vektor header overview but process is pretty much the same.
From start to finish the process took me 4.5 hours. I think the job is possible in about 3 hours if things go very smoothly and you have the right tools. Doing my buddy's car soon, so we will document time to install.
The other very important took is the M10 for the nuts holding on the header. I made the mistake and got a stubby 3/8" - I had to shave it down and modify it to fit. Get a 1/4" if possible and get an extended version. This seems to be a speciality tool but its your best shot. I should have tested it before I started but dove in and found out the hard way. Once I backed out the first few nuts in tight locations, I realized they were being forced out and this compromised the threads on a few studs. I decided to change all the hardware at that time. Luckily I had a friend to help me out with that hardware pick up, thanks Eran!
The drivers side is way harder than the passenger side due to the actuator on the turbo, and the top stud/nut combo. I had the passenger side header removed in no more than 35 mins. The drivers side I fought with for awhile gaining access to the top nut and stud. The heat shield only needs to be removed on drivers side, in order to access this one nut.
Fitment was spot on. No massaging required. Very high quality pieces from Kline, they met all expectations.
Overall the job went smooth. The volume did increase slightly, nothing drastic and easily can pass the "wife test" - the headers are more about optimizing the whole system and the tone change when it comes to equal length headers. When you put your foot down on the gas you hear things come alive more. Cruising around town I dont think its any louder. The difference in tone is very prominent in person.
I documented a few before and after of the headers. If you have any questions let me know!
Below you will find videos documenting all the sound changes in the tone of the vehicle.
Now that I have a few hundred miles on the full Kline system I can provide some feedback on all setups.
Stock PSE with Soul Sport Cats:
Result? This IS how the car should have come from the factory in terms of sound. Soul sport cats added a reasonable amount of volume, added awesome turbo noises, and added much more pronounced pops and bangs in Sport mode. There is no smell, no drone, and no negatives from this setup at all. Easily flies under the radar, partner may not even notice. Full passes the "wife" test with flying colors.
Stock PSE with Soul Sport Cats + Kline Equal Length Headers:
Immedaitely noticed the tone change which I was expecting. Sounded awesome. Reasonable increase in volume, but nothing super drastic. Definitely increased cabin noise, but again reasonable. Felt the car spool up and build boost quicker. No extra smells or anything since 200 cell cats were still on the car. Turbo noise slightly louder. No drone at all. Overall great mod to add the headers and woulds recommend to anyone wanting to maximize car's potential. I was still looking for a bit more volume though. Maybe the inside of the GTS is too insulated?
Kline Headers + Full Kline Inconel Exhaust System:
The second I drove away and punched it, my jaw dropped. I literally said Oh My God! The car sounds like a jet fighter plane now on wide open throttle. The turbo noises have further been increased due to no cats. The system is very straight through design. Some say the PSE is not that restricted, but I think it still is in comparison. There is a difference in valves open and valves closed but the best part is I no longer feel the need to immediately open the valves on the exhaust. Now when the valves are open, it truly turns into a beast. I am getting hearing drone at about 2-3K rpms which can be annoying for driving around town. During spirited driving, no problem at all as rpm's are in a higher range. Just noticed that when the car is under load and you are trying to stay under the radar, the drone pronounces itself. Now I didn't want a catless system but a deal came up and I decided to install it. Considring the 200 cell cats from Kline in the future. Catless smells, especially if you park in a garage. I also got a check engine light within 15 miles but added the o2 mini cat extenders which did the trick. No more CEL! Overall I am pleased with this setup. Its very raw and unfiltered. This setup does NOT pass the "wife" test - it's very clear something has been changed. Even my neighbor who doesn't talk to me much about cars said "did you change the exhaust? It sounds different..." I will decide if I keep it catless. Will keep everyone updated!
Your two in-car vids for comparison are really great. They give a solid apples to apples comparison. To my ears at least with a couple filters for camera microphone to video to headphones, the headers give a cleaner, crisper sound.
Wow great writeup and all the videos, very useful for anyone interested in a set.
Car sounds amazing, enjoy!
Happy New Years.
-Josh
__________________ Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
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Your two in-car vids for comparison are really great. They give a solid apples to apples comparison. To my ears at least with a couple filters for camera microphone to video to headphones, the headers give a cleaner, crisper sound.
Thanks, I picked up a mic and some other parts for my old GoPro to capture these before and afters in a way that was consistent. I will do the same for the full Kline race exhaust.
It looks like it comes with it's own hardware for the install (like new header bolts). Would it be possible to use all the stock hardware (like header nuts) instead? Or are you required to use the new hardware because of the bend orientation, or thickness of the flange?
It looks like it comes with it's own hardware for the install (like new header bolts). Would it be possible to use all the stock hardware (like header nuts) instead? Or are you required to use the new hardware because of the bend orientation, or thickness of the flange?
The headers came with hardware for the turbo side but I just reused the stock stud/nut combo for all but one of them.
Definitely lots of changes lately. Wanted to document all the sounds so I can make up my mind later on what was best, haha!
I picked up the used Kline Inconel Race Exhaust earlier in the week and put that on today. Install time was under 3 hours, and that was taking my time. Setup is very easy, and I was familiar with it since I did the Soul Sport Cat pipes earlier in the year. The Kline piece fits like a glove, and the exhaust is very high quality. I was not seeking the cat-less setup, but that's how they come unless you order it with 100 or 200 cell cats. The Soul Sport cat pipes use HJS 200 cell cats. No smells and great flow for example.
Huge smile on my face as soon as I started up the car with the full Kline system! Now while I am doing my best to document the changes, these videos don't fully pick up the amazing exhaust note this system offers. The tone has completely changed now.
My biggest gripe with the PSE was lack of any real volume, especially in the cabin. When I put the Soul Sport Cat Pipes on, MUCH better, It's basically how the car should have sounded from the factory. But still, each time I would start the car to go for a drive, I would open the exhaust valves up. With the valves closed, it just didnt produce any real volume.
Now with the full Kline system, the car sounds very mean with the valves closed. The valve does not need to be open. When it's open, all hell breaks loose, especially in Sport mode.
Downside? The smell from catless is what one would expect. It's not exactly sought after. I am hearing drone at about 2-3K rpm's when giving it throttle. Also not something I had with the previous sport cats on PSE. Finally, I got a CEL after about 30 miles.
Needless to say, I will find a set of the Kline 200 cats and swap them in. Should give it the true full experience I am seeking. I will upload the main post with more comparison videos when time allows.
Thank you for sharing this. Your car looks and sounds amazing, mean.
Dumb question please; was keeping the Soul Cats on with the new Kline exhaust not an option? Or because the Klines you installed were catless, they cannot be used with any other cats?
Thank you for sharing this. Your car looks and sounds amazing, mean.
Dumb question please; was keeping the Soul Cats on with the new Kline exhaust not an option? Or because the Klines you installed were catless, they cannot be used with any other cats?
Not a dumb question at all!
The soul sport cat pipes are made for the Porsche Sport Exhaust system. They are not compatible in terms of fitment due to the design of the systems. So sadly I need to get a different set of cats but Im glad I got a chance to test this setup. Its very pure and raw!
01-01-2021, 02:05 PM
991.2 Kline Headers Installed - Installation Overview + Feedback + Exhaust Clips
