2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

i ordered pacesetter headers for my rx7 i have a naturally aspirated 87 exaust?

Old Aug 13, 2007 | 05:02 PM
  #1  
bshumate2003@yahoo.com's Avatar
Thread Starter
MAZDASPEED
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Washington State
i ordered pacesetter headers for my rx7 i have a naturally aspirated 87 exaust?

these headers are really long anyways is there anything else i should do before i put em on .. my exaust is stock besides the cherry bomb glass pack
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:32 PM
  #2  
ABCDEfb's Avatar
New Dilemma Racing
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
From: Durty South
OK I'll bite. You shouldn't be running glasspacks, they melt under exhaust heat from rotaries, find an exhaust with steel wool mesh inside instead. Also make sure your port actuater pipe from the cat stays with the exhaust system so your 5th and 6th ports open.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:36 PM
  #3  
liquidblackracing's Avatar
Senior Member
Tenured Member 10 Years
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 382
Likes: 0
From: Hawthorne, CA
haha get ready to be really loud hahah
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:39 PM
  #4  
celbii's Avatar
jackie chan > chuck norri
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 706
Likes: 4
From: oklahoma city
Whats the port actuater pipe ?
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:41 PM
  #5  
ABCDEfb's Avatar
New Dilemma Racing
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 246
Likes: 0
From: Durty South
The tube that runs from the cat to the manifold ( i think, I'm turbo so not 100%) to supply backpressure from the exhaust to open the 5/6 ports.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:42 PM
  #6  
shpaintball's Avatar
Full Member
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: EL Paso TX
yea weld a hole on your pacesetter for the back pressure i should have ....: ( lol glass pack ....be careful how you spend your $$$
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 06:49 PM
  #7  
BLKTOPTRVL's Avatar
Rotary Freak
Tenured Member 20 Years
 
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,817
Likes: 16
From: South Carolina
I had a complete pacesetter system on my 79. They actually kept the car quiet for about a day before they were burned out and useless. Loudest thing I have ever heard.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 07:34 PM
  #8  
phoenix7's Avatar
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
you got a mediocre header and the glasspacks won't last long and it will sound like crap soon.

Make sure your 5th and 6th ports are still opening (if you removed the split air pipe then they are not working)

there really isn't much more to say.
Reply
Old Aug 13, 2007 | 07:40 PM
  #9  
Enthu's Avatar
Still has an RX7.
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,015
Likes: 5
From: minneapolis MN
The Rb header is well worht the money. the sound is drasticaly better! I've got an FC with teh RB collected/streetable and one with the Pacesetter, so I know the RB is the better one.
Reply
Old Aug 14, 2007 | 07:17 PM
  #10  
bshumate2003@yahoo.com's Avatar
Thread Starter
MAZDASPEED
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Washington State
well we gotta take off the glass pack anyways but where is taht port actuator pipe u were talking about
Reply
Old Aug 14, 2007 | 07:43 PM
  #11  
NJGreenBudd's Avatar
rx-for-my-7
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,207
Likes: 15
From: New Jersey
The split air pipe comes off of the main catalytic converter, the pace setter header only replaces the first two precats, IIRC. So you should be fine.


I ran that header on my '88 GXL for a yr and a haf and it was fine ( though like everyone else says, there are better more xpensive headers out there)
Reply
Old Aug 14, 2007 | 08:00 PM
  #12  
staticguitar313's Avatar
R.I.P. Icemark
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (2)
 
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,229
Likes: 1
From: gilbert, arizona
Corksport stainless header, bolts to stock main converter . . . . thats all i have to say . . .
Reply
Old Aug 14, 2007 | 08:15 PM
  #13  
dean23's Avatar
pwned
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,296
Likes: 0
From: Northern Indiana
grab a pack of kleenex for yours tears and bloody ears from the sound of that exhaust..
Reply
Old Aug 15, 2007 | 04:28 PM
  #14  
Houpty GT's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 317
Likes: 2
From: Rock Hill, South Carolina?
Dyno it before and Dyno it after. Share your results and list all the mods you have made. That way you can back-up any claims to gains you have made and others can benefit from the extra $60 investment you have made.
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2007 | 03:28 AM
  #15  
bshumate2003@yahoo.com's Avatar
Thread Starter
MAZDASPEED
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Washington State
can anyone describe what it will sound like lol ? no smart *** statements like **** or *** ok ?
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2007 | 07:29 AM
  #16  
pfsantos's Avatar
(blank)
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,285
Likes: 15
From: YYZ
Ummm, if you've got nothing to contribute to the thread, why the useless post? Not everyone is an expert on these cars, and if you are, you're not showing it. (Nasty sentence deleted because it's not my style)

Anyways, the Pacesetter is a great value, last time I compared prices. Sure, if I had the money, I'd have gone with Racing Beat, but then again, when I bought my headder I didn't know better. With no winter driving (well, one year only) it has lasted about 8 years so far. It's quite a thick *** headder (quite heavy too).

The split-air pipe that goes to the main converter (assuming you still have these factory parts) feeds it air from the air pump via the Air Control vavle under certain conditions to help the converter catalyze emmissions. A one way valve near the front prevents air from going backwards into the intake manifold past the Anti-afterburn valve in the ACV. Just before this one-way valve is a small diameter pipe welded off the split-air pipe that feeds back pressure to the 6PI (6 port induction) actuators which spin the auxiliary valves and open the auxiliary ports in the engine. More info in the FSM (links in my sig.).

BTW, I'm running Pacesetter headder with Dynomax cat-back. Quite reasonable in terms of price. A bit loud for a lot of people, especially at WOT.

Last edited by pfsantos; Aug 17, 2007 at 07:42 AM.
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2007 | 12:19 PM
  #17  
fidelity101's Avatar
Rallye RX7
Tenured Member: 20 Years
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,441
Likes: 110
From: MI/CHI
if you put a glasspack on there its gonna melt.
Reply
Old Aug 17, 2007 | 12:48 PM
  #18  
walken's Avatar
Registered Loser
Tenured Member 05 Years
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,224
Likes: 0
From: Whiterock
Originally Posted by bshumate2003@yahoo.com
can anyone describe what it will sound like lol ? no smart *** statements like **** or *** ok ?
a big annoying chainsaw. even with a cat and two mufflers it's almost not worth the power gain.

yeah it's long enough to bolt to a cat... if you have a 2.5" one.

just be lucky if the pacesetter you ordered has the correct alignment for the bolt holes and don't use the gaskets that came with the header.
Reply
Old Aug 22, 2007 | 05:54 PM
  #19  
bshumate2003@yahoo.com's Avatar
Thread Starter
MAZDASPEED
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
From: Washington State
I"m having trouble finding all the bolts on the stock headers or manifold cuz this little damn heat sheild thing is in the way PLEASE HELP
Reply
Old Aug 22, 2007 | 06:24 PM
  #20  
phoenix7's Avatar
Banned. I got OWNED!!!
 
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 26
Likes: 1
remove the heatshield?

I don't think you can get to the necessary parts without removing them.

Last edited by phoenix7; Aug 22, 2007 at 06:47 PM.
Reply
Old Oct 28, 2010 | 10:43 PM
  #21  
R0t0rH34d's Avatar
Junior Member
Tenured Member 10 Years
 
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: North Carolina
I just got these ordered (for a mere $86!) and would like to know what else I need to get to make my own header-back exhaust. Also would like to know if the pacesetters may possibly bolt up to the RB presilencer since I'll be doing a complete RB system when I can afford the 1200 bucks lol.
Reply
Old Oct 28, 2010 | 11:47 PM
  #22  
TheAbsence's Avatar
s4 Pride
Tenured Member 15 Years
iTrader: (19)
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,350
Likes: 3
From: Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Originally Posted by R0t0rH34d
I just got these ordered (for a mere $86!) and would like to know what else I need to get to make my own header-back exhaust. Also would like to know if the pacesetters may possibly bolt up to the RB presilencer since I'll be doing a complete RB system when I can afford the 1200 bucks lol.
You're going to need to use catalytic converters or a presilencer such as a Racing Beat, Bora XR-1, etcetera before a final rear muffler to keep things quiet. As always, I recommend using cats but many will disagree with me. I don't know how long the Pacesetter system is but you will probably have to build a custom mid section to bolt up to the headers and catback unless the Pacesetter bolt up stock like the Corksport do... although I don't think this is the case. You can modify your stock cat sections to fit and a local muffler shop should only charge $30ish to cut some sections out.
Reply
Old Oct 29, 2010 | 09:51 AM
  #23  
rotarygod's Avatar
Rotors still spinning
Tenured Member 20 Years
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,181
Likes: 23
From: Houston
This is my little header rant as these types of threads always make it clear who knows what they are talking about and who is just a parrot who repeats what he hears and doesn't know why.

I have actually had 2 separate Pacesetter headers on various RX-7's over the years and have also had the Racing Beat unit. My current car has the Pacesetter. I sold the car that had the Racing Beat. Why use a Pacesetter again as opposed to other better options? It is cheap and is a performance upgrade over stock. I have never had one rust through or fall apart and they bolt straight up to the cat. They are simple and simple is good. Are they the best header out there? No, of course not. Neither are Racing Beat's. Are Racing Beat headers better? Maybe. How much? I don't know but the difference between my cars wasn't enough for me to care or notice. The only way to truly get the best is to have it custom built as I don't buy into the whole "max power" or other header designs out there. The fact of the matter is that due to inequal length intake runners (we all have them!), you do NOT want an equal length header!!! No one ever seems to listen. Equal is almost never optimum. You absolutely have to have equal length intakes and even then must have a balanced flow within that intake in order for an equal length header to be the best solution. If a header is being sold on the grounds that it is "equal length", keep walking. They don't know a damn thing about header design! We have yet to see someone market a header that has unequal lengths who can explain why they did it so don't think this is in defense of the Pacesetter. It isn't. Theirs it no more optimum than anyone else's.

Pacesetter definitely doesn't do some things as well as they could have. When it comes to header lengths though, individual pipe lengths in relation to each other aren't as critical as many think they are and at this point we are really arguing over that last little peak hp or 2. Header runners can be up to about 9" or so in different between each other and have practically ZERO effect on tuning!!! Yes that means unequal length isn't necessarily a bad thing. I won't use a Pacesetter muffler though. That design is complete junk so stay away from them.

It is hard for me to understand how anyone can insult a Pacesetter header based on design yet can still run the heavy cast iron shoebox of a factory exhaust manifold that has a single 2" outlet. Um, are some people really just that stupid??? Apparently the answer is a clear cut yes! NOTHING is worse that the stock manifold except 2 blockoff plates installed over the exhaust ports that cut flow down to zero. Every other option on the market is better. Some are better than others but prices also vary accordingly. Not everyone has lots of money to spend on an exhaust. If you are driving around in a car that you paid less than a grand for, you probably don't have hundreds of dollars to spend hopping it up. The Pacesetter has it's place in the world and is in no way shape or form worse than stock. It is a bad as it can get when you get it!

I have seen people mention the OBX stainless header in the past. It is the Pacesetter header in every way shape and form with only 1 simple detail that is different. It is stainless. It is a stainless copy of a Pacesetter.

ALL headers are an upgrade over stock. The only people that have the right to criticize the Pacesetter unit are those that have something more expensive and even then they really have no idea how much more power they are making, if any, over a Pacesetter. It's not saying they aren't making more though and chance are quite good that they are. Anyone insulting it had better not be running a stock exhaust manifold though. They are hypocritical idiots if they are! I'd rather run a Pacesetter header than no header at all. In fact, I am!
Reply
Old Oct 29, 2010 | 10:04 AM
  #24  
jjwalker's Avatar
MECP Certified Installer
Tenured Member 05 Years
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,176
Likes: 3
From: Mesquite, TX-DFW
Will the pacesetter header fit on a vert? I haven't been able to find a header that will fit on a vert, I think due to the extra support bar that runs underneath.
Reply
Old Oct 29, 2010 | 12:17 PM
  #25  
misterstyx69's Avatar
Retired Moderator, RIP
Tenured Member: 20 Years
iTrader: (142)
 
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 25,581
Likes: 136
From: Smiths Falls.(near Ottawa!.Mapquest IT!)
The pacesetter header and the stock mufflers will sound like a Pissed off BEE.
Now,where the collector is on the header,drill that out where the pipes meet and weld on about a 3/4 inch diameter pipe.That Pipe will Now be your Split air pipe and you can hook up your 6 ports with it.
Yes!,the Back pressure there is enough to open them.
I had the Same damn system.
Now, it is a TII engine and a full racing Beat exhaust.Much more better!
Reply

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:18 AM.