Totally stock 1991 SI hatch in perfect condition.

Just installed an EBay 4-2-1 header which went in without a hitch.

Increased low end performance noticeably and sounds great EXCEPT:

The new header is about a half inch from the back of the radiator fan. Is this too close, will it burn up the fan motor or melt the plastic ?

Maybe the car was bumped a bit on the nose at sometime in it's life, but everything seems to be true, straight and original - all the body lines are perfect.

Has anyone else noticed the $45 EBay header being VERY close to the back of the fan?

thanks,
Dave

 

what did u expect for a universal header

maybe try a slim fan

 

No it will be fine. Remember, cool air is passing through the rad and constantly cooling the surface of the header pipes. I run the same header with zero issues.

 

youll be fine. i have one with stock rad and fan with a dohc zc and no problems

 

How close is the header pipe to the back of the fan? Mine seems way too close at a half inch.

How long have you been running it?

I'm mostly concerned about sitting in traffic with the air conditioning on on a 100 degree day.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I've been running mine for about 6 months. Sitting in traffic. Now that days here in my neck of the woods are 28 - 30c, there has been zero issues. You'll be fine..

 

Why didn't you just save a few more $$ and get a header that was actually R&D'd for the car rather than going the cheap @ss route and then wondering if it'll be fine?

I don't get it. I'd rather have an OEM Z6 header than some ebay POS. Heck, I'd rather have the OEM A6 header than some ebay POS...especially if the car is relatively nice.

 

y8 ftw

 

The exhaust shop guys were impressed with the quality of the header. The supplied gaskets worked fine and the welds on the stainless are good. The pieces mated well and the base where it connects to the head is thick and straight - overall a surprisingly good value.

Plus it really makes a lot more low end and mid-range torque, it lowers the comfortable shift points around town 2-300rpm and i can tell it'll save gas - what's not to like?

I still have the original cast iron d16a6 exhaust manifold and if this EBay header fries the fan motor, it'll go back on...

thanks for your 'insights', always fun to hear other opinions.

 

Don't worry about the "R&D" factor, we're talking about a 20 year old engine here. The headers that are found on ebay nowadays are blatant copies of the DC Sports, Pacesetter and the like from years gone by..the R&D was done so long ago..

 

you should be fine. my friend has the same issue and it has been on his car for months, no issues

 

i ran a ebay header on my mini me swapped ef. i never had a problem. i noticed performance increase, and it sound great. dont regret buying them. sat a little close to the fan but never had any problem.

to many say bad things about ebay stuff. somethings yes i agree, dont cheap out on everything. but headers? c'mon, i rather pay $40-$80 for ebay headers then $150-$500 for headers that if you sit low and scrape/dent the bottom.

 

...and this is why nothing quality is made for Hondas anymore.

You guys *do* realize that there are different levels of stainless steel, right? You really think a $45 ebay SS header is just as good as an old Comptech or DC SS piece? Price out good quality SS and let me know what you'd pay for tubing alone. Then price out the sh!tty stuff and let me know how that goes.

As for scraping the ground...you're doing something wrong if this is the case.

I've seen "copies" dyno vastly different than what they were copied from. You get what you pay for usually, and it flat cracks me up that a traditional 4-2-1 (or 4-1) a6 header comes so close to the fan...especially when it doesn't really need to.

 

this dude knows a thing or two hes been around for 11 years

 

If you're riding slammed, sometimes a $45 header that you don't have to worry about scraping to sh-t just may be the ticket, especially if it gives a noticeable performance gain. So the header may be made of lesser-quality material than a DC or comparable unit, but we drive 20 year old subcompacts, not Ferraris. I'd love to buy nothing but top of the line parts all the time...but that's just not going to happen on my budget.

 

Global competition is the answer here. Those manufacturers bought steel from US plants. Many of those plants are closed down or bought out. Nearly 90 percent of the stainless steel comes from China nowadays. When you compare prices, keep in mind, if you purchase the steel tubing here, you have to factor a premium of labour to create the item, marketing, shipping, distributor markup, local/state/federal taxes if applicable, wholesaler markup. In China, you buy straight from the source, in large volume, and with cheap labour. What even colours the water more muddy is the fact that many of the local manufacturers get preferential pricing as they support their industry more than a foreign buyer could or would. The deck is stacked.

That being said, the issue of cost to benefit is a major factor here. If Joe Regular here just drives his car on the street, as a daily driver, then what is the benefit? Remember this only applies to street use, as not everyone is driving 6000+ rpm on the street (unless you are on the run from the law ). If you track the same vehicle on the otherhand, then a premium brand would be the choice. We are talking of cars that are worth on the average of $2000 or less, so does spending 10% of the cars value for something that may give you 5-7hp gain make sense?

 

You all have some very good points. Chinese stainless isn't great but it's not bad either. For the price - it is really tough to beat. BUT - when it comes to SOHC headers...

they ebay header makes less power than stock!!!

(also DC header makes less power than stock)!!! (dyno-proven)


The best header (in terms of power) for under $500 is the 99-00 Civic EX header..... the only headers that make more power are Toda, Comptech, Hytech, etc ($500+ headers)

 

I TOLD U Y8 FTW

 

That's a good secret.

Where'd ya see that - gotta link?

Is this a stock cast iron "99-00 Civic EX header"?

Will it fit a d16a6 head?

thanks,
Dave

 

yupppp

 

Then don't post here.

Jesus.

This is a place to educate and share, while you are correct on your info, get off that soap box, this is a place to share and learn.

Someone taught you and you learned by doing don't get some holier then thou behavior.

Just because you are right don't be a dick about it.

 

oh its the kills guy. youre mad that theres not a hater forum anymore!!

Im giving advice that I hope can be helpful to someone.... you're just hatin!!

 

It was in an issue of Honda Tuning a few years back... they dyno tested all different headers and nobody (for under $500) could even come close to the 99-00 civic EX header (is it Y8?) And yes it will fit your D16A6 head. Sorry if my last post came off as rude.

 

yea, 99-00 ex header fit the A6 head.
but do you mean the stock header off the 99-00 ex?

 

yes, the stock honda-designed header off the 99-00 ex makes more power than greddy, DC, and ebay.