Do you have it installed? Can you use the stock heatshield?

 

I have pics on here with mine installed and the stock heat shield won't bolt back up.

 

Iam not that fast. I will be installing the YDR intake I have first then drive it for a week to see the difference then I will install the header and so on.I like to feel what each item does for the car.If I could I would also put the stock air box back in so I could see what the header by itself but thats too much work.

I also took a close look at all the welds and they look great.I used to ride sport bikes and all of them I would put custom exhaust.The welds look just as good as all the headers and exhaust that I would install on my sportbikes.I think people are just afraid of the price.

Also on the whole 4-2-1 vs. 4-1 thing. Like you have heard before the 4-1 makes power higher in the rev range and the 4-2-1 will make power lower in the rev range.Both will increase power it just depends on where you want it.I want mine lower cause I dont intend to rap this little engine out all the time.

 

So one of the differences between the OBX and the MMW 4-2-1 is that with the MMW, the OEM heat shield can be reinstalled? (at least that is what I thought I read somewhere?)

 

correct

 

does not having the heat shield make a big difference? like what are the drawbacks?

also, will an intake and header sound like crap with the stock exhaust. Im planning to have an axle back made just for shows, but I dont want the hader to make the car sound like a civic.

 

*RT* which company do you find most questionable... from what ive heard from you about MMW(WeaponR) hasnt been the most positive so what is the difference between one questionable company to the other... except maybe that you take abigger risk paying 300+ instead of 140

 

FWIW, I've had my OBX header on my xA for over 12K miles now. I'm at altitude (5000+ ft), so my gains won't be as much but it is a *slight* kick in the pants better in terms of off-the-line torque. The only issue I had was that the lower bracket on the header didn't line up exactly. All five bolts at the head and the two bolts at the donut were just fine.

 

i bought the mmw wepons r 4-2-1 header install was real simple...no bending or modifing anything and heat shield bolted on perfect

 

Thats why I asked if the heatshield was really that important.. Im not in Cali so I dont have to hide my header, and if their are no benefits to haveing the heat shield on then why bother putting it back on. And IMO, I would rather spend less than half on the OBX header and take 5min of my life to make a bend than spend 300+ on MMW.

 

I have had the OBX header on for 8000 miles with no problem.Great power increase over stock.The only thing I can tell about not running the heat shield is that the brake lines run along the firewall just above the header and do get pretty warm.I have not had a problem with braking but if you are worried about that I would get somekind of heat wrap and wrap the header or shield the brake lines somehow.

 

here is a pic of mine installed...



About 500 miles on it so far no problems yet...

 

Metal...

I really don't care for either brand. (MMW/Weapon R or OBX.) But it is sad to say that Weapon R has a better reputation than OBX. That really isn't saying much for Weapon R though. OBX is about as cheap as you can get.

And the only reason I would recommend the MMW 4-2-1 header to someone is if they were dead set on a 4-2-1 design for the xB. I personally wouldn't run an OBX header if it was given to me. The MMW I might give a shot if it was priced much more competitively.

Maybe if I got a chance to really look over a random selection of xB headers from each of the companies I would consider changing my opinion. Until then, I will err on the side of caution.

 

Well, I have about 30,000 on my xb now. No problems with the obx header. Did have to snug the bolts up a bit.

 

You have put 30,000 miles on the car with the header? I am looking at headers and OBX was a thought for me.

 

actually, I put the header on when the car had about 5,000 miles. So 25,000 on the header.

 

Thats cool. I was thinking of getting the OBX header but you always seem to hear negative replys about them. I am going to look into them a little more now.

 

there's nothing really wrong with them . almost any and all headers for our cars will work. it's just what brand do u like , coating or not , 4-1 or 4-2-1 , and then price.

i've had my megan on for about 45,000 miles.


the only non cosmetic/price/brand difference in headers is how do the welds look and how do the primaries look where they meet up with the collector. higher quality ones will have better welds and smoother transitions.

imo regarding price , style , coating , and brand IMO i'd pick them like this:

1) megan racing
2) mmw/weapon r 4-2-1
3) dc

and those three are THE only ones I would buy.

please make your own decisions . just want you to know a lil bit more in depth on the differences and why some form their opinions the way they do

 

Your list is very close to mine Darren...

1) MMW (Though I wasn't completely happy with my transitions, so I took a file to them. Would have gone with something electric, but it was New Years Day.)

Oh yeah... back to the list...

1)MMW

2) Megan

3) DC / Strup (Depending on the finish you want. Honestly I was disapointed in the welds on the last DC header I saw. I must say the MMW were much nicer.)

 

If you mess up the bolts can anyone recomend a universal bolt?

I heard that the replacement bolts from toyota are different now and don't fit with aftermarket headers.

Keeping on topic-I just won a Strup on ebay.