i just decided to go full NA... now im off to pick headers. i know DC is carb legal but make little to no HP... so i was thinking strup, alphawerks, or crawford... can i have people's opinions on these 3 brands? were they worth the price? how much for install? any trouble? people in CA... how will you get past smog? thats a must know basis

 

imo, crawfords are best. ~$400 install. made my z a different car...pulls like crazy and sounds way mean even with stock exhaust. keep stock cats around for smog time.
btw, mine are 4 sale.

 

go with alphawerks... best for the $$ imo.. put em on last weekend and i am very happy with them

 

do ya think the stock cats can hide the extra emissions stuff? im seriously considering crawfords.. i already saw yours for sale and am curious...

 

I would go crawford.

 

what about long tube headers? like xerd.. dont those give you more hp and torque vs shorty headers? how much more hp does crawford make vs alphawerks? i need to knoow!!!

 

considering the fact that each stock cat has not one but two convertors, i think its safe to say yes.

 

I started a thread like this called "BEST HEADERS" do a search...the thread is like 6 pgs long.

 

Of course I'm partial, since we sell them, but I'd highly recommend the Strup headers! Fantastic quality and great performance for the price.

You can check out the deal here:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125621

Lot's of people are very focused on what kind of HP the different types of headers produce. But honestly, what you will notice the most on your "butt dyno" is the torque gains. These headers are designed to give you peak gains in the mid rpm range, and they deliver that well! Yes, HP makes a difference too, but when it comes to the feeling of pushing you back in your seat, then consider the torque gains, and also consider what you will be using the car for primarily.

Street cars will benefit from mid range punch. Most people don't drive their street cars at the higher end of the rpm range for most of the time behind the wheel... so you'll be much happier with a header designed to deliver some meaty torque in the mid range of the rpm band.

Race cars benefit from high end punch, since that's where the rpm's are for most of the time. Long headers that are desgined to give maximum gains, primarily at the high end of the rpm range, is what should be in your shopping cart here.

 

I went with alphawerks. The quality was off the hook! I havent had a chance to drive the car yet but with the dyno's that alphawerks showed Im sure Ill get great gains!

 

The Crawford's are long tubes aswell as equal length.

 

Topspeed or Crawford
Topspeed flow like DC, Strup, AND alphwerks for a fraction of the price
Crawford flow unlike anything out there - incorporate long tubes in a short tube space, but they are expensive

 

does top speed give the same hp/torque gain as DC, strup, and alphwerks? how much are they?

 

Age old debate on these boards. I ran topspeed headers on my car and for all those that talk up the alphawerks quality, I could do the very same for the topspeed. Dynos are like 10-15 hp, but DON'T rely on dynos from anyone as a sole means of what the headers produce.

Pics of the strup, DC, and alphawerks indicate to me that they are IDENTICAL in terms of design and flow to the topspeed headers.

 

XERD longtubes baby!

I'm planning on purchasing mines later on.

 

IMO, Crawford are the best next to Veilside... $$$ though! Next I would say Nismo, Alphaworks or DC...good price and good quality overall. I bought a pair of SS TopSpeed headers for $225 only because it was a good deal. I've had them on the car for little more than a week now and I'm pleased with the overall quality and boost in power. IMO, they were close enough to equal length and with the money I saved I sent them to JetHot for their 2k coating. I figured, I'm installing them once and never again, so they better last

"JET-HOT 2000™ - Formulated for very high temperatures, this rugged matte-gray or black coating protects substrates up to 2,450°F, heat levels sometimes encountered in Rodding and Off-Road applications. Reduces heat by 50% and longevity up to 20x."

Zquicksilver

 

how much do crawfords run brand new? and what are the cost of TF headers usually? and the cost of a jet-hot 2k coating?

 

$500...crawford support our sponsors

$250-275....TS Headers

$200...JetHot 2k plus shipping...easily justified for what you get!

Zquicksilver
ps you can see a sample in my link/sig...

 

$500 for crawford headers?????? or for jet hot coating them?

 

how long was the whole process of sending the headers out to get them JetHot coated 2k?