Hey all!!
My next step is going to be headers? so i would like to know which brand/type of headers is louder, i will not ask wich is better since that thread has already been posted.

I Appreciate the help guys!

 

What is your set up? Headers with stock exhaust? Headers with aftermarket exhaust? Do you have test pipes? Do you have high flow cats?

There is going to be different sound with different set up.

 

I have resonated test pipes, custom exhaust with 2.5" piping and dual HKS Hi Power canisters. I am considering the Nismo headers.

 

Why would one brand of headers be louder than another? They are all pretty similar in materials and design.

The catback portion of the exhaust changes the sound the most

 

when I installed my Strup headers, the sound was louder and deeper compared to OE...I haven't heard any other headers, so I can't compare that.

 

Don't bother buying headers as they are all a waste of money in regards to performance and when I had mine installed before I went turbo, I noticed no difference in sound and I have EXCELLENT hearing.

Of all the mods for the Z, headers are the biggest crock.

 

Headers can run you a pretty penny to install at a shop. Usually between 6-10hrs to do depending on the shop. From what i have learned, headers won't really make the exhaust that much louder. Its your aftermarket cats or test-pipes and your choice of exhaust that make your car sound lounder...

 

I guess technically long-tube headers would be the "loudest" since they would eliminate the cats as well. But as others have said it's kinda the wrong end of the exhaust to be tuning the sound at.

 

I agree with the abov
The sound of the exhaust is virtually unchanged with headers.
the VOLUME on the other hand does change

Shifty on this site has headers on his car with a similar exhaust and his car is LOUD....He has the Stupp headers I belive
Good luck

 

+1

headers = waste of hard earned $....imo

 

Well, thanks a lot guys for all the responses!!

 

Guys

You simply don't know what you are talking about My Crawfords made the biggest difference in power than any of my other mods. These headers IMO, are great. I am attaching a Dyno chart taken minutes apart comparing my Coupe to an '05 with the Rev-Up engine and a plenum spacer.
My Car is the blue line, the Rev-Up is the red line.

My exhaust sounds great and is made up of The Crawford Headers and Hi-Flow Cats and an Invidia G200 exhaust with an "H" Pipe.

Lou

 

I would disagree, TENZO products are the biggest waste of anyones hard earned money

An engine works together and headers are a big part of tuning an engines powerband along with cams

If your serious about anything a $600 set of headers that make say even 10whp on their own on a mild setup could easily yield 15whp or more on an engine with other breathing mods/cams/tune

Yes labor is a pain but theorhetically you could install them yourself in your free time....so is 600 a waste for making more power...not in most peoples opinion

How much do people spend on cheap heavy wheels that arent even eqipped with performance rubber? Different strokes

 

my topspeed headers gave my g a nice growl in lower ends...its got that low rev burble...i love it. and it definetely gave a good bump in power..

 

QFT.

 

Here is my before and after dyno of strup hreaders. It cost me 140 (used) for the headers and I did the install.

Red line - headers
Blue line - with out

 

I know Walkert we went through this before but looking at your Dyno your biggest gains last for only 750 rpm's. Yeah you got some gains the whole way through the power curve but seeing how much you paid and you did it yourself, I think you got a good deal!! If I had to pay $400 for headers and then $500 for install............ I don't know. For N/A I wouldn't do it but to each his own. BTW I like when people post graphs with the smoothing set at zero. Just by playing with it (set at 5) you can change your numbers to get you higher results.

 

The only way you can justify spending that much money on headers vs hp gain is if you are going to stay N/A and not go F/I. At that point, you want to get as much power as you can get out of the engine N/A.

Headers do make the exhaust tone a bit louder because of the piping diameter and the length. Remove the catalytic converters and you have made it even louder. Replace the stock cat-back with a aftermarket less restrictive one and you have got a loud car.

 

I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. My car dyno'd only 8 hp higher than one of my other friends who didn't have headers nor an aftermarket exhaust. In addition, his car was an automatic and mine was a manual. That could've been the difference right there.

Maybe you had better luck with your headers but overall, headers are STILL a HUGE waste of money as there is very little noticeable gain if any and you probably lose torque. When you think about it, it doesn't really matter the size of the header tubes because the holes in the block leading to the headers is still the same size. In order to maximise header gains, you need to bore a bigger exhaust holles in the block to match the headers.

When going turbo, I was advised to stay with the stock headers as to maintain a certain exhaust velocity to help with the turbos spool-up. In addition, the material from the stock headers is very thick and sturdy and can withstand the heat better than any other aftermarket header which happen to be much thinner in cast.

You may have a nice dyno sheet but mine read 350 rwhp and 340 torque on mild boost settings. The friggin headers cost me over $1,200 when I got them. The turbo was the best power investment I ever made. Once again, headers are a waste and most can't even be utilised if to go with a turbo. The biggest way to get power on the exahsut side of things is to remove the cats and go straight through piping. It is the ONLY way.

Headers=crap

For extra reference, refer to GT Motorsports (the premiere tuning shop that tuned my turbo system) and see that they manufacture and fabricate all of their own parts from crankshafts to sleeves etc. Notice that they don't have any of their own headers. THESE guys knwo what they are doing.

See my point?

 

That's not true. A LOT more goes into tuning a header than just the port size on the head. While that will have some influence on the tubing diameter, there's still other factors that will affect how much power the header will make and also where it will make the power in the powerband. You can change the primary tubing diameter and length, you can step the piping, change the collector size and shape, etc.... What do you here will also change depending on if you have cats, test pipes, single or dual exhaust, also what cams you run, etc... Header tuning is really an art.

The biggest problem in making a really nice set of headers for the g35/350z is the available space, that's why you don't see too many different designs.