f22a4 header question.

[michael6593]

I know that the f22a4 has a stock header, but this is my question. I just bought a 2.5" catback exhaust from ebay, and i was thinking about buying a header and high flow cat. But do you think i would be better off just getting a high flow cat instead of the headers? I've read several different places that headers off of ebay have the same flow as the f22a4 headers, but are just more flashy. Any answers are appreciated, thanks!

[michael6593]

also, would it be better to get a hollow test pipe? or a high flow? i dont have to worry about emissions where i live.

[Jarrett]

You may not have to worry about emissions testing but that doesn't mean you should ignore the emissions of your vehicle.

If you don't already have an F22A4 header and that's all the performance you care to have then I would forgo it for the generic header. It's not a great header, but it's every bit as good as the F22A4 header is, it will be new and it won't be rusted to hell and back.

Use a catalytic converter. There's no performance to be had by eliminating it. It also makes you sound like a douche driving down the road.

[BurtonRiderT6]

If you don't already have an F22A4 header and that's all the performance you care to have then I would forgo it for the generic header. It's not a great header, but it's every bit as good as the F22A4 header is, it will be new and it won't be rusted to hell and back.

My only argument here is weld quality. I had an eBay header, Megan Racing to be exact and found a crack in the weld joint for the head flange and number 3 cylinder exhaust pipe. This was after about a year of use. If you can pick up an A4 header at the local junkyard then I would go that route, it will be cheaper and its a Honda part, it just may not look so pretty. Exhaust wrap could fix that though.

Perhaps I should start pulling A4 headers off as I see them on my junkyard trips.

[michael6593]

i have a stock f22a4 engine, so it already has the header. I was just wondering if an ebay header would be any better than the stock.

[rexjr919]

performance wise they're about the same

[deevergote]

The ebay part will probably be a hair better... but it's unlikely that you'll feel it. The stock piece will be the better built, by far.

[deevergote]

My only argument here is weld quality. I had an eBay header, Megan Racing to be exact and found a crack in the weld joint for the head flange and number 3 cylinder exhaust pipe. This was after about a year of use. If you can pick up an A4 header at the local junkyard then I would go that route, it will be cheaper and its a Honda part, it just may not look so pretty. Exhaust wrap could fix that though.

Perhaps I should start pulling A4 headers off as I see them on my junkyard trips.

The only bad part is that the flex pipes tend to rot away. 22 years of being exposed to extreme heat and the elements takes a toll! A new quality OEM flex pipe (the whole "downpipe" part) isn't all that cheap, I don't believe.

[h3ll]

I have ebay header and it sucks. Metal is thin, gaskets are poor quality and so on.. I do have f22a7 (similar to f22a4), but i don't have any OEM downpipe. Would it be a lot more restrictive if I make custom downpipe to my f22a7 header with 2.5" flange than my ebay header?

[Thenderson2011]

The only bad part is that the flex pipes tend to rot away. 22 years of being exposed to extreme heat and the elements takes a toll! A new quality OEM flex pipe (the whole "downpipe" part) isn't all that cheap, I don't believe.

I'm not sure about oem, but i had a muffler shop replace my flex pipe and it only ran me about $70

[91kid]

I had an eBay header and the dang thing keeps warping where it meets the downpipe.. It just kept leaking lol

[deevergote]

Keep in mind that ebay doesn't make anything... so one "ebay" header can be totally different from another.

Adding a larger collector to a cheap header would likely produce better results than adding a larger collector to the stock manifold.

[michael6593]

A guy offered me a set of DC headers with a down pipe for 50. He just said I will have to extend my o2 sensor to make them work. Is this a good deal? Is extending the o2 sensor hard? Thanks. Also, why am I unable to start new threads?

[deevergote]

It's not a "set". Just one header.

Extending the o2 sensor is not a good idea. You can alter the resistance, and the result will be bad.

[wildBill83]

DC isn't the best out there but that is a hell of a deal if you need to replace your existing header. Also it is bad to splice on the O2 sensor line as it will change the resistance values, I suggest running a new wire with no breaks if you need to extend that one.