d_mina

i have a ek wit h22a swap...just wanted to know how bad the header problem was(header scraping because it hangs low)...what else can be done besides raising it.. skidplates? any input is appreciated...

junglerunna

My header is about 2 inches from the road with my car lowered about 1.5 inches. I dont really know what you could put under the header to protect it. Just drive careful.

Lei Siew Long

funny, my friend and i was thinking about the exact same thing last weekend. i've seen a skid plate made for a front lip but not a header.

d_mina

what header are you using for your hybrid?

sciolist

My header's about 3 1/4" off the pavement. I had the local custom exhaust shop weld a skid plate directly onto the pipes. I think it's 3/16" stock. It certainly provides peace of mind.

Formula 1

is the skid plate welded on the header cuz if u hit anythign big both r gonna dent ...i dunno how u got the skid plate setup but just my thinkin

sciolist

Yes, it's welded directly on the underside of the pipes. My concern was to avoid surface damage or dents to the pipes.

If clearance is the issue then obviously the entire assembly has to be as thin as possible - there isn't really any extra room to hold the skid plate out off the pipes.

My main fear was that I might srape the pipes on a steep driveway apron, speed bump, etc. In that case I would be going very slowly, so the pipes themselves would be plenty strong to withstand the impact.... It wouldn't really be an impact at all, more like a hard scrape.

I think you've got much more serious trouble on your hands if you hit something that's high enough to contact the underside of the car at any kind of speed. I once hit a piece of a steel angle in the middle of I95 at about 80mph. It flipped up under the car and smacked the crap out of the underside of the gas tank. Even in a situation like that, the welded-on skid plate is going to deflect just about anything that fits under the lip.

Another possible nasty scenario would be a large rock hidden in snow.

Formula 1

im not driving in snow wit rocks so no worry there...rest sounds like a cool idea can u post pics?

sciolist

Sik:

I'm not driving in rocky snow either... I think we got about 1/2" this year so far

I can get some pics next week. I'll either post them or email them to you if I have hosting problems.

stevecockrill

Not sure if this will work for your application, or if its relevant even -

Clicky here

HTH!

Steve

Formula 1

those skid plates basically look pointless...mine does scrape where they r flat and that bend is where it scrapes i dunno where those peeps got that idea...damn honky rednecks

stevecockrill

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SikCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">those skid plates basically look pointless...mine does scrape where they r flat and that bend is where it scrapes i dunno where those peeps got that idea...damn honky rednecks</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not real sure what you're trying to say there, but I would think that the fact the road/debris/whatever hits the skidplate and not the header pipes is the whole point. So your header scrapes where its flat AND on the bend?? I don't get it. Surely any skid plate would help, and that one isn't welded to the pipes so damage isn't transfered to the header.



and for $39, its practically disposable......

Nice car BTW, but I have my doubts about all-motor 12's with a street driven (ie, no slicks) coupe, they just weigh too much to begin with. But good luck!!

Steve

Formula 1

ok well i didn't see those skid plates those r badass but a lil unrealistic for me on a daily driver..second thanx for the comments bout the car and i gonna slap slicks on at the track to hit those 12s...and i know its gonna be hard but if it was easy i wouldn't be doing it...i like to set real goals

stevecockrill

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SikCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok well i didn't see those skid plates those r badass but a lil unrealistic for me on a daily driver</TD></TR></TABLE>

They're designed for daily driver applications, just may only be for ITR type headers (I'm too lazy to go read it). You don't have to pull anything off the car for installation......

Steve

Newman

Here's the thing with a skid plate. It'll only help to a certain degree. I was going to make one and put it onto my Hotshot H22 headers but I got lazy and just was careful when I drove and made sure I went slow into driveways and over speed bumps. The reason why I say it'll help out to a certain extent is because, depending on the metal used, I've still seen skid plates bashed in pretty good, still denting in the header but not as bad as if there was no skid plate to begin with. Bottom line, if you bottom out or hit something pretty hard, even with a skid plate on your header, it can still dent the header and push the skid plate right up into it. Best thing to do is raise your car up a little, get good shocks so you don't bounce around all over the place, and know your car's limits (in height) and drive cautiously.

bigblockEG

I think it might be a good idea for someone who doesnt make alot of money and wants to protect those expensive headers. I know the pictured header goes for 400-500, I am just saying the idea in general...

Formula 1

i dunno if it were that bad i would just skid plate the whole bottom of the car