-=[ Exhaust Manifold / Header ]=-

Russianred

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Hey guys,
I can now afford to get a header for my car. I am wondering if I get a header now:

1) which company is better?
2) After I install a header, can I still use the rest of my stock piping to bolt onto it?
3) How much in terms of performance gain does a header give, and will it be increased if I get a custom piping installed (also considering I will get a muffler)?
4) Is it better to purchase and install the whole setup at once (muffler, custom piping and header) rather than just the header alone and the rest of it later? Or does it not matter?

Thanks!
 
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white beauty

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1) Go with either DC sports or Megan, With Dc sports u can get either ceramic or SS, SS is more expensive but last longer, Ceramic will keep the engine bay cooler but wont last as long a SS
2) Yes, it bolt right up to your cat
3)You will lose low end torque, but u will gain some top end power, and yes a catback with muffler will help greatly.
4)Yes, u will save on installation fees if u do it all at once, but if ur doing it urself, u dont have to a header alone is fine
 
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Russianred

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About the ceramic keeping the engine bay cooler - can't you insulate the SS headers just as easily, and you would get the long-lasting life out of them? What's the point in buying ceramic if SS can be easily insulated to protect from heat?:confused:

Also - there are some cheap 4-2-1 on ebay. What is difference between a brand name header and a generic ebay header, is there a performance difference??
 
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white beauty

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im not sure if SS can be insulated, if by insulated u mean heat raping them, that is not recommended, it will seriously decrease the life of the header, other than that im not aware of any other form of insulation, heat raping will also eliminate the factory warranty, im sure any form of insulation would as well,

As for the no name brand header, there is several problems with buying one, there may not be a warranty, so if something goes wrong ur stuck, the quality of the header material may be ****, and the life of the header will probably no be very long, hope that helps, any other question feel free to ask
 

white beauty

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naw dont get it, itll kill ur header after a while, but dont really worry about the heat, a good quality SS header with a Cold air intake would be fine, the only reason i have a ceramic header, is one cause it was cheaper, two i have a Short ram intake, so the less heat the header produces the better, and three, i proabably will only have this car for another two years or so, so im not really worried about the header lasting the entire life of the car
 

Russianred

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See my thing is, I have an Injen convertible intake, which I convert to SR in the winter and leave as CA in the summer. You suppose since it is cooler in the winter the engine bay will be cooler naturally if I have the SR installed then?
 

white beauty

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If u only use the short ram in the winter, then getting a SS header would be fine, it will last longer, and some people say it looks better, although i think the look of ceramic looks better, just to let u know though, ur really not going to notice a big difference in power, actually ur going to lose low end torque, which annoys the hell out of me sometimes when im trying to get off the line quickly, but once u get above 4000 rpm ull notice a slight difference, the car will pull harder once u hit Vtec
 

ccordex00

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Get A Dc Sport Header, Good Quality And Reliable Brand, But Don't Wrap Ur Headers Cause It Will Void The Warranty And Can Damage Ur Header...as Far As Ss Or Ceramic I Say U Can Choose What Ever Ur Pocket Allows U
 

00AccordLX5spd

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There are a ton of guys over on the Honda Accord Forum who have an OBX header (SS-$160 shipped off eBay, Ceramic, if you can find one-$150 shipped off eBay) and say OBX is the way to go if you want a quality header at a good price. If you buy OBX though, DO NOT use the gasket it comes with, buy a better quality one or custom make one yourself from stuff you can buy at AutoZone. The OBX header gasket is known for failing.
 
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