I'm relatively new to the whole "modding" thing, and was wondering a few things:

a: what's the advantage to an aftermarket header?
b: what's the difference between a ceramic header and a chrome/stainless header?

I found these online if this helps:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DC-Sp...spagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-05...spagenameZWDVW

 

From my understanding the ceramic coated one helps keep the heat inside the tubes to lower under hood temps and speed up the exhaust flow. The stainless ones look nicer and have larger tubes to allow better flow.
IMO the stock header should flow fine for what it's used for. If you run a blower or turbo, the engine will benefit from an upgraded header.

 

advantage is the aftermarket headers are ( or should be ) tuned.. the leangth of each of the 4 pipes should be the same, and the collector ( part where the 4 merge to 2 (or 1) should be free from obstruction. in conjunction with an intake, and exaust, headers allow you to move more air through your engine = more HP because of increased air flow and less restriction.. while minimal gains are seen by adding an intake, header, exaust seperately, all 3 together will give you a good bump in hp... now me personally, i feel that chrome headers suck A$$... the chrome holds the heat... i always prefer ceramic coated.. you want the air going into your engine to be as cold as possible, you can't do much about the air coming out, but the ceramic coated ones do a good job of helping to keep engine bay temps down.. chromies are for show in my opinion, but i am sure someone on here can make a good case for chrome headers.. i run the dc sports 4-1 ceramic, and couldn't be happier with it... the price listed is resonable.. if it were me i would NOT go with the dc sport knock off chrome header... you never know what the quality is like... DC Sports is a trusted company that has been around for a while...

 

also, tube size and bends are exactly the same on ceramic coated vs chrome / stainless... thing to look at is the inside of the collector, restriction is happening here, where all the tubes meet up..

 

The ironic thing about headers as a show piece is that on the box, you never see them. They only work as a show piece on the tC. I don't have one yet, but I hear good things about DC and MMW.

 

I can always count on you guys or some solid thoughts!

anybody else?

 

IH8ONYOU pretty much stated it all. he did forget to mention about the adaptability of the heat shield. With an aftermarket DC header you can not use the heat shield. With the MMW header you can. There are positives and negatives with each setup. A 4-1 header you will notice gains in the higher RPM's, with the 4-2-1 setup header youll notice gains in the low end.

 

yes, 06shadowbox you are absoulutely correct, with the DC Sports headers, you can not use the stock heat shield, but so far for me, it has not been an issue. i have checked the area above the headers after long trips, and i don't believe the temp to have been a problem, but if it is a concearn and you would like to re-use the stock heat shield, go with the MMW headers.

 

I zip tied my shift cables away from the header so i shouldnt have a problem. I should check though just to make sure

 

Quick question for you guys, are any of you using an anti-fouler? or is it not neccessary with the xB? thanks.

 

nope.........

 

So no check engine light? thanks.

 

no siree

 

Ok...thanks.....

 

where you buy the MMW headers????

 

you can buy them here on the forums, check the classifeds or the sponsored classifieds.