RNR 3inch 02 Eliminator Turbo Back Exhaust *Review*

[Omega]

Another now happy customer.

First off, the box was all sorts or ripped and a middle section was even missing! Luckily there wasn't a scratch on anything. The SS tip made it here ok, and there were no puncture wounds in the muffler. I was a little aprehensive when opening the box though.

The O2 housing needed a little bit of touching up, but my local race sho took care of that (and was very impressed with the part might I add) That went on without a hitch along with the cat.

The intermediate pipe could use a little tweaking though. The rear O2 sensor bung is right on the money. Any more toward the front and the wire would be too short. To be safe, I would move the bung 1" to the rear just to be safe.. but that is just me. The hanger on the straight section is wrong. I ended up cutting the hook section off and just using the straight portion. I don't know if this is just my car or not. The back part where it meets the muffler section is just a tad off. At the moment the coupling rubs against the fuel tank. Not alot, but it does.

As far as the muffler fitment. I am an idiot. Having never seen this installed on a FWD, I thought it ran the same way the stock exhaust did. Boy was I wrong. After hours of hammering the spare tire well I realized the muffler section was never going to fit. At that point I got a little frantic so I took the day off. So yesterday I tackled it again, but followed a friends' advice I ran the pipe UNDER the frame... HOLY SHEET it fit!

I am still playing around with the final positioning. I wanted the muffler to tuck more under the bumper so I cut a little off the pipe (not the tip) It is looking pretty damn good! I HAD to start it up though What a rumble!! It sounds a lot like my Formula!

Ryan if you are reading this, all in all a good job. Please respond to my email though. As I mentioned in the email I would host some pictures. I will show you where the hanger is a off and such.

 

[logic]

I received my order (downpipe and cat only) yesterday, with an original order date of Mar. 24; so, a grand total of about a month and a half. A bit longer than the original 2-week estimate, but hey, I've got it now, so I'm happy.

The unit looks excellent from a construction standpoint; the welds look good, and it had a few spot welds on the flange side of the dump tube rather than the completely loose pictures I've seen others post. I've got a little work to do before I can get it on the car (mainly, the HKS catback I have reduces to 2.5" from the resonator to the cat, so I need to have someone relocate the hangers and O2 bung to a 3" piece and weld it in instead), at which point I'll be able to comment on performance.

Appearance-wise, I have this unbelievable urge to polish it up, especially after taking delivery of that HKS; you could eat off the piping on that thing. But, since I'll likely give it some kind of thermal coating down the road (probably when I do a turbo and exhaust manifold swap), it's probably not worth the trouble. lxlaw, did you order your piping with an option to clean it up or coat it? Mine definitely doesn't look as clean as yours (dark streaks around the welds; it looks exactly like McGruffAWD's pictures), but maybe that's a result of welding stainless instead of aluminized steel?

I didn't get the mangled box that everyone else has complained about (it looks like UPS babied this one; Ryan, did you threaten a nut-kicking over there or something? ), but there was no packing material used, so I'm not surprised a few people had problems. (I remember the office manager at my last job just tossing a copier in a box and sending it via UPS to a new remote office with no packing material at all...they couldn't even count the number of pieces it arrived in.) Like I mentioned in email to you Ryan, you might want to pack things a little more tightly in the box; UPS isn't known for their delicate handling procedures.

More when I get a chance to snap some pictures and get this guy on the car.

 

[Omega]

Here is a link to my site with some pictures. You can see where I tried to install it wrong, and then got on the right track.


http://www.chapmann-motorsports.com/photo.html

 

[lxlaw]

I didnt order mine with any special coatings or without. The downpipe was painted upto about the flex section. The rest wasnt. Mine is aluminized and i believe it is a different welding process with stainless. I think it requires higher heat and one of the problems is the blackening around the welds. Ryan can probably guide you better on that. Overall mine looks real nice and i would have bought the stainless if i am sure on how long i will keep the car. If it does well among the street crowd i might decide to keep it.

 

[McGruffAWD]

Well ryan you should pat yourself on your back. Looks like everyone thus far is loveing the exhaust. Great reviews guys keep them coming.

 

[greenmachine]

I just ordered my 3" O2 elim. turbo-back exhaust last night, so lets start the count today, day 1 on May 8th. I'm guessing it will get here June 11th. Anyone else care to make a guesstimate?

 

[Omega]

Has anyone else noticed that you get carbon build-up around the SS tip where it's welded to the muffler?

 

[focusedrage]

damn, i cnat wait till i have the money to order this downpipe, sounds amazing

 

[PropXprt]

Originally posted by Omega
Has anyone else noticed that you get carbon build-up around the SS tip where it's welded to the muffler?

Ya I did, so I just had my friend weld a bead all the way around the tip...

 

[doug]

Omega, you do realize this was just discussed on the previous page, right?

 

[logic]

Okay, the 3" eliminator downpipe and cat are on the car (with some fabrication to make the cat and catback "play nice"...don't ask, it's messy, and hopefully not permanent). One blown alternator fuse and a quick search to see how the hell to determine my radio security code (and a note to call Mitsubishi's service dept. tomorrow added to my to-do list), and it's good to go.

First impressions: serious seat-of-the-pants improvement over stock on the low end of things. Specifically, first and second pull noticably harder (and smoother) even with mild driving. There's an obvious audible change: with just the catback, the exhaust had an inconsistant flutter to it, but now the sound has a smooth, even tone (and to my surprise, somewhat quieter; I can only assume the lack of turbulence is helping in that regard). Visually...well, it's very nice taking a look where that crappy stock O2 housing was and seeing a smooth, mandrel bent downpipe.

I haven't had a chance to properly open the car up beyond in-town daily driving yet, so I have no idea if I'll be seeing anything special beyond low-end improvements. But so far, I'm like a kid in a candy store; my other half is slightly less pleased. I can't wait to get to the track.

Oh, and Ryan: the folks who installed the downpipe and got the cat and catback mated up were drooling over the construction of the downpipe. Big thumbs up from a bunch of guys who are used to installing/fabricating swizel-stick Honda exhausts "wit da big tips, yo". I just wish they'd stop calling my exhaust manifold a header.

 

[DuskTilDawn]

Yeah. I got my turbo back 3in exhaust with 02 eliminator. It sounds good. Its awesome. I cant drive it far at all though. Everything fit nice, but the O2 sensor sits damn close to the manifold. Like less than a 1/4 inch. So i am afraid to drive it far that maybe the wire my melt that goes to the sensor. I emailed RNR and let them know, and to see what they can do. But, it sits really really freakin close. So i can not really drive my car until this is taken care of because I really dont want to have to go buy a new O2 sensor. I am pretty sure they are going to have to send me one that has the sensor location moved a little farther down the pipe. But other than that I really dont have any complaints. Its funny though, at the very beginning when i recieved my exhaust i thought i had the wrong downpipe, and complained to them and they were ready to send out a new one, but it was really me who made the mistake (its a long stupid story) so then i let it go, put it on, and to find out now, that there is a very simple problem with the location of the O2 sensor. So you know. Go figure. Now i just have to wait and see what they want to do.

 

[Omega]

I have finally been able to put some miles on the new system. It was entirely too loud for me so I added a dynomax muffler after the cat (I bought the O2 elim. and 3" back system). It has made it tons quieter but part throttle is still a little boomie for my taste. I must say, if I romp on it, it actually almost goes silent! Very weird, but hey, I am not complaining.

I was battling with tuning today. I now know what compressor surge sounds like. The damn car would fall on its' face when I shifted I played around with the AFC and BOV for a good 2 hours tonight. It is now MUCH smoother. I still have some flutter under part throttle, but that could be my AFC settings. Gotta get that logger.

 

[PropXprt]

I finally got a pic of rnr exhaust installed, check it out if you'd like

http://www.dsmtuners.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=17915&password=&sort=7&thecat=500

 

[RnR Racing]

Looks good and I am glad eveything worked out for you.

 

[DuskTilDawn]

Hey RNR Racing. I was just wondering when you were going to be able to respond to my emails to you. ([email protected]) about the O2 sensor on the downpipe and how it is mislocated. I am in a jam because i can not really drive my car that much because like i said, i am afraid to melt the O2 sensor wires because it sits so close. So let me know what to do. Thanks!

[email protected]
Eric

 

[logic]

DuskTilDawn: Do you have any pics of the O2 sensor and where it's sitting on your setup?

For the record, mine is pretty close to the exhaust manifold heat shield too, but it clears. I just routed the extra wire back around the dipstick to keep it from touching the manifold, and then it's just held into the existing clips on the heat shield.

 

[RnR Racing]

I emailed you about the solution.

 

[DuskTilDawn]

I was just thinking. Now that I have the RNR Racing, 3", turbo back,"O2 Eliminator" exhaust system, on my 1995 Eclipse GST, someone told me I need to buy something for the O2 sensor that I eliminated so that it does not trip another error code on my computer and make the car run rich as hell and restrict the engine some?? What can I do, or what do I need to do, or get, in order to not run so rich, and not trip the error code on the computer??Some guy with a Honda had told me that there is some sort of plug or something that tricks the sensor to think it is sensing the correct reading?? Well anyways, let me know. Thanks.

 

[doug]

You didn't eliminate any O2 sensors. If anything, you eliminated the cat, which might cause your rear O2 sensor to trip a CEL because it thinks the cat is malfunctioning. Yes, there is an O2 simulator relay you can buy, but just wait and see if you trip any CELs. Some do, some don't, some do rarely.

 

[RnR Racing]

The car won't run richer because you still have the 02 sensor working. The only thing that might happen will be a possible check engine light that happens to some cars.

Doug, we will be finishing your catback this weekend. Just wanted to let you know.

 

[logic]

FYI, when I put my catback on, I threw a CEL almost immediately. When the downpipe and cat went on, the ECU was reset (fscking radio security codes...who the hell is going to steal a stock DSM radio?!), and I haven't gotten a CEL since.

 

[doug]

I've had a CEL a total of 3 times in the year or so I've had my cat-less exhaust.

 

[DuskTilDawn]

Correct me if I am wrong, But now since i have the "O2 eliminator" is not the "after cat" sensor disconnected now since there is not a housing for it. It is just straight through piping that eliminated the "cat"? And a buddy of mine that deals with DSMs and aftermarket parts says there was a guy, he is not sure if he is still making them, but he made a plug that plugs into the harness where the after cat O2 sensor should plug into that makes the computer think that the O2 sensor is reading the most perfect reading?? He also says my car is running pig f-ing rich. It is, because before I had the exhaust on there the car was only reading slightly rich on the A/f Gauge, now it is almost pickin out in the rich area on the A/F gauge, and he says it is because of that sensor not being connected or something?? So I am a little confused now. So if anyone can explain the whole situation to me I would appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[McGruffAWD]

Okay let me try and explain it. The only thing the 2nd o2 sensor does, and i repeat..the only thing, is make sure your cat is working. That it is...it mesures the first o2s signal then the 2nd o2 signal and makes sure that the cat is doing its job with emissions. By unpluging the 2nd o2 you are doing nothing more than taking that o2 from the car. It will not make your car run richer or leaner...or anything like that. If you still are running the stock ecu with no tuner then you will always run rich. Mine does the same thing and i cant do anything about it until i get my DSMLINK to lean it out. Like everyone else said above. If the 2nd o2 is not in use and isnt throwing a CEL then dont worry about it.

On a side note to everyone. I ordered my TEST PIPE from ryan 2 days ago. I will give another mini review with before and after pics and comparisons between the cat and the test pipe for sound.