PSE q's

[karlooz]

after reading through numerous posts regarding the PSE, i was wondering how loud is loud. i understand it has the bypass pipe switch but i was hoping it would be gt3 bypass pipes loud. with the switch you could turn it off when cruising around the neighborhood. is the PSE as loud as fabspeed/ghl/insert other exhuast here?

the flipside of the coin, how quiet does the switch make it. will it just be like stock or will be a little throatier/raspier/louder?

i figured if i was gonna spend the extra bucks for the PSE i would wire it and install the plumbing (all myself of course ). extra horses would be good too.

fabspeed claims some horespower gains and the PSE doesn't gain (or lose) anything BUT i've read that to fully reach its potential you must remap the ECU to match the new exhaust. will a remap also benefit the PSE or are you pretty much just making more noise?

can anyone confirm fabspeed's power claims?

thx,

carlos

[dj996]

The full install is a huuuuuge job. I was going to do it a couple of weeks ago and I bailed, just not worth the hassle right now. My hat is off to Eric for his accomplishment.

[Costa]

Carlos.

I note that you have posted the same message on a few other forums. Just do a bit more searching on the forums as there are quite a few posts on PSE and other similar exhausts so I won't go in-depth....

But basically...

1: PSE in quiet mode is exactly the same as stock (as far as I can tell)

2: PSE/Fabspeed Mufflers etc are not bypass pipes as such but the PSE does bypass part of the muffler just not all of it. It is a little louder down low but starts to get loud at around 3-4K RPM and is quite loud at around 6K+ RPM - especially if standing outside the vehicle when it travels past.

3: From what others have tended to say - The PSE, Fabspeed Mufflers, GHL etc all tend to all have approx. the same volume level but tend to sound slightly different from each other.

4: Bypass pipes (Fabspeeed) are a small right angled piece of tubing which connect straight to the catalytic converters which effectively removes the mufflers completely. These are very loud - basically straight exhaust from the headers onwards. At WOT the car sounds like a racecar would - a bit too loud for the street though - too much attention from the police etc.

5: All of the above systems will generally give you a tiny (real tiny) boost in HP (<5-10 HP) Porsche just do not claim any figures. Chipping your ECU just for the muffler change is not worthwhile unless you start changing headers, intakes, race-cats etc. even then results are usually minimal.

Edited January 13, 2004 by ZX7R

[jeneric996]

Karlooz,

The exhaust will sound stock with the PSE switch activated. I've had my system with the complete wiring for about three weeks now, and I use the the switch sparingly; sometimes in the morning for the first 1/2 mile when the metal pipes are cold and other times to show off to friends. I don't particularly like this sound during the first 1/2 mile, but my friend heard it and loves it. In fact, he wished the system sounded like that all of the time and felt the PSE could even be louder. Different opinions as expected.

Regard the sound with the PSE open, it will have more growl to the system and slightly more noise but absolutely no resonation within the interior. I'm assuming it's like GHL. BTW, GHL has a 30-day money back policy.

Since sound is mainly subjective, you should visit your dealer and "test" the PSE.

I considered GHL, Fabspeed, Ruf and PSE. I opted for the PSE because of the switch so my wife wouldn't complain and it's fully OEM. I liked the aftermarket systems because they're cheaper and significantly lighter in weight.

I doubt any of the aftermarket systems mentioned above would compare to the GT3 bypass because you're eliminating the mufflers altogether. If you're looking for ultimate loud, then the bypass would be your ticket.

Regarding the install of the PSE with the full electronics, I recommend checking the TSB for this install. Loren has posted it on this site. You will not be able to install it without this TSB. I cannot thank Loren enough for this info!

I was able to bypass many of the steps of the TSB like removing the radio, console, seats, upper panel within the engine compartment, etc. However, it still took me over 12 hours to install the system over a three-day period (3 hours for the mufflers, about 3-4 hours for the electronics and another 4 to 5 hours for the vacuum lines). Now that I've done it, I should be able to do the complete install in about 7 to 9 hours.

I hope this helps with your decision.

Regards,

Eric

[karlooz]

ya can't blame me for the shot gun pattern to other boards ;) i'm new to the 996 boards so i'm not sure from were the answers will come.

thx for the answers all.

my main concern is annoying everyone i pass by. i truthfully cannot stand it when obnoxious harley owners blip the throttle at the stoplight and blare through the street but i also want the sport sound on the open road. i just want to practice what i preach :)

i suppose the first thing to would be listen to either exhausts to determine if it is indeed too loud. i suspect that the aftermarket exhaust would not be (barring the gt3 bypass pipes) too loud for cruising around the neighborhood making the PSE switch useless. but ya never know.

[Costa]

ya can't blame me for the shot gun pattern to other boards ;)  i'm new to the 996 boards so i'm not sure from were the answers will come.

Not blaming - just highlighting that there/have been quite a few good posts on the subject that you can search for...

I have the PSE and its fine for cruising and when at WOT in a canyon etc it sounds excellent. You dont really need the switch setup at all because you can lightfoot it on the throttle and the car is reasonable quiet, just a little throatier than stock.

One day I may try the bypass pipes but I think they will be wayyyy too loud. Louder than the shotgun Harley :D