I spent a lot of time researching a header to install with my upper-end rebuild. I asked for some suggestions, and read some reviews on parts-sites. The problem with parts site reviews is the parts are reviewed right after purchase, so the reviews tend to be biased. Everyone thinks the part they just bought is the best on the market.

Last week I went to the "motor-only" section to look around. There was a long article on headers, and to make the story short the posters slammed DC Sports, they were merciless. And posters on this part of the site tend to be very experienced mechanics. I was pretty shocked.

The consensus was they were overpriced, and some stated for the price the welds were not very good. Some posters stated they had made the "newbie" mistake of falling for the DC Sports header, but were selling them. It was hard to tell what they were buying- those who stated the replacements used all letter abbreviations for the brands

Alright, here's the problem. I suspect these guys may have heavy-duty egos, and the DC are not accepted as "top-line" for the experienced "in" crowd. If that's the case, I could care less, I buy parts for quality, never for the 'name'.

But if the statements are true and the welds are not very good (for the money), then once again a manufacturer has done a great job selling an "image".

I would really appreciate input from DC owners who have had the header installed for a while. For headers, time is the true 'acid-test', the extreme changes in temp. and expansion/contraction eventually tear up weak welds and/or cause warpage at the faceplate. If you respond, please let me know how long you have had them installed.

If you don't know about the DC, but know a site that really has unbiased part reviews, let me know the site. Once again, the problem I have seen with this type site is the parts that are "in" get good reviews, despite true quality or price.

I do not agree or disagree with the posts, so DC owners, please don't go nuts on me! As I stated, the "experienced" crowd may just "buy-up" to "cooler" headers after they are no longer newbies. This may be the case. Or the DC line may be another example of overamped marketing. I do know they are not the cheapest header on the market, but sometimes you overpay for a very bloated advertising budget. thanks- Wrenchy

UPDATE- I guess I should have mentioned I will be installing +0.5mm SS valves with all new valvetrain parts, a slightly bored/ported TB, have the intake p/p, install a very mild street-cam and adjustable gear, replacing my existing cat-back system with an RSR Exmag and high-flow cat, Spec ph-2 clutch and stock steel flywheel machined to about 15-16 lbs., probably rework to a performance coil system, stock fuel will be reworked and will supply plenty of fuel.

Nothing for racing, all very high-quality parts designed and built for street-use and dependabilty, the same as I built the suspension and braking system (I build my cars to handle/brake first, THEN I work on the engine and tranney!)

I will be easily running +20-25 well-balanced HP (I really don't care what it ends up!), and I definitely will need better flow than the stock header. So I won't need a monster flow-rate, but a good header with solid welds is the plan. I guess this info should have been posted- Wrenchy




Modified by wrenchy at 7:57 PM 8/22/2007

 

i have a stainless steel 421 in my 97 accord lx for about 3 months. i know its not long, but everything seems fine to me.

 

They give you a few horsepower for not much $$$. You can spend more to get a custom fabbed header but you're looking at spending 2 to 3 times more than DC Sports' cost. Plus not many people go all-motor to need a really good header and extract maximum power. A really good header with other bolt-on mods will probably not give you more than 10 HP at the crank so for $/HP, it's not very good to go custom. That's why people go with DC. It's not like there's a better choice out there for around that price since the selection is few for the Accords. If Comptech made a header for the I4 Accords, it'll probably cost around $500 and make maybe 8 HP at the crank, but then the market for a $500 part isn't really there for the Accords. You're better spending that on port and polishing the head among other things to get more horsepower. So, to make the long story short, people get DC headers for their Accords because it's a decent compromise.

 

I've heard from mulitple sources on HT and AD and a few other sites, that the stock EX header, while ugly as it is, is about equally as good as a DC Sports header.

Minimal gains = not worth that much money

 

Yeah the primaries and the runners are rather thin. They made a modest design and went conservative for everyday driving. For high-RPM gains, the design is not optimal. The EX header (I'm assuming 5th gen.) is also a 4-2-1 and is not that bad, though they're much quieter and presumably more restrictive than DC Sports' version. If you're going to replace your stock exhaust manifold, you might as well replace it with DC Sports' but I think the header should be the last item to mod in the I/H/E setup if you have a 5th gen. Accord EX.

 

I want to compliment wrenchy on a well organized and written post. This is the kind of post that should set examples.

I feel that a Header is over kill for a stock setup. If one is pumping more air in a motor through the use of head work, cams(s), nitrous injection, or ported intakes, a change in header will warrant more power because it can deal with a larger amount of exhaust volume.

Other than that, it is merely cosmetic and a bragging right at best. Additionally, the loss in back pressure raises the peak torque further up the RPM band. This will leave a car feeling more sluggish at lower RPM than before.