Installed a Pacesetter o/r H-pipe on Roush 427R
08-22-2009, 04:03 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5
Installed a Pacesetter o/r H-pipe on Roush 427R
I wanted to share my opinions of the Pacesetter o/r H-pipe. I bought mine from a shop up in Scottsdale, AZ for $134 plus shipping, which was a flat $22. For a grand total was $156, I think it was a great choice. By the way, they also sell on eBay and you can pick one up from other online companies.
On the positive side, it sounds great with the Roush/Borla mufflers that came on the car. At first, I thought that it had even gotten rid of the drone everyone has just under 2K rpms, but I think the car is just louder overall and I don't notice it now. I'd say it's loud enough to get everyone's attention, but not to the point that they think you're an A-hole for making too much noise. Honestly, I actually thought it would be louder. When I made the switch to an o/r H-pipe on my 04 GT, there was a much bigger difference. Of course, that's a different car completely. The 04 was a 2V with a factory 2 1/4 inch H-pipe and 4 cats (two per pipe), and this is a 3V with 2 1/2 inch pipe with only 2 cats (one per pipe). I also don't smell as much fumes as I did with the 04. The fumes are there, just not as bad.
The downside is that you have to have a tuner or something to turn off the rear O2 sensors, otherwise you'll get the infamous CEL. I drove for about 35 miles or so before mine came on. The reason I mention this is that these pipes don't come with O2 bungs installed for all of the factory O2 sensors. The factory pipe has one on the driver's side, and two on the passenger side. This pipe only has one on the passenger side. I had to tie up the rear ones to keep them from hanging.
The install wasn't bad at all. I did it inside the garage with a floor jack and a pair of jack stands. The car is only a few months old, so I didn't even need to spray WD-40 on the nuts to easily get them off. I'd imagine it wouldn't hurt though. I did go out and buy another jack, as the one I previously had wasn't quite low enough. I picked up a Craftsman low profile jack at Sears for about $60. They had a $225 one, but this one suited my needs and lifts from 3 1/2 inches and up. The pipe came in three pieces. There were the two legs which come down and back and the H-pipe collector which clamps to your catback using the factory pipe clamps. It came with instructions, but everything was pretty straightforward. I used a 3/8 drive ratchet, a few extensions and a 15mm deep socket on the nuts to remove the pipe. A swivel helps on the passenger side top nut, but you can get by without it if the O2 sensor isn't plugged in. You need an open-end wrench (7/8 inch I believe) for the O2 sensors, but I couldn't find mine. I got by just fine with an adjustable wrench. With the exception of the front sensor on the passenger side, it's easier to just unplug the sensors and then unscrew them from the pipe. That way you aren't twisting the wires up too badly.
If you don't mind the CEL or have a tuner to turn off the rear sensors, you can't beat the sound for around $150 plus a little bit of your time. I'll try to post a sound clip as soon as I can.
On the positive side, it sounds great with the Roush/Borla mufflers that came on the car. At first, I thought that it had even gotten rid of the drone everyone has just under 2K rpms, but I think the car is just louder overall and I don't notice it now. I'd say it's loud enough to get everyone's attention, but not to the point that they think you're an A-hole for making too much noise. Honestly, I actually thought it would be louder. When I made the switch to an o/r H-pipe on my 04 GT, there was a much bigger difference. Of course, that's a different car completely. The 04 was a 2V with a factory 2 1/4 inch H-pipe and 4 cats (two per pipe), and this is a 3V with 2 1/2 inch pipe with only 2 cats (one per pipe). I also don't smell as much fumes as I did with the 04. The fumes are there, just not as bad.
The downside is that you have to have a tuner or something to turn off the rear O2 sensors, otherwise you'll get the infamous CEL. I drove for about 35 miles or so before mine came on. The reason I mention this is that these pipes don't come with O2 bungs installed for all of the factory O2 sensors. The factory pipe has one on the driver's side, and two on the passenger side. This pipe only has one on the passenger side. I had to tie up the rear ones to keep them from hanging.
The install wasn't bad at all. I did it inside the garage with a floor jack and a pair of jack stands. The car is only a few months old, so I didn't even need to spray WD-40 on the nuts to easily get them off. I'd imagine it wouldn't hurt though. I did go out and buy another jack, as the one I previously had wasn't quite low enough. I picked up a Craftsman low profile jack at Sears for about $60. They had a $225 one, but this one suited my needs and lifts from 3 1/2 inches and up. The pipe came in three pieces. There were the two legs which come down and back and the H-pipe collector which clamps to your catback using the factory pipe clamps. It came with instructions, but everything was pretty straightforward. I used a 3/8 drive ratchet, a few extensions and a 15mm deep socket on the nuts to remove the pipe. A swivel helps on the passenger side top nut, but you can get by without it if the O2 sensor isn't plugged in. You need an open-end wrench (7/8 inch I believe) for the O2 sensors, but I couldn't find mine. I got by just fine with an adjustable wrench. With the exception of the front sensor on the passenger side, it's easier to just unplug the sensors and then unscrew them from the pipe. That way you aren't twisting the wires up too badly.
If you don't mind the CEL or have a tuner to turn off the rear sensors, you can't beat the sound for around $150 plus a little bit of your time. I'll try to post a sound clip as soon as I can.
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