i've done a bunch of searches on this topic and pretty much found out what i needed to know. i wanted to see if there's any i missed.

<U> Pro's </U>

larger primaries vs. regular DC
2.5" collector
great for all-motor engines
good HP per dollar

<U> Con's </U>

hangs a little low
no CARB badge
requires modifications to your cat

i'm pretty sure i'm going end up buying this header. has anyone had any problems with cops and this header having no CARB number? i've been pulled over a couple times and i've never had a cop ask me to pop my hood. is this something only Cali people really have to worry about? can you pass emissions with this header? this is the only reason why i haven't bought it already.

i'm asking you guys about this, because you seem to know the most about it.
post your opinions on the header if you can.

 

CARB means jack and **** outside of california

any decentheaderwill have a 60mm+ outlet which will require a new cat.
But if you are at all serious about performance you will ditch the stock cat and
all other bottlenecks anyway

 

I don't know if it is only a California thing, but having lived in Pittsburgh for 4 years of college (1.5 years of which I owned an ITR) and also being a current owner of the JDM DC header, I would say get it if that's where you plan on living for a while. I was pulled over many times by Pgh cops, they don't know anything about emissions and won't ask a thing. Once in traffic court, after telling the magistrate that I had "a 50 state legal aftermarket intake," the cop responded "how do you pass inspection with that aftermarket exhaust?" LOL. My exhaust was stock. Point is, they mostly know nothing. Don't worry about it.

 

Pros- Its cheap. It works really well. Its not THAT low.

Cons- There are better out there but they cost more. It hangs a tad low.

I love mine. I'm at stock ride height so it isn't an issue at all.

 

i'm not a big fan of my DC JDM

 

I measured my DC JDM 4-1 and my "USDM" DC 4-1 with a set of calipers, and the primaries were exactly the same OD, athough I don't recall what that size was (it was quite some time ago).

 

i'm getting a car sound cat along with the header, so the modification part is no big deal.

i've seen that some people bend and dent their header all to hell, and some people have no problems at all. i have a 2" drop so my car doesn't sit that low. i don't think i'll really have to worry about it.

i was most concerned about it not having a CARB number. i saw in some threads, people were trying to take the numbers off old DC headers and welding them on the JDM one. and others were trying to make heat shields to cover the header. this seemed a little extreme, that's why i thought it was such a big deal.

thanks for your posts

 

i thought i read somewhere that the primaries were slightly larger... that could have been a mistake.

 

the 2.5in. collector makes the difference.

im happy with my DC JDM 4-1.... pretty good bang for the buck. It gets the job done, and i noticed a pretty nice increase.
Only downside is that it got beatup within a week or two or having it on because of how low it hangs.

 

Pro's: Decent performance at a good price.

Con's: Hangs low, mine has battle scars and my car is not that low.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=103234&page=1

read a couple of pages in to this thread, about how the headers compared in different rpm ranges.

DC JDM OWNS for the money.

Unless you are a bit lower than stock, no problem with the clearance.

 

Lets see

DC ownz stock JDM

2.5" collect ownz USDM 2.25" collector

Go figure...

 

con- header sits low, so if your car is lowered more than 2", be sure to expect some scratches and nice dents on the bottom of the header

 

And no heat shields like the JDM type R 4-1, incase cops look under your hood.

 

the DC JDM 4-1 has a 2.5 in. collector....

 

most 4-1 design sits lower than 4-2-1 headers

They HAVE crap numbers on mine.

All other JDM(2.5") header need mods on the cat or new cat (not only JDM DC)