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    Racing Beat Exhaust System

    In August 2007 I purchased a Racing Beat (RB) exhaust system.


    Although RB lists it as fitting only the 2.0 L engine, a number of forum members state that the system will also fit the 3rd Gen 1.8 L and even the 1.6 L engines. Two models are available: one for the 2001-'03 sedan, Part Number 76465; and one for the 2002-'03 P5, Part Number 76466.

    A cat back design made from 304 stainless steel, the RB system is three-piece (presilencer, crossover pipe and muffler) while OEM is two-piece (combined presilencer/crossover pipe and muffler. The pipe diameter is larger than OEM at 2.375" (60 mm). For purposes of comparison, I measured the i.d. of the pipe that is part of the engine side of the OEM muffler and obtained a value of ~ 2" (~ 50.8 mm). RB provides all the necessary hardware and gaskets except for the two nuts that attach the presilencer flange to that of the 2nd cat, but I had previously purchased new ones from Mazda so I was all set for the installation.

    Aside from RB's reputation for quality, I chose their exhaust system for two reasons: a dyno-certified small power increase, and it was reputed to be the quietist of the aftermarket systems. According to RB's chassis dyno data, available at their website, the system provides a gain of 4.7 HP @ 5,750 rpm and an increase in torque of 5 lbs/ft at 3,800 rpm. In terms of the sound, I subsequently found the noise level to be just right; not too loud at all. A very pronounced deep tone on acceleration that moderates as the rpms are leveled off. At cruising speeds, the sound was pleasantly prominent compared with the stock system and did not seem to attract undue attention. Long distance trips were no problem as, although clearly louder than OEM, no annoying drumming sound was apparent even at speeds up to 80 mph on the interstate. I would not want it to be any louder, however, and if a quiet exhaust is your priority, over performance, it would certainly be best to stick with the OEM system.

    I bought the system direct from RB at a cost of US $449 plus $47.55 for UPS shipping (42 lbs) to my location for a total price of US $496.55. The current price is the same.

    The Course of True Exhaust Flow Never Runs Smooth
    After installing the RB I posted photos of the setup. A number of my forum mates noted that the tail pipe was much too recessed and incorrectly positioned and were kind enough to make me aware of the problem. Through their comments I was able to determine that RB had incorrectly sent me the P5 system which is several inches shorter than the one designed for the sedan thus explaining the faulty positioning. All the members who noticed this were sympathetic to my plight with the exception of one individual who laughingly thought I was a tool of the highest order and totally incompetent not to have noticed the discrepancy before I went ahead and bolted everything up. Far from feeling offended, I was gratified to see that my foolish, thoughtless behavior resulted in making this personage feel superior to me and that I was able to enhance his self-esteem and feelings of worth at my expense. Even if its inadvertant, it's nice to know that you've created a positive experience for another human soul. Am I a ???

    I e-mailed RB sending a photo along to illustrate the problem and then spoke to a RB representative on the phone. After explaining the problem, he acknowledged that I'd undoubtedly received the wrong (P5) muffler. He was extremely apologetic and stated the correct muffler would be shipped to me at once at their expense. Fortunately, only the muffler dimensions are different between the two systems meaning only that part had to be replaced. After installing the replacement, I was to ship the original back to them in their carton with a prepaid shipping label. All I had to do was drop it off at UPS. They even sent me a free RB t-shirt.

    Obviously, RB is a very fine company not only in terms of the quality of their products but also in matters of corporate integrity and superb customer relations. I was very gratified that my problem was resolved so graciously and speedily, and I highly recommend them as a vendor worthy of your consideration should anything in their product line coincide with your needs.

    Success at Last
    I received and installed the new muffler. With the correct muffler in place, the tail pipe extended out beyond the bumper the appropriate amount. FYI, I measured both mufflers and found that while the length of the inlet pipe and the muffler cannister are the same for both models, they differ in tail pipe length, and angle of attachment, with the P5 tip being ~ 4" to 5" shorter than that of the sedan. This of course would explain the recessed positioning. Additionally, having the P5 muffler in hand after the reinstall, I decided to weigh it. My digital bathroom scale is supposed to be quite accurate so I weighed myself alone and then while holding the muffler. The difference was 18.7 lbs.

    Happy Motoring!

    All photos below show the correct (sedan) muffler installed:
    Attached Files
    Last edited by goldstar; 02-04-2010, 07:27 AM.
    02 DX Millenium Red - The Penultimate Driving Machine
    MP3 Strut Tower Bar kit; Cusco Front Lower Arm Tie Bar
    MSP Springs, Struts, Stabilizer Bars, Trailing Links, #3 Engine Mount
    Kartboy Stabilizer Bar Bushings; Nyloil Shifter Bushings; Red Line MT-90 Gear Oil
    MP3 Shifter, Knob and Aluminum Pedal Set
    Suvlights HD Wiring Harness; Osram Night Breaker H4 Bulbs; Exide Edge AGM Battery
    Summer: 5Zigen FN01R-C 16 x 7" Wheels; Yoko S.drive 205/45-16s
    Winter: Enkei OR52 16 x 7" Wheels; Falken Ziex ZE-912 205/45-16s
    Modified OEM Air Intake; Racing Beat Exhaust System; Techna-Fit SS Clutch Line
    Denso SKJ16CR-L11 Extended Tip Spark Plugs; Magnecor Wires
    Power Slot Front Brake Rotors; Techna-Fit SS Brake Lines; Hawk HPS Pads
    Red Line Synthetic Engine Oil; C/S Aluminum Oil Cap
    Cyberdyne Digital Gauges: Tach; Ambient Air Temp; Voltmeter

    #2
    Racing Beat on the Road

    Introduction
    Shortly after installing the RB exhaust system, I had the good fortune to take an unexpected 622 mile trip that involved a variety of driving conditions, terrain and road speeds that enabled me to put the RB exhaust system to a comprehensive road test. The driving modes included high speed interstate running, passing on two lane highways, and overtaking on upgrades when slower traffic moved over to the climbing lane. Since our destination was Vermont, there were plenty of severe upgrades and downgrades and some of the best twisties you could ever desire.

    Driving Impressions
    To begin with, an inspection of RB's dyno graph clearly indicates that with the RB exhaust fitted, the curves for both HP and torque between the graphed limits of 2000-6500 rpm consistently lie above those plotted for the stock setup. In other words, despite the decrease in backpressure, the gains at the high end do not occur at the expense of low end performance. This is exactly in accord with my own driving impressions where I experienced a small but noticeable increase in acceleration both off the line and when going to full throttle from cruise.

    For example, full throttle acceleration from 60 to 85 MPH on the interstate took place in noticeably less time than before. More importantly to me, passing on a two lane road was accomplished more easily than before in terms of overtaking more rapidly and therefore spending less time out in the opposing lane. Most dramatic was the small but noticeable increase in overtaking capability on upgrades. Uphill acceleration is not the strong point of 130 HP Proteges, to say the least (particularly when the effects of elevation are added in). Many sections of Vermont's two lane roads add a third climbing lane on severe upgrades. With appropriate downshifting of course, I found that the RB system gave me a bit more of an edge while overtaking in the passing lane.

    Considering performance as a function of rpm rather than road speed, I noticed that the engine seemed to rev more freely throughout the range up to ~ 5800 rpm but above that, as before, seemed to run out of urge rather quickly. There's only so much add-ons can do.

    I've already commented on the relative lack of noise of this performance exhaust system. After spending many hours with it, I can confirm that it's the ideal system for me, and my wife. Although always louder than OEM, it's never, harsh, buzzy, raspy or annoyingly obtrusive. IMO, it has a pleasant deep, full-throated tone that's reminiscent of a quality sports car. At 65 MPH cruise, it fades into the background if your attention is on other matters; at 80 MPH it's louder and more prominent but nothing we couldn't live with even on an all-day drive. Most importantly it never drones. At high rpms it's fairly loud as you'd expect, but that's a transient mode for a road car, and therefore not a problem.

    Another interesting consequence of the new system emerged. After performing several mods to my stock air intake system, intake air noise became apparent during full-throttle acceleration. This was no longer the case as intake noise became completely masked by the louder exhaust note of the RB when accelerating.

    Finally, a word about fuel mileage. It would be expected that, all else being equal, the RB exhaust system should provide an improvement in fuel mileage over OEM due to its superior flow characteristics. While I obviously have no way of comparing the two systems in that regard, the mile/gal figure that I obtained for part of this trip is at least suggestive. Considering that all the relevant trip factors such as prolonged high speed cruise, rugged terrain, frequent full-throttle operation and generally fast driving overall suggest high fuel consumption, I still managed to obtain 29.8 MPG (351.6 miles; 11.78 gals). Of course, other factors come into play such as the use of synthetic lubes and my modified OEM intake system, but this still seems outstanding performance under the circumstances.

    Technical Considerations
    The performance increase made possible by the RB system is due to the larger i.d. of the piping and the less-restrictive muffler which, in turn, leads to a reduction in backpressure. But just how does a change in backpressure affect HP output? It's well-known that BHP = IHP - FHP, where FHP is the HP consumed by internal engine friction. But FHP has two components: mechanical friction between moving parts, and fluid friction in the intake and exhaust systems including the flow through the valves and motion within the cylinders. This second type of friction, also known collectively as pumping losses, is relevant here. A less-restrictive exhaust system will reduce the work required of the piston on the exhaust stroke to expel the burnt gases, resulting in a reduction of pumping losses. This, in turn, causes a decrease in FHP.

    In like manner, a less-restrictive intake system will also reduce pumpimg losses and have a similar beneficial effect on power output. The two together will have a synergistic effect greater than that of either one alone.

    Happy Motoring!
    Attached Files
    Last edited by goldstar; 01-20-2010, 08:12 AM.
    02 DX Millenium Red - The Penultimate Driving Machine
    MP3 Strut Tower Bar kit; Cusco Front Lower Arm Tie Bar
    MSP Springs, Struts, Stabilizer Bars, Trailing Links, #3 Engine Mount
    Kartboy Stabilizer Bar Bushings; Nyloil Shifter Bushings; Red Line MT-90 Gear Oil
    MP3 Shifter, Knob and Aluminum Pedal Set
    Suvlights HD Wiring Harness; Osram Night Breaker H4 Bulbs; Exide Edge AGM Battery
    Summer: 5Zigen FN01R-C 16 x 7" Wheels; Yoko S.drive 205/45-16s
    Winter: Enkei OR52 16 x 7" Wheels; Falken Ziex ZE-912 205/45-16s
    Modified OEM Air Intake; Racing Beat Exhaust System; Techna-Fit SS Clutch Line
    Denso SKJ16CR-L11 Extended Tip Spark Plugs; Magnecor Wires
    Power Slot Front Brake Rotors; Techna-Fit SS Brake Lines; Hawk HPS Pads
    Red Line Synthetic Engine Oil; C/S Aluminum Oil Cap
    Cyberdyne Digital Gauges: Tach; Ambient Air Temp; Voltmeter

    Comment


      #3
      Playing Around

      Presumably, RB's chassis dyno figures can be considered to have a high degree of accuracy. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting, and fun, to see if I could work backwards to establish an estimated engine dyno HP rating based on the published chassis dyno results. This would enable us to arrive at a ballpark figure to determine how much BHP, and crank torque, the RB exhaust system might add to the otherwise stock FS-DE engine.

      Determining the proper correction factor to utilize to obtain an engine dyno power rating from the lower chassis dyno figure measured, due to driveline loss, becomes the problem.

      An inspection of sources yields a range of power loss between the two types of dynos of as little as 15% with M/T and 20 % with A/T to as high as 30 to 35%. Taking the range of various power losses into account, I decided to use the value of 20% (M/T) as this was the most often quoted figure. In other words, I'll assume that the published RB chassis dyno figures would actually measure 20% higher on an engine dyno. Whether you agree or not, that certainly seems within the ballpark.

      I'll repeat the stock values for purposes of reference:

      Stock Power Output: FS-DE Engine
      130 BHP (97 kW) @ 6,000 rpm SAE (net)
      135 lbs/ft (183 Nm) torque @ 4,000 rpm
      BMEP, max torque (calculated): 168 psi
      BMEP, max BHP (calculated): 141 psi

      Racing Beat Exhaust System
      Rated chassis dyno figures:
      +4.7 HP @ 5,750 rpm
      +5 lbs/ft torque @ 3,800 rpm

      Assuming 20% power loss for the chassis dyno, the estimated engine dyno figures become:
      +5.875 BHP @ 5,750 rpm
      +6.25 lbs/ft torque @ 3,800 rpm

      Power Output FS-DE Engine with RB Exhaust System Installed
      136 BHP (101 kW) @ 5,750 rpm SAE (net)
      141 lbs/ft (191 Nm) torque @ 3,800 rpm
      BMEP, max torque (calculated):174 psi
      BMEP, max BHP (calculated): 154 psi

      Hmm, 6 more BHP and 6 more lbs/ft of torque, and both at a lower rpm for increased driveability, as well as an increase in BMEP compared with the stock engine, just from the simple addition of a low-restriction exhaust system? Not bad.

      And it certainly seems to agree with my butt dyno, SAE (gross). Your guess is as good as mine.

      Happy Motoring!
      02 DX Millenium Red - The Penultimate Driving Machine
      MP3 Strut Tower Bar kit; Cusco Front Lower Arm Tie Bar
      MSP Springs, Struts, Stabilizer Bars, Trailing Links, #3 Engine Mount
      Kartboy Stabilizer Bar Bushings; Nyloil Shifter Bushings; Red Line MT-90 Gear Oil
      MP3 Shifter, Knob and Aluminum Pedal Set
      Suvlights HD Wiring Harness; Osram Night Breaker H4 Bulbs; Exide Edge AGM Battery
      Summer: 5Zigen FN01R-C 16 x 7" Wheels; Yoko S.drive 205/45-16s
      Winter: Enkei OR52 16 x 7" Wheels; Falken Ziex ZE-912 205/45-16s
      Modified OEM Air Intake; Racing Beat Exhaust System; Techna-Fit SS Clutch Line
      Denso SKJ16CR-L11 Extended Tip Spark Plugs; Magnecor Wires
      Power Slot Front Brake Rotors; Techna-Fit SS Brake Lines; Hawk HPS Pads
      Red Line Synthetic Engine Oil; C/S Aluminum Oil Cap
      Cyberdyne Digital Gauges: Tach; Ambient Air Temp; Voltmeter

      Comment

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