Serious Input: Headers

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-9...Q5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_5044wt_1032

I need some good advise about headers.

What do you think about these.

Are they worth it?

Whats to gain?

I want some GOOD .02

Just port and polish unless you are planning on going FI, then i would go for PPE header and save the headache but be prepared to spend $$$

I already can't take you seriously when you inquire about it wrong. A corolla only has a header, singular, not plural.

Anyway, 98% of ebay stuff I have seen and used even myself are crap especially when it comes to actual performance parts - replacing things on the engine. This ebay header will probably leak or crack on you after a year or so, you will most likely not see a noticeable gain in power - maybe an increase of 2-4hp. It will make your car louder and even if (i'm being very nice to ebay) the header doesn't crack and stuff, the gaskets will probably fail on you. Most people on this forum as well as other forums who have used ebay products with the goal of proper increase in performance has gained more headaches in doing so, myself included. So I would say no its not worth it.

In fact don't even bother with upgrading a corolla. Do suspension and leave it at that. If you want more zippy performance, you'll probably have better luck doing a weight reduction getting rid of everything inside rather than spending hella money trying to upgrade your engine components.

Well shit. *facepalm* Honestly, I would say I'm sorry but I don't give a fuck.lol I'll keep that in mind for the future, that being the Header not Headers correction.

Now, I gotta learn somewhere, and you guys are are a well informed bunch, so I'm just gonna go ahead and ask. What is/are "FI" and "PPE"?

Also, port and polish is what I'm trying to avoid. I'm not necessarily going for performance, or else I would have installed a turbo already. I've heard that it is possible to attain a nice sound out of uneven headers, so I was wondering about that as well as a very minor gain in hp from the less clogged header. All in all, what I'm trying to do is get as many new parts as I can for my car so it lasts as long as possible, with the best performance I can get out of it.

Thank you DrunkSaru. It seems that was too much of an easy task you you.lol I'm assuming an ebay turbo kit is completely out of the question?lol That is, unless I wanna blow my motor from a waste gate that flung wide open making my motor suck in 40 PSI. hahahaha
Added: Feb 16, 2011 10:36 AM
This peaked my interest. A LOT. im not gonna lie.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyo...el:Corolla&hash=item3a6344ff67#ht_7014wt_1102

What do you guys think of this??

make sure you watch the video. it adds legitimacy

...... lol.

and before you troll me half to death, IF i got a turbo i would just run it at 5psi anyways, so yeah. Ive been reading now for about 6 hours about how these electric fans are useless but i also notice that the reviews are all out of date and rating the fans at 6000RPMs tops. this fan is rated at 20,000Rpms so there might be some truth. Also i see that they tested the fans on 2.4 liter and up engines. we all know the rolla is at 1.8 liters thus possibly making it more useful. im a guy that likes to test shit out for himself, specially if no one has tried it.

exdream. that doesnt help. thats why i specifically wrote

Serious Input

seriously..port and polish your oem headers. then heat wrap those bitches

whats the point to heat wrap?

seriously don't get an OBX header....Seriously.


edit: that design looks like shit...the heads are all supposed to be same length coming out from the engine for best performance gain. and I don't think a 4-2-1 would be best. But hey its only 88 bucks...so install it and find out. loooks like it has its own flex section too. also based on those pics, you are going to have to remove the catalytic converter...because that mid section is pretty long and will run right past the stock cat converter.



edit2: wrong section noob.

Thanks for the advise.

Im not sure if you realized that they are unequal length headers. I was told that design was better for top Speed because of the way exhaust gets pushed out of the engine. And I'm sure you know how that works so I hope dont have to explain myself. I don't know much of the 4.2.1 design besides that it makes a nice sound and that it helps some cars performance wise. Look, I have no problem admitting I don't know much of engine modding or else I wouldn't be asking all of these basic ass questions. I'm just trying to get my info so I can be knowledgeable and sound as pompousy as old Trd shredders. The fact that it was a 4.2.1 and unequal lengths for 88 dollars grabbed my attention and before I did anything stupid, I wanted to get my info straight. So, no thanks, I like mine just fine. Just the fact that it may crack within a year turns me off the purchase.

I intentionally posted in this section so more people would look at it and get more attention. Strategic win, troll fail.

look for something with equal lengths in a 4-2-1 design if thats what you like. but if the one you posted on ebay in the OP is going on your car (your 8th gen in your sig) I can tell you for a fact that it will not fit in that configuration.

hell get an OBX header and spend 3x the cost of it to make it actually fit in your car and you will enjoy it if you are serious about it

All that "turbo charger" is doing is sucking in hott air from inside the jeep hood, fail.

For the love of god, im not retarded. I wouldnt just post some random header because i think its cool. I've been looking for something like this for a while, and now finally, after finding one that i consider suitable for my needs, i would ask you guys as my final inspection. Also, unlike some of you, i took the time to look at the specs of this header and it does SAY that it will fit a 98 corolla.



On that note, upon further inspection of the pics, it actually may not fit. If you dont see what i mean, look harder.

In conclusion, im not buying it. If anything i might port and polish, but that wont happen for a long time.
Added: Feb 16, 2011 10:22 PM
Also, moviestar, is there any real advantage in a 4.2.1 configuration? heat wrap; wtf does that do (in your opinion)? and back pressure? you dont have to answer that last one cuz im about to do the research for it, but your opinion would be much appreciated.

on our cars...there is no real advantage to a 4-2-1 system....heat wrapping does offer performance but I have no idea why...nothing like 20hp but maybe 5hp at the most. im assuming because its keeping it better insulated? idk....i have my intake heat wrapped and shielded and noticed a huge difference in the performance....my header isn't heat wrapped though.


edit: 4-2-1's are good on cars with a longer exhaust travel (cars with the manifold up in front near the radiator opposed to in back) It helps keep the air flowing better through the tubes since they travel further. But since ours is in back and travels less, a 4-1 is better. I think thats how it goes anyway.

PPE is a performance company in Arizona that will take your car and custom mount everything and make sure everything fits right. i priced them out for a ceramic coated header, and header back exhaust system and it came out to about 1200$ and that pushed me away right there. But on another note they have proven results especially with the celica 1.8L

Alright, I'll heat wrap ASAP then. Thanks moviestar, your opinion is greatly appreciated.

Also thank you guys, once again, for shinning your light in my lack of motoring knowledge.

Lastly, I'll post this link again. Take a good look at it and read details. It really is worth the time. Need some good info. If you are simply gonna tell me this is shit W/out any info, then dont bother saying anything.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...arms=clkid=7138249704008745515#ht_7014wt_1102

yeah PPE is fuckin expensive, but they are so worth the money. If you have a celica and don't have a PPE you are doing something wrong. They custom fabbed one onto your corolla though?


edit: hey man if you want to get the "intake supercharger" thing i'm not going to stop you. Just know that you can A) probably make it for cheaper and B) won't actually gain anything. There is all sorts of info all over the net that shows how crappy they actually are...sadly. If you buy it, and it works..let me know. At that price point though, you could get an AEM wideband o2 sensor, adjust the air/fuel ratio, and have the same performance.

the hotter the gases are, the faster they move through the exhaust. something like that if i remember correctly.

thats not why they thermal wrap it though...im pretty sure its so that it doesn't heatsoak the engine/engine bay which will keep the engine a little cooler helping overall performance

yeah it does that too. but if you have a true CAI i guess it doesnt really matter if you have it wrapped or not.

itll help not absorb residual heat in the engine bay?

actually now that i think about it, the filter may be sucking in cooler air from outside the engine bay but the piping would still get warm from heat in it.

just port and polish, wrap, and get the limiter taken off the ecu.
Added: Feb 17, 2011 5:09 AM
and go vvti stick.

Actually that's exactly what thermal wrapping is for. But be warned! if your exhaust manifold gets too hot, it will crack. Happened to my 240 twice. It was the 2nd time that I realized what I had done. first I thought it was because my after market exhaust manifold was crap. But then again, if you're not taking the car to the tracks, you won't see any performance gain anyway.. If you do, there is high chance its just mental.

As far as the REDICULOUS $300 fan thing for your intake, thats a bunch of BS. if will limit the air actually screwing with your MAF and you'll probably get a check engine light.

The way I look at ebay stuff: If its such a great product and offers so much change in your performance of your car, why hasn't the auto companies adopted it yet? And no the answer is not government/auto mfr conspiracy.

I still stand by my original recommendation, do suspension work and reduce the weight of the car. All other mods are useless. You can keep buying ebay parts but thats not going to do anything other than make the ebay sellers happy you're buying crap.
Added: Feb 17, 2011 6:20 AM

Get all new OEM parts, you want the best performance, shit, just replace all your suspension bushings and that alone will make your car ride like new. Also detail your car. Make you car shine better than some of the new cars that are out there. It will make you proud to drive your car. plus if and when you get rid of it, the less aftermarket parts you have and the more aesthetically pleasing the car is, the more money you can get for the car, especially at dealers. I know. I used to work at at a used car place until I got fired for not trying to sell the crap cars.

The typical reason why car companies don't adapt things like coilovers, CAI, and the ever so elusive "electric supercharger" is because most people dont care about that shit. The vast majority of people buy cars to get from point A to point B, and thats it. They dont give a flying fuck about what an Electric supercharger is. And for the people that want true performance, well, thats why we have REAL turbo chargers and superchargers. So they have no reason why they should put something like any of those things in a typical car; That, and the gross cost of putting something like that in a car would be incredibly expensive for an "eh" ish like power gain. I believe, and am pretty sure this is why they dont use any of those things.

I am trying to keep my car as "clean" as possible, that being not ricing it out, and I am keeping most stock parts in case I ever want to go back to stock, but the chances of me selling that car... errr MY car are close to none. I love that thing and I WILL drive it into the ground. Even if I have to take it to my grave with me.lol I'm, for the lack of a better word, HELLA proud of my car My car is generally aesthetically pleasing to the eye as far as I know. Most car enthusiasts around my town think of it as a mixed breed between a subaru and a toyota, and the real morons always, and i mean ALWAYS think its a subie.lol With that said, I love the way it looks and feels. I just wish it was a little bit faster so I could beat my buddies 97 2.5 Legacy wagon.lol

coilovers are used because they typically don't last as long. CAI is not used because it generally will make the car much louder. A typical supercharger will cost you anywhere from $1K -3K vs a Turbo costing $2K -5K last I checked...especially if you are trying to add something to a car that was not designed for it. Comparing that with what ebay has for a few hundred dollars... you say expensive, I say its dirt cheap. If you ever turbo a car that wasn't designed for it, you'll be changing just about everything inside (bore, stroke, injectors, sparks, cams, cpu, crank shaft, radiator, etc.... ) But yes several cars do come with SC and TC because it gives a nice boost in performance to virtually any car. I don't know what you are referring to when you say Electric Supercharger. All superchargers are basically electric although there are some to claim that it can be powered solely from exhaust flow.

Anyway my point is if a car manufacture can produce more power, mass produce it cheaper and have it stay reliable, They would have done it already which means all the crap you see on ebay is crap. ebay sellers just try to make it sound like its this revolutionary technology that will change your driving experience. Talk to any reputable engineer and they will tell you the same.

I'm glad that you have a lot of pride in your car. I did too with my old corolla until i totaled two of them. Its great that you have this mindset that you want to keep it for ever and take care of it. But if you try to add more power and you do it the proper way, it will cost you and that money can be better used buying a used car that was designed for power. If you try to skimp in cost to get performance, you'll end up where I did where everything breaks. If you shop at ebay and get the cheapest crap available, your car will look cool but you really won't notice any performance change.

on a side note to this thread....what is the stock size for our throttle bodies? Because you can buy a 63mm throttle body for about the same price, which would help performance more than the "super charger"