Is DC best?

What, praytell????

 

its all a matter of oppinon. most people don't have the money to go out and buy a couple different ones to find what they like. so usually they just buy one and thats it

 

I have a Strup and love it. Since I've never had another header I can't give you any type of comparison. I can tell you that the Strup is very well made. It was also a breeze to install. Unbolt the factory manifold and bolt the new header and off you go.

 

so what's the deal with "Cracking"? Why does that happen?

Also, what risks do I run with having a header?

Lastly, can I install it myself or should I take it to the local guy?

 

cracking happens with extreme heat and causes leaks. ceramic headers are you best bet. from what i've seen you can find a diy on here to install one yourself shouldn't be that hard. warranty wise i'm not sure what they will void.

 

Let me guess. Noone makes a decent 4-2-1 ceramic header yet? I'm still looking at various headers and haven't found even a good 4-2-1, let alone ceramic.

 

Just remember that if you do the installation yourself, you'll need to replace the gaskets. Instructions on my DC Sports header tol dme to reuse the originals, but in my opinion, you should always replace the gasket any time you replace a part with a different one.

 

what does 4-2-1 mean?

sorry for the questions, but I'm pretty much starting out on my headers adventure

 

From 4 into 2... from 2 into 1. You get a better low end response with a 4-2-1 over a 4-1-1. The engine will have more torque in the low end (2k-3k rpm) vs torque on the higher end (5k-6k). For someone like me, I want the girth to be more on the lower end so I don't feel like I'm driving a slowbox.

 

MonserMotorWorks makes a better than "decent" 4-2-1 header (stainless). It supposedly puts down the best numbers. I have it and love it.

 

i am in the process of installing the MMW header. it looks nice, but the inside has some metal dust and possibly some slag on the inside joints (will check the slag tomorrow with a screw driver). it looks much better than stock. the mmw also maintains the stock heat shield.

as for cracking, i have no idea. i have not heard of problems.

for installation, all of the bolts and nuts (excepting the heat shield) are tough to get at. the two springed bolts that hold the exhaust to the header are real bastards. yes, you can do this yourself if you have the tools listed in the header install faq. i do it myself because it's who i am, more so than to save precious monies.

do a search for headers on the forum. you will mainly find subjective information, but maybe some dyno results like mmw's (but then people crap on dynos too).

for this part, i would recommend staying away from the fleabay el cheapo parts because the header takes more stress (heat) than other parts like intakes.

 

Megan also makes 4-2-1 header