Anyone installed a Pypes system yet?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
From: Northwest Louisiana
mzmgb
I am also having trouble with my Pypes system..... It appears to me that with the left side mid pipe (the one between the X and the muffler) is causing my muffler to reach about 2" shorter than the right side. I believe you were talking about the same thing earlier with these 2 pipes being completely different in length, etc.... Not only does the left side come up short, it appears to push the muffler in an upward incline compared to the right. Any advice?
I am also having trouble with my Pypes system..... It appears to me that with the left side mid pipe (the one between the X and the muffler) is causing my muffler to reach about 2" shorter than the right side. I believe you were talking about the same thing earlier with these 2 pipes being completely different in length, etc.... Not only does the left side come up short, it appears to push the muffler in an upward incline compared to the right. Any advice?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
I got mine from Pypes a few weeks ago. It's the polished version. The x-pipe is 409 stainless steel (hard to polish) and the rest is 304 polished stainless. Mine didn't bolt up quite right. I had the collector extenders fabbed to the x-pipe, but then on the back one side fit fine, then the other was a little off. I had to force it in the right spot. I'm gonna have to take it to a performance shop to adjust the pipes and weld it up. I also have an issue where the x-pipe rattles in the crossmember holes. I used a welding blanket to cut pieces to stop the rattle. It also sits a little low causing scraping on speed bumps.
Overall, I wish I had just paid a custom fabricator to do the work...
Overall, I wish I had just paid a custom fabricator to do the work...
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
From: Bellport NY
mzmgb
I am also having trouble with my Pypes system..... It appears to me that with the left side mid pipe (the one between the X and the muffler) is causing my muffler to reach about 2" shorter than the right side. I believe you were talking about the same thing earlier with these 2 pipes being completely different in length, etc.... Not only does the left side come up short, it appears to push the muffler in an upward incline compared to the right. Any advice?
I am also having trouble with my Pypes system..... It appears to me that with the left side mid pipe (the one between the X and the muffler) is causing my muffler to reach about 2" shorter than the right side. I believe you were talking about the same thing earlier with these 2 pipes being completely different in length, etc.... Not only does the left side come up short, it appears to push the muffler in an upward incline compared to the right. Any advice?
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
From: Northwest Louisiana
I made a 1-1/2" spacer that I mounted to the crossmember and then I secured the hanger to that. This pointed the muffler in a much better angle and also helped to align the exit pipe with the opening in the rear panel. I cut off about 1" off the right side mid pipe in order to better align the mufflers. They both exit approximately at the same point.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
From: Bellport NY
Amen.
You have to have the tire carrier in place when you do the final fit.
The sales rep asked me for some pictures when I was done. I offered them some suggestions, I'm not sure if they took me very seriously.
This can be a great system. I am happy with MY results.
I hope they realize, a one car protoype does not make for a release-ready product.
You have to have the tire carrier in place when you do the final fit.
The sales rep asked me for some pictures when I was done. I offered them some suggestions, I'm not sure if they took me very seriously.
This can be a great system. I am happy with MY results.
I hope they realize, a one car protoype does not make for a release-ready product.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
Amen.
You have to have the tire carrier in place when you do the final fit.
The sales rep asked me for some pictures when I was done. I offered them some suggestions, I'm not sure if they took me very seriously.
This can be a great system. I am happy with MY results.
I hope they realize, a one car protoype does not make for a release-ready product.
You have to have the tire carrier in place when you do the final fit.
The sales rep asked me for some pictures when I was done. I offered them some suggestions, I'm not sure if they took me very seriously.
This can be a great system. I am happy with MY results.
I hope they realize, a one car protoype does not make for a release-ready product.
Former Vendor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Hatfield PA
We just noticed this topic and will review it further but at first read, it appears that the main complaint is the missing piece of pipe between the headers and our system. I guess we should have called the system 'crossmember back' as most other exhaust companies do. 
I also noticed, several different suggestions for improvement. Notice I said 'different'. That's why we terminated the system where we did. Manifold customers don't need the extra pipes. Each header company makes their headers terminate in a different spot and at a different angle. We couldn't possibly design let alone include collectors for all the possible combinations.
Guys, I'm not saying that we can't improve on the product but it is still the ONLY 2.5" mandrel bent system on the market that includes an X-pipe to boot. You're paying for a niche product and I assume your paying because you see the performance advantages of such a system. The downside is that you have a little more work to do to finish it.
I will address a couple of other problem areas after I have had a chance to read through this again.
Don't get me wrong, we appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming but don't bury us here.
I also noticed, several different suggestions for improvement. Notice I said 'different'. That's why we terminated the system where we did. Manifold customers don't need the extra pipes. Each header company makes their headers terminate in a different spot and at a different angle. We couldn't possibly design let alone include collectors for all the possible combinations. Guys, I'm not saying that we can't improve on the product but it is still the ONLY 2.5" mandrel bent system on the market that includes an X-pipe to boot. You're paying for a niche product and I assume your paying because you see the performance advantages of such a system. The downside is that you have a little more work to do to finish it.
I will address a couple of other problem areas after I have had a chance to read through this again.
Don't get me wrong, we appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming but don't bury us here.
Last edited by Ccass; Mar 21, 2008 at 01:24 PM.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 279
Likes: 0
From: Bellport NY
Ccass,
I don't believe we have been "trashing" or "burying" Pypes. I think most of us have been happy with the system.
Some suggetions, others may have their opinions.
-Fix the ad to state that there are extension / collector pipes available to bridge the gap between the header collector and the beginning of your system. At least the customer is not surprised by the "gap".
-Make the left side mid pipe the same as the right side, in length, bends and hanger rod length. The vette is symmetrical and this would be the greatest improvement you could incorporate. I could have installed the system in 2-3 hours not 2-3 days. Most of the time was working on fabricating a spacer to force the left muffler to hang lower and end at about the distance from the rear.
-Make sure the correct number of hanger blocks are shipped. (easy)
-Either remove the "polished" tips from the site ad or ship them with the system.
I love the sound. So do my neighbors. Not my wife.
Thanks for reading our posts.
mike z
I don't believe we have been "trashing" or "burying" Pypes. I think most of us have been happy with the system.
Some suggetions, others may have their opinions.
-Fix the ad to state that there are extension / collector pipes available to bridge the gap between the header collector and the beginning of your system. At least the customer is not surprised by the "gap".
-Make the left side mid pipe the same as the right side, in length, bends and hanger rod length. The vette is symmetrical and this would be the greatest improvement you could incorporate. I could have installed the system in 2-3 hours not 2-3 days. Most of the time was working on fabricating a spacer to force the left muffler to hang lower and end at about the distance from the rear.
-Make sure the correct number of hanger blocks are shipped. (easy)
-Either remove the "polished" tips from the site ad or ship them with the system.
I love the sound. So do my neighbors. Not my wife.
Thanks for reading our posts.
mike z
Last edited by mzmgb; Mar 21, 2008 at 07:58 PM.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
Ccass,
I agree with mzmgb, I dont think us guys who bought the system have been trashing you. There are some quirks in the system that most of us worked through, but it seems we are mechanically inclined and were able to do so. Someone who isnt and buys a system thinking its a direct bolt on would have some issues. I am extremely pleased with the system overall and as you stated, I wouldnt be able to find a ss mandrel bent system for the price anywhere else. As far as connecting to the headers, another two pieces of pipe approximately 16" long and offset slightly in the center would allow it to connect to almost any header system, simply by rotating the said piece of pipe until it centered on the header and then cutting it off and welding the collector on. Below is a pic of the pieces I had fabbed up. For looks and sound it gets a 10 in my book, for installation, it gets a 7.5. And yes, I got the hangers! we are hooked up and ready to go!!!
I agree with mzmgb, I dont think us guys who bought the system have been trashing you. There are some quirks in the system that most of us worked through, but it seems we are mechanically inclined and were able to do so. Someone who isnt and buys a system thinking its a direct bolt on would have some issues. I am extremely pleased with the system overall and as you stated, I wouldnt be able to find a ss mandrel bent system for the price anywhere else. As far as connecting to the headers, another two pieces of pipe approximately 16" long and offset slightly in the center would allow it to connect to almost any header system, simply by rotating the said piece of pipe until it centered on the header and then cutting it off and welding the collector on. Below is a pic of the pieces I had fabbed up. For looks and sound it gets a 10 in my book, for installation, it gets a 7.5. And yes, I got the hangers! we are hooked up and ready to go!!!
Instructor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 142
Likes: 0
From: Northwest Louisiana
Ccass,
Ditto, Ditto....
I was expecting the "gap" between the X pipe and the headers. The 2 month wait to get them???..that's life. To get the finished product missing hanger blocks and not having polished tips...as stated...OUCH! To wait 2 months, recieve missing, unfinished parts, and then have the pipes behind the x pipe not line up regardless of what you do...YOU"VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! I now have sore muscles, waisted time, and a general bad taste in my mouth about products that come from PA. Thanks to mzmgb's advice, I'm going to go out this morning and do some chopping and spacing and hope it all works out.
Ditto, Ditto....
I was expecting the "gap" between the X pipe and the headers. The 2 month wait to get them???..that's life. To get the finished product missing hanger blocks and not having polished tips...as stated...OUCH! To wait 2 months, recieve missing, unfinished parts, and then have the pipes behind the x pipe not line up regardless of what you do...YOU"VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! I now have sore muscles, waisted time, and a general bad taste in my mouth about products that come from PA. Thanks to mzmgb's advice, I'm going to go out this morning and do some chopping and spacing and hope it all works out.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,322
Likes: 1
From: Living in the Hartland
Why in the world would you fork out big $ for a mandrel bent system with X pipe and put those up stream to choke your eng? Get rid of those and get some of these:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku
They are only $22, I cut them in the middle of the jog section and added a little extra length to the jog to line with the crossmember holes. Sorry no pics
Might be a nice throw in with the kit to help the bridge the gap, assume if Summit can sell them for $22 they should cost half that to manufucture or buy from Hedman
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku
They are only $22, I cut them in the middle of the jog section and added a little extra length to the jog to line with the crossmember holes. Sorry no pics
Might be a nice throw in with the kit to help the bridge the gap, assume if Summit can sell them for $22 they should cost half that to manufucture or buy from Hedman
Last edited by Fevre; Mar 22, 2008 at 01:24 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
Fevre, thank you for the assist, my main concern when I did this was just to have something on there to get it to a muffler shop where I could have something fabbed up, I was po'd over the compression bends myself. I had looked at Jegs and thought I had looked at summit. Thanks!
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 11,322
Likes: 1
From: Living in the Hartland
Fevre, thank you for the assist, my main concern when I did this was just to have something on there to get it to a muffler shop where I could have something fabbed up, I was po'd over the compression bends myself. I had looked at Jegs and thought I had looked at summit. Thanks!
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,258
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville Alabama
Why in the world would you fork out big $ for a mandrel bent system with X pipe and put those up stream to choke your eng? Get rid of those and get some of these:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku
They are only $22, I cut them in the middle of the jog section and added a little extra length to the jog to line with the crossmember holes. Sorry no pics
Might be a nice throw in with the kit to help the bridge the gap, assume if Summit can sell them for $22 they should cost half that to manufucture or buy from Hedman
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku
They are only $22, I cut them in the middle of the jog section and added a little extra length to the jog to line with the crossmember holes. Sorry no pics
Might be a nice throw in with the kit to help the bridge the gap, assume if Summit can sell them for $22 they should cost half that to manufucture or buy from Hedman
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: Noblesville Indiana
Does anyone know what kind of headers were on the Pypes test C3? I'm looking to get headers and exhaust system at the same time, so it seems to make sense to use the exact same setup as Pypes. Should help eliminate the gap issues they attribute to all of the different header sizes and shapes.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,458
Likes: 1
From: Collinsville MS
St. Jude Donor '08
Does anyone know what kind of headers were on the Pypes test C3? I'm looking to get headers and exhaust system at the same time, so it seems to make sense to use the exact same setup as Pypes. Should help eliminate the gap issues they attribute to all of the different header sizes and shapes.
Former Vendor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Hatfield PA
I guess you missed my explanation above..... "I guess we should have called the system 'crossmember back' as most other exhaust companies do. I also noticed, several different suggestions for improvement. Notice I said 'different'. That's why we terminated the system where we did. Manifold customers don't need the extra pipes. Each header company makes their headers terminate in a different spot and at a different angle. We couldn't possibly design let alone include collectors for all the possible combinations."
Former Vendor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
From: Hatfield PA
Ccass,
I don't believe we have been "trashing" or "burying" Pypes. I think most of us have been happy with the system.
Some suggetions, others may have their opinions.
-Fix the ad to state that there are extension / collector pipes available to bridge the gap between the header collector and the beginning of your system. At least the customer is not surprised by the "gap".
-Make the left side mid pipe the same as the right side, in length, bends and hanger rod length. The vette is symmetrical and this would be the greatest improvement you could incorporate. I could have installed the system in 2-3 hours not 2-3 days. Most of the time was working on fabricating a spacer to force the left muffler to hang lower and end at about the distance from the rear.
-Make sure the correct number of hanger blocks are shipped. (easy)
The polished tips are suppose to be a part of the system. One production run was made with the non polished tips. Owners of 68-73 cars don't use the tips. However, Anyone else who wants the polished tips, should just call customer service and we'll send you a pair. [/b]
I love the sound. So do my neighbors. Not my wife.
Thanks for reading our posts.
mike z
I don't believe we have been "trashing" or "burying" Pypes. I think most of us have been happy with the system.
Some suggetions, others may have their opinions.
-Fix the ad to state that there are extension / collector pipes available to bridge the gap between the header collector and the beginning of your system. At least the customer is not surprised by the "gap".
-Make the left side mid pipe the same as the right side, in length, bends and hanger rod length. The vette is symmetrical and this would be the greatest improvement you could incorporate. I could have installed the system in 2-3 hours not 2-3 days. Most of the time was working on fabricating a spacer to force the left muffler to hang lower and end at about the distance from the rear.
-Make sure the correct number of hanger blocks are shipped. (easy)
The polished tips are suppose to be a part of the system. One production run was made with the non polished tips. Owners of 68-73 cars don't use the tips. However, Anyone else who wants the polished tips, should just call customer service and we'll send you a pair. [/b]
I love the sound. So do my neighbors. Not my wife.
Thanks for reading our posts.
mike z
I don't believe we have been "trashing" or "burying" Pypes. I think most of us have been happy with the system.
Forums can be a very powerful tool to get a message out but when comments are made likes '2-3 days to install', 'a major refund should be in order', 'I can't understand why Pypes would not include pipes to connect to our headers' etc most readers only remember one thing....Pypes=problems. And that is an unfair conclusion. I have explained why below.
Some suggetions, others may have their opinions.
-Fix the ad to state that there are extension / collector pipes available to bridge the gap between the header collector and the beginning of your system. At least the customer is not surprised by the "gap".
Agreed, already done on our website (Summit and Jeg's have been notified too.)
-Make the left side mid pipe the same as the right side, in length, bends and hanger rod length. The vette is symmetrical and this would be the greatest improvement you could incorporate. I could have installed the system in 2-3 hours not 2-3 days. Most of the time was working on fabricating a spacer to force the left muffler to hang lower and end at about the distance from the rear.
I'm pretty sure there is something about the undercarriage of this model that caused us to make the system asymetrical. Besides the asymetrical pipes should not require any additional installation time. Were your pipes labeled LH and RH? If not, maybe we could add labels to make it easier. If yes, then maybe our instructions should be easier because the average installation time here is about 2-3 hours
-Make sure the correct number of hanger blocks are shipped. (easy)
Absolutely, We have changed the error in our BOM system
-Either remove the "polished" tips from the site ad or ship them with the system.
The polished tips are suppose to be a part of the system. One production run was made with the non polished tips. Owners of 68-73 cars don't use the tips. However, Anyone else who wants the polished tips, should just call customer service and we'll send you a pair.
I love the sound. So do my neighbors. Not my wife.
Thanks for reading our posts.
mike
Last edited by Ccass; Mar 27, 2008 at 01:20 PM.