Hey

Decided it was time for a new header to replace the stock item and to link up to a 2.5' exhaust-cat back. Plan was to get a cheap header and then do the 2.5' collector mod. I however found out that cheap headers are cheap for a reason and figured I would post this up in the hope it will help others in the header buying process.

Firstly, the cheap stock replacement headers "look good" on first glance and I can't speak for all but the one I got my hands on will most likely be similar to others.

Problems with it:

Primaries:
Head flange was not square with the head...
Head flange's bolt holes were massive which allowed for huge play once mounted, making port matching impossible....
Primary ports were at least grinded smooth
Each primary pipe was a different length and had different over all volumes
Cylinder 2&3 primaries joined later than 1&4, which would mess up pulse tuning.

The downpipe:
Over all fine, had round instead of oval pipes (BB1-4 stock header)

Collector:
Had a 2' pipe... smaller than stock.
Rear flange did not bolt to the stock cat, making it a "fail" stock replacement...



Note the collector flange is 2' vs stock and the bolt holes dont match the cat...


Note the large stud holes


Returned it as faulty. No point doing a 2.5 collector mod on a crap header like that. Thus, justifying spending cash on a decent header, I got a hytech replica instead. Design looks great, starts with ports larger than the head outlets, then steps up to a larger pipe sooner than the stock 4-2 merge. Fitment was a pain, but the end result is well worth it.

Hytech replica left vs cheap header right (note the black marker on the flange, seems it wasn't cut right...)


Loving the hytech replica!

 

can you hear any buzzing from your header in way of leaks?

you have issues with the downpipe hitting the underbrace going from the oem traction bar, under the motor to the rear ? my my slip joint hardware was rubbing on it.

wasnt extremely pleased with my hytech but its not bad. dont really care for how low it hangs either. no way around that though without cutting the downpipe and rewelding it in a diff. position.

 

Yea, having quite a few issues post fitment; one of which is leak issues. Also, my bonnet has vents which allows rain water to run directly onto the header and the slip joints don't seal off perfectly. Having water pile up in the flexi between my wide band and narrow band sensors... Tried to remove the header to place some exhaust sealant on the slip joints but the 4-4-2 section does not want to budge... stuck on there for good.

Fitment was a pain but the change in performance/sound has allowed me to overlook the negatives...lol. I definitely had to take out a decent chunk from the front brace to fit it but I suspect it is still rubbing against the sump/block; getting an odd vibration around 2k rpm which feels like something rubbing on the front tyres but I think its the header... Also, my narrow band is playing up, keeps the partial throttle air fuel ratio at 13:1 while driving regardless of changing MAP signal (SAFC). I did leave out the odd JDM 4th gen CAT temp sensor which I suspect actually affects narrow band function. Grounded its plug to switch off the dash CAT light but no effect on air fuel ratios.

Slowing sorting out issues.

 

Thats a clean engine bay...:-)

 

That must be a really cheapo header...I have a Megan header (pretty cheap) and it had zero fitment issues.

 

i'm running a megan at mo (came with an engine i bought)
cracked welds, large stud holes, small bores, piece of crap......

cant wait for my high end tri-y to arrive.

 

I just ran across this thread, & my son hopes to add headers to let him finally get the full benefit of the high end exhaust system the Lude came with when he bought it...

So what are the best choices for both affordability AND fit? With best improvement in performance a close second?

He has a base model 97 with the manual trans. it came to us with the following mods:
17 inch black ADR wheels with New Falken Ziex Tires
-Greddy SP2 full exhaust system
-AEM V2 Cold Air Intake system

All advice gratefully listened to!

 

im glad i put a stock h22 manifold back on mine.

 

No wonder you have leaks, the joints aren't even all the way together and have no hadware to hold them. That with stock engine mounts allowing the engine to torque a lot the joints are coming loose.

 

mine has all the hardware on it and it leaks like its, its job. Im gonna try and get my slip joints apart like he mentioned above and cut the pipes down a little itll allow the lower portion of the header to be pulled up further when tightening the eyelets togeather before the pipes hit the weld on the eyelets.

shes been sitting for almost 4 weeks since i bottomed it out on my buds driveway and ripped the rear section of the kteller pipe kit off...coincidentally ripping the right side of my r.bumper off. f_ckin awesome. gonna weld it togeather instead of using that gay *** slip joint/u bolt setup.

didnt get the works painted while i was home. procrastinated way too long. so im not sure what to do cuz i dont know of any powdercoaters in south carolina.

my goodridge brake lines have been gathering dust on a shelf with all the turbo parts for the other car...

the esp 5g h22 mounts i ordered before xmas, still havent arrived. but thats how it goes. custom **** takes forever.

soon the 3g will be getting towed to my buddies so i can begin work on it.

... if i dont deploy next month.

 

What diameter is the SP2 exhaust? I assume 2.5' which should work with all the top end headers (Hytech, RMF, SMSP and Bisimoto) with 2.5' outlets. Check this thread for a comprehensive list of H22A headers.

Affordability makes it difficult, you really need the header to be dyno proven to be sure its of any good which usually means its going to cost a fair bit. You really need to decide on power goals, if you want to go high compression NA eventually then saving up for a top end header is worth the cash. Some cheaper headers are better than stock and you may see around 5whp gain but it may not be entirely worth it. To enlarge the outlet to 2.5' on the "cheap header" would have brought me to 3/4 the price of the hytech and it may not have gained me any power. I am yet to get the header onto a dyno but the header and 2.5' exhaust has shaved off between 400-500ms off my 1/4 mile (the current rear muffler does however have a silencer welded in that came with the exhaust... my previous muffler was free flowing)! Not a lot but it makes a difference, would have hoped for more. Will start looking at cams, cam gears and a decent intake manifold next which should allow me to make better use of it.

The joins are all slightly out of sink, had to pry the primary pipes apart to even get the slip joint to line up and fit. Used a hammer and a bit of 4x2 timber to get the 4-2-2 section to fit. After some driving I can not get the pipes to pull off again nor get them to slide in any further. The 2-1 section I can still remove. I could not get a mounting bolt to fit the left side of the 4-2-2 join (as in the pic) but the right side is torqued by a bolt. I swapped around the 2-1 section so that the wide band sensor fits due to clearance issues having it the normal way round (pointing towards the tranny). Cut off the mounting hardware and welded it onto the tranny side instead. So only one bolt not fitted out of three that hold the header together. Will still sort out some other way of getting that bolt fitted.

Just be careful with welding it that you can still remove/fit the header without pulling the engine out or the having to strip the engine bay right down. I could not fit the 4-2 sections (primaries and 4-2-2 section) due to being too long/low to fit. First had to mount the primaries then try to slip on the 4-2-2 section and then the 2-1 section....

 

Once I had them far enough for the bolts to start I just sucked them down with an air ratchet, doing a little on each side of course so it wouldn't go crooked and snap the bolts.