Are EBAY headers that bad?

[jdmstylz24]

I have heard a lot of feedback and, read through some threads about them being cheap but is anyone running Ebay Headers that have anything good to say?

Thanks.

[deevergote]

Ebay doesn't make headers.

[nine_deuce]

I have a no-name header I got from eBay, this is the 2nd one I've had and have had no problems. I've had this one for about a year and a half, put roughly 10,000 miles on it and have had no issues. Just don't mount the bracket on the down pipe to the block, they have a tendency to break there.

[buzz11]

its a hit or miss i think. i had one for my 6th gen and it was fine for 2 years til i sold the car. but now that i think about it, why risk cheap parts? it can damage the car or eventually breakdown faster than quality parts. for $100 more, u can get a better quality header and feel better about yourself and the car lol. thats what goes through my mind.

[TheFirstNutZo]

I bought one 6 years ago that was well put together, however the plate that mounts to the head got warped probably due to the welder overheating the metal during welding. It also had the o2 bung in the wrong place so I had to relocate my o2 sensor. Finally, the mounting bracket underneath the car was not properly sized so I had to make a bracket to bold the header to, and then have that bolt to the car. Aside from the fitment issues, it worked well and got the job done. Only reason I bought it was because the stock manifold was cracked and needed replacement to pass inspection.

I got one about a year ago in a combo deal with an N1 exhaust system that was some of the worst welds I have ever seen and was not assembled well so even if welded nicely it was going to flow like shit (where the header came down from 2 into 1 pipes, they didn't grind all of the metal off so there were pieces of jagged metal sticking into the exhaust flow 1/2" or more. Fortunately the header was a freebie I was interested in the exhaust piping so all was well. I can't imagine putting that header onto a car though, and if most eBay headers these days are similarly assembled, I would never in a million years put them onto a car. This one went into the scrap pile.

[cb7_with_snail]

i agree with buzz. it really is a hit or miss. Just go to megan racing. com and buy a f22a header directly from them. its cheap and good quality.

[deevergote]

Most F22 headers offer no worthwhile gains. If you're looking for performance, I suggest spending your money elsewhere, or saving up for a Bisimoto header. If you just want looks, or need a replacement exhaust manifold, then those cheapies are fine.

[Leung]

The only reason why I bought an aftermarket header for the accord was it was cheaper to buy that with a flex pipe then to buy the flex pipe separately at the auto parts store.

[deevergote]

Yeah, that really is the best reason to get one. They won't last as long as an OEM maifold and flex pipe, but you can buy two or three for the cost of the OEM parts... so it makes sense.

[jdmstylz24]

I know ebay doesn't make them sorry the Headers sold on ebay.

[deevergote]

There are many different headers sold on ebay. Some are good, some are bad, most of the cheap ones are inconsistent at best. You might get a great one, or you might get one that has broken welds right out of the box. The less you spend, the greater the risk...

[jdmstylz24]

I have a 91 dx (A1)
I heard they don't give you significant power gains
would a (A6) header be a better choice?

I guess it is kind of a hit or miss kind of thing
thats why i was confused

im new to the game this is my first car so ( just a nooB question )

what about Megan racing is that just like ebay?

just save for DC?

[deevergote]

What, a cheap "ebay" header made for the A6? The only difference would be the o2 sensor location... so no.

The F22A4 manifold is the best stock design. Even then, it's only a gain of about 5hp, if that.

Aside from Bisimoto, there are no headers that give worthwhile gains. You could get a cheap one and weld on a larger collector, but that would increase the price significantly.
If you want power, modify something else first.

Megan Racing used to be an "ebay" company. Megan Racing and OBX have since made pretty good names for themselves, and are held above the no-name brands... but they are still knockoffs of the DC Sports or Neuspeed designs.

DC is no better... made better, and expensive because of the CARB exemption... but still no significant gains.
How many times to I have to say it... Bisimoto makes the ONLY header that makes any worthwhile power. Everything else on the market will give you no more than 5-8hp...

[jdmstylz24]

Thank you

Deevergote
Nine_duece
Buzz11
Thefirstnutzo
Cb7 with snail
Leung

Very helpfull

[Cautrell05]

The flex pipe is the same reason I was considering one. Deev, What are your thoughts on tube size? The general theory for years is that smaller tubes create back pressure and more low end torque at the expense of top end while more freely flowing exhaust gives more top end at the expense of bottom end. Most of the headers listed are 1.75 primary tubes but I have seen a few that were 1.5" diameter.
Myself I would think that 1.75 is a bit large for a motor that falls flat after 5000 stock. For an H22 no prob, but for the F it seems a bit much. Heres why. First off I know chevy small blocks are obsolete dinosaurs compared to hondas but a 300 horse small block for street use is generally reccomended to go with 1 5/8 headers. any larger than that and you tend to loose low end torqu unless its a 400 cid engine or turns lots of rpm. The engine in my streetstock is 360 cid, makes about 450 hp and turns 7100 nightly it has 1 5/8-1 3/4 stepped headers.

Most of you are going "yea so what", im getting to that.

If you run the numbers hears what I came up with.
450 hp/360 45 cid/cylinder 56 HP/cylinder 1 5/8-1 3/4 tube.
300 HP/350 44 cid/cylinder 37 hp/cylinder 1 5/8 generally recomended
140hp 2.2 33 cid/cylinder 35 hp/cylinder 1 3/4?

Could it be that the oversized primary tubes are why most people dont notice much if any HP difference?
The one thing I love about my F22 is that it has way more low end torque than most cars. The last thing I would want to do is loose some by picking the wrong header size.

Nick