Hey all. I have an EF hatch with a b18a1 swap that was in it when I purchased the car and I need a new exhaust. It looks like someone took the stock headers and hacked and re-welded them to fit the engine in my car and I think they are leaking. They are also pretty beat up from the previous owner having the car slammed and bottoming out a lot until I got new suspension on it.

I was just wondering if there were any known headers that don't have any fitment issues as I've been reading that most aftermarket headers require modification of the crossmember. Is there no way around this? If I do have to modify the cross member does this cause any significant issues I should be aware of?

Would it be worthwhile to invest in an aftermarket crossmember before upgrading my headers? Does anyone have any experience with these who could shed some light on how well they hold up? How would it affect my handling?

One last question since I'm already asking about exhaust... If i don't currently have plans to turbo how big of an exhaust do I need? I thought i read somewhere 2 1/4 was a good size for our lower displacement engines. I think the current exhaust is 2.5 in, would it be worthwhile to go smaller if i replace the whole system? Would this cause any noticeable changes or should I just stay at 2.5in ?

Thanks for any and all help guys.