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IBratmanI

IBratmanI

Subaru Ambassador- AdidaSubarus
Is an aftermarket header worth it? Any power increase? And any down side. And what about ebay ones?

 
I put an egay header on my RS back in August. I can't say I noticed power/HP/torque change. Construction seemed fine. Obviously, I haven't had it long enough to comment on durability.

 
i had borla's on my obs, and i loved them. butt dyno agreed

i have had perrin, and borla on my wrx, and both times, the butt dyno said they were working just fine.

i think some manuf's claim around 15hp gain. im sure there is more with a good tune.

 
Only thing i can say when it come to ebay headers is: You may wanna watchout for fitment issues. Between headers and up pipes, they are BAD places for a crappy fit. They lead to never ending exhaust leaks. Exhaust leaks before the turbo kill your power, and are generally a pain in the butt.

Just know also that the more you put on, the more you have to tune. That stage 2 map you're running now is designed for certain things.

 
Yeah fitment was a fear of mine. I had a header on my RS and loved it, I just wasn't sure about one for the FXT.

 
Although its can get to be a kind of pricey way to go. I plan on going with port and polished factory manifolds with hi-flow cross member. That with powdercoating is all i'll (and most) would ever need.

 
Although its can get to be a kind of pricey way to go. I plan on going with port and polished factory manifolds with hi-flow cross member. That with powdercoating is all i'll (and most) would ever need.
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Yeah that'd be cool. One reason I was thinking about getting an aftermarket one was because the stock one is quite rusty from the winters. Id like to pretty it up a little and replace it before it gets too bad. It doesn't leak at all, but you never know. But at the same time I don't wanna spend a lot either.

 
There is a lot of metal in the headers. I personally wouldn't worry too much about rust. Especially in a newer car. On the other hand, I have sand-blasted and repainted a number of full motorcycle exhausts and the always come out really good. I use flat black stove paint and have had really good results. Although none of those exhausts will ever see salt.

I personally am going to go the PnP + ceramic coating if and when I upgrade (other project comes first now). No fitment or clearance issues to deal with that way.

 
I wouldnt cheap out on headers they are very important. I loved my perrins but I got the gt-specs because I was having leak issues at the up-pipe gasket.

 
Depends on what you want

1)If you are looking to keep you boxer rumble and some low to mid tq gain then stay with unequal length headers when you buy some. Like STInate said the GT-Specs are nice and I have the Maddad headers which are pretty much the same thing. You can get the uppipe and header combo for a really good price.

2)If you want the boxer rumble to leave but gain more mid to high tq gains then go with equal length headers you will get more for the equal flow on the high end but loss some spool up on the low. We aren't talking about much but it is there. Also, equal length header usually cost more because of more material and labor involved then the unequal.

 
Yeah I definitely want to stay with unequal length. I have seen the ones that have the up pipe on them, they look great, but again, I'm not looking to dump a crap load of money. So where can I get something like that sand blasted? Although it would be best to have a spare set so there was no real down for the vehicle.

 
I just bought myself a cheap hand sandblaster and a bag of black beauty. That is of course if you have a compressor. I thing the stock headers wouldn't be more than an afternoon project (add in the removal and painting it might be a two day/weekend project), though you really do want to do it outside. I don't think my setup cost me more than $50. I bought it at a local industrial hardware store, but you probably could get the gun from Eastwood or Harbor freight. I don't personally know of any places that you could have do it for you.

 
You just cannt paint you exhaust parts. You are talking about something that sees around 1300' degress depending on your setup. I am around 1000-1100 but that is low just from my exhaust flowing so well. Most Cars are around the 1300 F. You have to go with high temp jethot or ceramic coatings if you want it to last and do any good. Ceramic coating will cost you about $100 for the headers and the uppipe.

 
^ you may be right. The Rustoleum paint I have used is rated to 1200 degrees. And that was not on the suby, just air-cooled motorcycle exhausts, so I don't have any actual idea how hot they get. One time I did a test spray on a big rig's exhaust with some engine paint (~500 degrees?) after the turbo and that got burned very quickly. Didn't have the opportunity to try the grill paint on it though.

 
I doubt 1200 is going to be good enough to withstand the temps. Before I freed up some of my exhaust mine ran around 1200-1300 degrees. That was not in full throttle also.

 
From what I've read, unless your making 500hp the oem manifolds are ok, just replace the crossover pipe and uppipe.

 
I've got ebay headers on my wagon. Fitment was a little hard, and I had the motor out when I installed them. This may be a good place to post my question of what tuning is necessary for them. they are catless, and I have a catless up pipe, currently running a stage 2 xpt tune.

 
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