Vteckidd
04-14-2010, 10:18 PM
Today i got a chance to test my 06+ Honda Civic SI header versus the Skunk2 Megapower Civic SI Header. People have been asking for this comparison for awhile now, and i was able to track down a car locally that was recently tuned with a Skunk2 Header. I was VERY Thorough in my testing to ensure a fair comparison. Lets get to it
Car Setup:
2008 Honda Civic SI
Toroku Stage 1.5 Street Camshafts
Skunk2 Megapower Header
T1R Carbon Fiber Intake Box
3in Exhaust NO CAT
Hondata Flashpro
This car was tuned recently by Scotty aka ScttyDB411, someone that has tuned 1000+ cars in the last 5 years. I invited the car owner up to Mainstream Performance at his convenience for me to test my header on his car versus his Skunk2 header. Today the owner Matt showed up at 2pm and we got to it.
TEST CONDITIONS
Header runs were done within 1.5 hours of each other. His car was ALREADY TUNED for max power by Scotty so i did a quick 5 pulls (3 3rd gear pulls 2 4th gear pulls) to make sure his car was making around the same power and getting a consistent reading. I also checked the A/F ratio to make sure it was correct. After i was done with Matts baseline, i pulled his car off the dyno, cooled the header down with a fan, removed the Skunk2 header , installed the KiddRACING header and did 5 more pulls. We had to modify my test pipe to fit his 3in exhaust. I also did NO TUNING on my header, i simply bolted it on and did 5 pulls (3rd Gear Pulls, 2 4th gear pulls). Here are the results:
KiddRACING Header=RED LINE
Skunk2 Megapower Header= Blue Line
This Graph shows the results up to 8100 RPMs
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/KiddvsSkunk.jpg
Same Graph but highlighting the difference in A/F Ratio changes between the headers
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/kidd2-2.jpg
Here is the graph in SPEED (NOT RPM). The numbers are slightly different as the DIP at the end is when i LIFT THROTTLE causing a temp spike
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/kiddspeed.jpg
Here are the headers RUNTIME Conditions showing the almost exact same Temp and humidity
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/Kiddonditions.jpg
Initial Impressions:
Right off the bat my header went very rich in the midrange and at tip end. Also it could use some VTEC adjustment but my tuner was not on hand. The Skunk2 showed gains in the bottom end but most likely due to my header being almost a full point or more RICHER than theirs. In my professional opinion with tuning those differences would be almost nothing if we leaned my header up to match the Skunk2 A/F. Mine made slightly more HP/TQ throughout the RPM range.
Final Analysis:
Ive never been one to bullshit or try to persuade people. I post results and let people figure it out for themselves.
The Skunk2 header is a VERY NICE piece. I will concede its a better quality unit than my header. They have what looks to be Robotic TIG welds on the lower collector pieces, nice SKUNK2 stamp on the bottom runners and it is a 1 piece header so there is no assembly required. It also appeared (although i didnt measure) to have bigger primaries than my header. They looked like 2in to my 1 7/8. I think this header is more geared toward a hotter or bigger displacement engine. I would like to see someone with a K24 or maybe built motor dyno both against each other and see where it landed. The Skunk2 is almost $300 more than the price of the KiddRACING, but you can see where the price is justified.
KiddRACING header. Yes im the maker and owner of KiddRACING so my review is prob going to be biased. My header i quickly assembled in 10 minutes and installed just as easy as the Skunk2 header. My welds are not bad by any means, but they are not as nice as Skunk2s. Its like comparing DC Sports to Hytech. theres nothing WRONG with DC Sports, its just not as visually appealing as a $1200 hytech. other than that i cant really say i have anything else to say about mine.
At the end of the test, i recommended Matt keep his Skunk2 header. The power differences were not big enough to really enjoy switching to my header, and his Skunk2 was already perfectly matched up to his 3in Exhaust.
I still think my header caters to people that are more inclined to buy a good quality header and save their money to buy other Mods. The Skunk2 is more geared toward people that have that Skunk2 Loyalty we have all come to know and respect, and also want to make good power for slightly more money and want a better aesthetically looking header.
So which one do you want? Good luck and i hope this helps people with their choice.
Car Setup:
2008 Honda Civic SI
Toroku Stage 1.5 Street Camshafts
Skunk2 Megapower Header
T1R Carbon Fiber Intake Box
3in Exhaust NO CAT
Hondata Flashpro
This car was tuned recently by Scotty aka ScttyDB411, someone that has tuned 1000+ cars in the last 5 years. I invited the car owner up to Mainstream Performance at his convenience for me to test my header on his car versus his Skunk2 header. Today the owner Matt showed up at 2pm and we got to it.
TEST CONDITIONS
Header runs were done within 1.5 hours of each other. His car was ALREADY TUNED for max power by Scotty so i did a quick 5 pulls (3 3rd gear pulls 2 4th gear pulls) to make sure his car was making around the same power and getting a consistent reading. I also checked the A/F ratio to make sure it was correct. After i was done with Matts baseline, i pulled his car off the dyno, cooled the header down with a fan, removed the Skunk2 header , installed the KiddRACING header and did 5 more pulls. We had to modify my test pipe to fit his 3in exhaust. I also did NO TUNING on my header, i simply bolted it on and did 5 pulls (3rd Gear Pulls, 2 4th gear pulls). Here are the results:
KiddRACING Header=RED LINE
Skunk2 Megapower Header= Blue Line
This Graph shows the results up to 8100 RPMs
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/KiddvsSkunk.jpg
Same Graph but highlighting the difference in A/F Ratio changes between the headers
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/kidd2-2.jpg
Here is the graph in SPEED (NOT RPM). The numbers are slightly different as the DIP at the end is when i LIFT THROTTLE causing a temp spike
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/kiddspeed.jpg
Here are the headers RUNTIME Conditions showing the almost exact same Temp and humidity
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c21/Vteckidd/Kiddonditions.jpg
Initial Impressions:
Right off the bat my header went very rich in the midrange and at tip end. Also it could use some VTEC adjustment but my tuner was not on hand. The Skunk2 showed gains in the bottom end but most likely due to my header being almost a full point or more RICHER than theirs. In my professional opinion with tuning those differences would be almost nothing if we leaned my header up to match the Skunk2 A/F. Mine made slightly more HP/TQ throughout the RPM range.
Final Analysis:
Ive never been one to bullshit or try to persuade people. I post results and let people figure it out for themselves.
The Skunk2 header is a VERY NICE piece. I will concede its a better quality unit than my header. They have what looks to be Robotic TIG welds on the lower collector pieces, nice SKUNK2 stamp on the bottom runners and it is a 1 piece header so there is no assembly required. It also appeared (although i didnt measure) to have bigger primaries than my header. They looked like 2in to my 1 7/8. I think this header is more geared toward a hotter or bigger displacement engine. I would like to see someone with a K24 or maybe built motor dyno both against each other and see where it landed. The Skunk2 is almost $300 more than the price of the KiddRACING, but you can see where the price is justified.
KiddRACING header. Yes im the maker and owner of KiddRACING so my review is prob going to be biased. My header i quickly assembled in 10 minutes and installed just as easy as the Skunk2 header. My welds are not bad by any means, but they are not as nice as Skunk2s. Its like comparing DC Sports to Hytech. theres nothing WRONG with DC Sports, its just not as visually appealing as a $1200 hytech. other than that i cant really say i have anything else to say about mine.
At the end of the test, i recommended Matt keep his Skunk2 header. The power differences were not big enough to really enjoy switching to my header, and his Skunk2 was already perfectly matched up to his 3in Exhaust.
I still think my header caters to people that are more inclined to buy a good quality header and save their money to buy other Mods. The Skunk2 is more geared toward people that have that Skunk2 Loyalty we have all come to know and respect, and also want to make good power for slightly more money and want a better aesthetically looking header.
So which one do you want? Good luck and i hope this helps people with their choice.