I had the pleasure of taking my car to EAS in Anaheim earlier last week to get the CargraphicTS valved x-pipe installed on my PSE-equipped 991S. The guys at the shop were a pleasure to deal with; installation took a couple of hours, and we even squeezed in a few dyno runs before the end of the day.

I picked up the CargraphicTS x-pipe from KitW here on 6speed; he sent the piece out immediately and made sure it was wrapped/protected during shipping. Shout out to him for making this process an enjoyable one.





Install:

The x-pipe replaces the center PSE muffler, yet retains the factory valve functionality. The guys didn’t remove the rear bumper; they simply loosened up the stock muffler and removed it after a few minutes of wiggling.



You can see the restrictive mufflers on the PSE pipes. Granted, PSE is loud, but the exhaust note weakens after you drive away. I wanted something louder and deeper.



Note the braided valve hose on the stock PSE muffler.

We forgot to weigh both systems, but the Cargraphic x-pipe felt a few pounds lighter. Overall, though, I wouldn’t get the system with high hopes of weight savings.



Installing the CargraphicTS x-pipe: The EAS guys had a hard time aligning the OEM tips, but they eventually got it right. It appears that the Cargraphic’s right side pipe connecting to the OEM tips was a bit short. I’m not sure if this was a problem that could have remedied by further adjustments, but the guys spent a good amount of time fixing the alignment of the tips/pipes. Overall, I was pleased with the end result.



EAS ended up using longer vacuum lines for the valves. I remember reading someone’s post here regarding vacuum lines being burnt after a couple of track days; when I mentioned this to the EAS guys, they wrapped the lines with header wrap to prevent any future problems.


VIDEO:

Comparison of PSE vs. CargraphicTS X-pipe. The video is 6 minutes long; I made sure to capture similar angles, environments, and throttle inputs using the same camera to give you guys a legitimate comparison between PSE and the new x-pipe.

I included revs, acceleration, and drive-by shots of the following:

PSE valves closed
PSE valves open
CargraphicTS valves closed
CargraphicTS valves open


Dyno sessions: First pull was with the valves closed; you can hear the valves open up around 3500rpm. It sounded fantastically loud and caught everyone off-guard. The rest of the pulls were done with the valves open.





Dyno: We managed four dyno pulls after installing the x-pipe. Unfortunately, none of them were performed before installing it; hence, I can't provide a before/after HP/TQ gain for you guys. That said, the car put down a healthy 363hp/301tq max between runs. If you factor in a 15% drivetrain loss (average calculation for Dynojets, may be even less on our cars), it comes out to 417hp/346tq. Note the infamous power "humps" around 6-7,000rpm.



Sound: Take PSE, make it much louder, give it a deeper tone, and significantly increase the burbles and backfire. The system sounds amazing and turns heads everywhere I drive. In lower RPMs, it is definitely deeper and more authoritative than PSE ever was. After 4-5,000rpm, it sounds similar to a 997 GT3; a healthy mix of high-pitched tones start to show. Burbles and backfires are plenty; the car “pops” during upshifts, and downshifts now sound like gunfire. It’s amazing.

Drone: I can’t lie; it’s there. The cabin definitely gets its share of the exhaust note. It doesn’t drone as bad as my Borla system on my old Mustang, but it definitely gets your attention. Thankfully, though, the car transforms into a cruiser with the press of a button… with the valves off, the car is literally as quiet as the stock PSE system.

[FYI: Our 991s have an intake sound symposer that "leaks" some of the engine/intake sound into our cabin via a pipe located behind the rear seat headrests. I blocked mine with a paper towel to reduce cabin noise a few weeks ago; I may unblock/fully block the pipe to see if it makes any difference in the cabin drone levels. More on that later.]

Valves: Just to elaborate… I couldn’t be happier with my decision to purchase a system that retained the PSE valve functionality. With the valves off, you have absolutely no increase in in-cabin volume, drone, etc., and it certainly helps if you prefer a quiet ride for your morning commute. It sounds just like the stock 991 with the valves closed, which is somewhat unbelievable. I honestly was not expecting it to be this quiet with the valves closed. Push one button, though, and the car transforms into a beast. I’ll try to get a couple of cabin sound clips for you guys.

Overall, I’m very happy with the system.

Cheers,

Chris

 

Great, great write-up! Thank you for taking the time.

 

Very helpful write up. Thanks for sharing!

 

Does anyone know how difficult it is to run vacuum lines or a switch mechanism on the Base C2?

I will be deleting the center muffler and installing a X-pipe, and would love to be able to have a more raw sound at the touch of a button, and more civilized when the valves are closed for around town and long road-trips.

 

The installation of the switch is not hard, the wiring is there.

Programming is not easy. I suspect at least an hour of programming time, and the dealership may charge more than that. (the local dealerships wanted $1000 to "activate" PSE if I installed the hardware myself, which I thought was a bit ridonkulous)

 

Thanks, guys.

You'd be better off purchasing a remote from another company. Cargraphic, Fabspeed, and a few others sell their own valve remote controls. What x-pipe are you installing?

 

BTW - Great video! that was really comprehensive. I kind of miss the x pipe.

 

Thanks, Kit. It really does sound amazing.

 

Can I have your old PSE?

 

Awesome comparison video! Thanks for making that.

 

Really well done video comparison. Thanks for that! Much better than the videos done by many manufacturers here.

 

Thanks for posting--great writeup! I want one now and I don't even have my car yet...

 

Thanks guys. Glad you liked it.

 

It sounds amazing! Very neat. Subjectively, do you think there's a difference in power? Regarding the dyno ... I've always heard you need a 4-wheel dyno with belts synchronizing the front wheel speed to the rears to avoid traction control coming on. Did you have to trick it somehow to get a run on the 2-wheel dyno?

 

Thanks, Tom.

Power-wise, I feel a bit more torque down in the low to mid-range of the power band. The car pulls a bit stronger at highway speeds without requiring a downshift from 7th. It may be completely subjective, but that's the one thing I have noticed so far.

In terms of the dyno, I believe the shop sets the car to "dyno mode." That takes care of any issues resulting from the front wheels not spinning and gives an accurate reading on the dyno.