Headers - what's good and what's to gain?

[Steampunk]

a tad off topic, but how much power could you expect to gain if you changed your cat? what aftermarket brands are there?

i hear that magnaflow have excellent hi flow ones and i'm thinking of going down the magnaflow track..

ooh just another quick question.. I recently installed a cat back system on the five and on the mid pipe, there's a hole for the oxygen sensor. where do i find the oxygen sensor to plug into the mid pipe? or can i just leave it where it is and plug up the hole?

Uhmmm ... are you saying that you don't have an oxygen sensor or don't know what it looks like?
An O2 sensor shouldn't be located post cat, is should be pre cat. I think you are referring to the exhaust temp sensor.

[sliq]

oops exhaust temp sensor.. that must be it

couldn't find it on my previous mid pipe.. wherezat located? sorry for noob question

[Steampunk]

I saw a very similar thread a few weeks ago re this.
Is yours an NA6?
Going by what I read, only the NA6 has an exhaust temp sensor. I have an NA8 and there's nothing on mine (I think)

And also going by from what I read, it's not a vital part as the signal from the exhaust temp sensor doesn't reach the ECU or it doesn't change the tune. So I think it's safe to just plug it.

[sliq]

2001 NB8B

kool, thanks 1red5

[Matty]

That's very interesting indeed.

So are header worth it, or is OEM really good enough? Would it be much better if I just go straight with cams, cam gears and ecu? Or would I need headers sooner or later just to remove that bottleneck? I guess my aim is to get more power or make the car more responsive without making unnecessary expenditures, and I guess headers was the first thing that springs into my mind as it a reasonably priced mod.

"Worth it" is a relative term. I'd only do it (again) if it was for a car used for competition, where it made a competitive difference, and I'd already done the intake and a cat-back exhaust (which are bigger bottlenecks and will see bigger gains than the header will). On a road-only car, I just wouldn't bother.

But on the flipside, I'd definitely do headers before getting cams. And I'd do an ECU (and ditch the AFM) before either.

And I'm not saying that it won't do anything compared to the OEM manifold, just that it won't do a huge amount. It does make a difference after peak power (above 6500).

[Fatty]

you could DIY a CAI, DFA and RX7 AFM for about the same money (or less) than a set of headers, which i reckon would give much better gains. geez, that's a lot of 3 letter acronyms!!

cripes i'm rabbitting on a lot about the DFA tonight aren't i

[Steampunk]

cripes i'm rabbitting on a lot about the DFA tonight aren't i

and you don't even work for Jaycar Fatty .... or do you....?

[Fatty]

and you don't even work for Jaycar Fatty .... or do you....?

LOL, no i don't work for jaycar

i've mentioned this a few times before, i think i've gone as far as i can go with the DFA and i will be replacing it with a more complete solution soon (Megasquirt).

the DFA is great for tweaking NA cars but for big power on FI cars you need something that can do a bit more. my car is easilly doing 100rwkw on the DFA but i want more now. i need timing and boost control for that.

[Brad]

Forget doing the headers if you haven't done the intake and cat-back. I noticed only a marginal difference adding the X-Force headers and high-flow cat to a RB intake and stock exhaust. When I changed to a 2 1/4inch system then it really came alive.

[Fatty]

the DFA (digital fuel adjuster) is just a cheap piggyback from jaycar, but it works very well for what it is. but yes a standalone ecu is a better solution (just a lot more expensive)

[Matty]

the DFA (digital fuel adjuster) is just a cheap piggyback from jaycar, but it works very well for what it is. but yes a standalone ecu is a better solution (just a lot more expensive)

To be more specific, it is a digital tuner for adjusting the output curve of the load sensor (air flow meter). It gives one-dimensional mapping adjustment. This will principally affect the fuel map, and might have a minor effect on the ignition timing (but not in a way you can predict/benefit from)