The Only Header Thread You Should Ever Post In

[thisaznboi88]

thanks Tim.

[najeezy]

is there any significant performance difference between a DC ceramic 4-2-1 header or a DC stainless steel 4-2-1 header?
some people said stainless was just for look, but i wanna make sure. because the ceramic headers are like $200 cheaper, and i dont wanna buy a stainless just to show it off, when you cant even see the headers in my k24 engine

thanks :]

[thisaznboi88]

Dont buy the Ceramic one They are crap... I bought it for 175 shipped *seller was great and they were new in box* but the ceramic headers look like a POS. The Weld on the flanges look like shit its all welded all sideways. The internal piping have Cracks off the metal there are like triangular pieces missing... This is after I installed them and took it all out to find the leak..

Turns out there was no leaks its just the air whistling as it pass the triangular vold in the headers..

[suleman_manji]

Dont buy the Ceramic one They are crap... I bought it for 175 shipped *seller was great and they were new in box* but the ceramic headers look like a POS. The Weld on the flanges look like shit its all welded all sideways. The internal piping have Cracks off the metal there are like triangular pieces missing... This is after I installed them and took it all out to find the leak..

Turns out there was no leaks its just the air whistling as it pass the triangular vold in the headers..

Damn guess that was a bad batch or the seller; I've bought two ceramic DC Headers' (cannot remember the grammar), well one I paid for but they were both great except for the flex-pipe on both and a weak bolt on the first one.

[NWINNIE34]

knock on wood.... my ceramics are doing fine
dont notice much of an increase unless your at like 4500rpm or higher tho (which kinda sucks for an automatic unless your DOGGING your engine all the time)

i notice the hiss also.... thought there was a leak but determined there wasnt

[Icebox]

i have the ceramic ones and am thoroughly happy, the stainless arent worth it in my opinion since you cant see them.  

this has been discussed numerous times. please search.

[BliNx197]

Ive had the ceramics on my car for liek 4 months and there doing excellent! Funny thing is they cool down rather quickly as well, I touched mine about 10 mins after shutting the car down and they werent even luke warm! On another note Asnboi I think you just had a fucked up experience and got ripped off.

[thisaznboi88]

i know... But I took it to the shop and they can't find it using the scope. The sound is not audible until 3k + if I am just driving regular then yeah I hear a buzzzz..........

[NWINNIE34]

mine is more of a shhhhhhht noise
almost sorta sounds like a turbo spooling haha

so far so good...i wrapped my ceramics with thermal heat wrap to cut down on engine temps
ceramic are prone to crack with temperature extremes also.... go from being really hot on a cold day and it cools too quickly = no good

check out the pics of the DIY headers install for my pics of my install, gives a great comparison between the engineering between oem and DC headers....

[Jeff Likes Bagels]

So the performance gains of this header aren't as great if you don't have a custom exhaust?

Maybe I wouldn't have to do the heat wrap since the car goes from hotter to just hot, lol.

What's the problem with the flex pipe all about? Seems like everyone's is breaking lol.

[NWINNIE34]

gains are def more with a full exhaust... unfortunately i only have headers with oem exhaust (for now haha)
also major gains are only seen like i said at 4500-5000 rpm or higher

heat wrap keeps engine bay temps down while keeping the heat "IN" the headers which is a very good thing... the more heat you lose...essentially the more energy you lose
i've read amazing things about people wrapping their ceramic headers... greatly reducing engine bay temps

personal preference in the end... but i wrapped mine.... haha

[Abailey4]

So the performance gains of this header aren't as great if you don't have a custom exhaust?

Maybe I wouldn't have to do the heat wrap since the car goes from hotter to just hot, lol.

What's the problem with the flex pipe all about? Seems like everyone's is breaking lol.

I've been one of the lucky ones in regards to the flex pipes and mine are about 2 years old.

Jeff btw you usually wanna do your exhaust from front to back anyway unless you have the dough to get everything all at once. So to answer your question you aren't goin to get the full potential of the headers unless you have the rest of the exhaust complete because you've only just begun to free up the bottle neck of exhaust gases.

[najeezy]

does the cat play a part in restricting the headers? cuz im debating wether to get a test pipe or not, but living in southern california, with the super strict emissions laws and whatnot, i dont really want to pay a fine.

if youve got a hiflow cat, and 2.25 piping from the cat, are the gains of the headers still significantly felt? because im looking for some low end torque/power.

and for the flex pipe, cant you just tell the exhaust shop to weld on a new one?

[Abailey4]

The cat does have some play in restriction that's why people get the test pipes however I dont think the gain is enough that I'd fuck around with Cali laws and cops.  In regards to the flex pipe you can get the shop to weld on a new one. That's what most people have done when theirs has gone bad.

[thisaznboi88]

just to let you know the headers are also 2in to match the 2in cat. I measure it. So even if you get a 2.25in exhuast It will still be somewhat restricted with the 2in header and cat output.

I also have it with a stock exhuast. The Low and mid range are somewhat better. Top end is damn car just screaming.