theres really not a bad header in the entire bunch IMO. here is my original write up
Test motor was a completely BONE STOCK JDM ITR motor. compression test was 225psi across all 4 cylinders. We did a tune up on the motor (oil change and spark plugs changed) before testing commenced.
Pricing information:
SMSP 4-2-1 Mild Steel -$630 , coating is offered for $180 extra, comes with donut gasket, and flange
This is one of my favorite headers. It had EXCELLENT ground clearance and made very good numbers. there is about a 2-4 week wait from SMSP for these headers. I would highly reccomend getting the header coated from Dave @SMSP. a big plus is the price includes a donut gasket and a flange to make installation a breeze. SMSP has been known for his higher end headers. He makes headers in the $1000+ range and this is now his new offering to the sub $900 market.
Hytech 4-2-1 Stainless Steel -$799 comes with donut gasket and flange
One of the most beautifull headers i have ever seen, flawless welds, great craftmanship. Good price for a Stainless header , especially from someone of Mr. Grudynski's caliber. This is Hytechs first Production header. Hytech has been known for his much more priced custom headers and he is famous for his higher end headers that use his reversion chambers. This is a mass produced header that he is now offering to the market. Made the most Midrange power of all the headers we tested. Only problem i had was that his header would not clear the "transmission" bracing/flywheel cover, we had to remove it. Ground clearance was ok , i would reccomend getting a skid plate made to protect your investment. designed for its great midrange power, john was very careful to design the header for its intended purpose, and a street car will use a stronger midrange much more often than its 2-3whp top end. this header also had an o2 bung on a secondary,which could alter air/fuel readings. it also liked to run very lean, making more power ~14.5 than at 13.5. the flange was cut a little off, and we were not able to get the last bolt on the #1 cylinder to thread in. a little ovalling of the bolt hole int he flange
DTR 4-2-1 Stainless Steel -$900 comes with donut gasket and flange
Another great quality Header. Danny Tran has been around for a long time and definetly knows what he is doing. This header made great midrange power and definetly good peak numbers. The only problem we had with his header was the location of the o2 sensor. It is in one of the two primaries and would sometimes give false readings. We highly reccomend welding in a new O2 bung for more accurate readings. ok ground clearance as well, about the same as the hytech, get a skidplate to be safe. also has a mild steel version available for less cost than the stainless. also like the hytech, it had an o2 bung setup for only reading 2 cyl. could be an issue. the header also liked very lean, making more power the leaner it got.
SMSP 4-1 STAINLESS -Prototype, target price of $699
Another great header from SMSP. it was a late entry into our header test. This header is currently NOT AVAIALBLE. But we accomadated SMSP to test it anyways. This header sounded absolutely SICK on the dyno. Vtec X over it shook the room and made the car vibrate on the dyno it was so loud. Even though its a prototype, it still made the 2nd highest numbers on the dyno which is very impressive. Needs a skidplate midrange suffered when attempting to smooth over the vtec x-over. reccomended only with cams that have big primaries (todaB, slunk2 pro1, RM M22) that can sustain power.
DC SPORTS JDM STAINLESS 4-1 -$450
The Tried and True BUDGET HEADER. Long accepted as the very Least you should look at buying for a header, this header was a used header so the numbers you can take with a grain of salt. It made same whp and same TQ as the stock cast OEM manifold. However, it has shown decent numbers in other tests. I would reccomend it for the TRUE budget crowd. but for a little more money you can step up to one of the other headers which this test proved are worth it. Horrible ground clearance, almost always require a skid plate. in true jdm dc fashion, this header did have dents on the bottom 2 primaries. this will alter the numbers, so expect a little more peak with a fresh header
ANR Compact with Merge Collector 4-1-$730 shipped no gasket or flange included
One of my favorite headers in the bunch. Crazy design, made great power and TQ. Has the one of the BEST ground clearance due to its unique design. Only downside is that you cannot use AC with this header. Also, there is no flange and no gasket supplied so you have to have your local exhaust shop fab one up for you . Get it coated as it will rust over time. I would like to dispell any rumors of "cracking " that some people have talked about. This header was off a customers car, and it has been run for over a year open header with no problems what so ever. It has a thick flange and the welds are very nice.
RMF 4-1 -$675 shipped with Jet coating and flange
Probably the "newest" header maker on the market, but Randy has been around for a long time with a very impressive resume. This header won our contest, and made very impressive TQ as well. YOu can run AC with this header, and its called the "narrow" version for a reason. lots of room in the engine bay. Has great ground clearance and its one of the only headers that comes coated for that price range.
All final pulls for each header were done with the following specs:
OIL TEMPERATURE-160 degrees F
WATER TEMPERATURE-170 Degrees F
AIR TEMPERATURE-110F
We did FUEL tuning to each header. we never touched cam gears or added timing , which could have made more power per header. also, to keep a controlled test , we tuned each header to 13.5:1 air fuel ratio. Now i must say that was for our test. Different headers like different A/F ratios. for instance, the DTR header liked a leaner a/f ratio. same with the Hytech header. so the potential for more power is there for each header. I want everyone to realize that this is not a test to end all tests . there is not a BAD BUY out of any of these headers. But for our test , RMF was the winner.
::Edelbrock race B-pipe write-up!!! Pictures Inside::
...
...
So, next, I grabed the B-pipe...
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Sinfix_15
. I'm not saying your wrong, but that setup (which happens to be strikingly similar to the one I have now) favored the Edelbrock 1-piece. Since I have the two-piece, and Edelbrock said themselves that the b-pipe would out perfornm the 1-piece by 3 hp, I decided it wouldn't hurt to try.
.
