What would you guys reccomend as the better mod in the 1000-1200 dollar range?
The Nismo headers or Crawford plenum and high flow cats?

Thanks

 

Crawford, most definitely

more hp and more tq

 

Agreed; I think Crawford headers are definitely the way to go for the reasons posted above.

To answer your second question, I don't think you'll be displeased with their high flow cats either.

 

Seems the plenum has much better bang for the buck for this car so far.

Not sure what the cats are worth power wise though.....I would suspect not much

 

Thanks folks.
I think powerwise the Xerd headers along with the Crawford plenum will be the ultimate.
(search function always helps ;-))

 

XERD headers issue no gain in torque. (At least nothing worthwhile) The majority of us HAVE to run cats, so the XERDS are out for us anyway.

Crawford Headers, cats, and plenum... mate this to a solid exhaust and you'll have a great combination!

 

So please tell Doug to write me back.
Couldn't get him on the phone (GET)

Also calculate Xerd+Plenum
contra all Crawford stuff you mentioned

 

Has Crawford ever considered fabricating an exhaust?

 

NISMO=WARRANTY!

 

One more thing evil350z:
Surely you are a very good salesman (would be glad to have such employees) but do you have to pull all other products down?
You are having a real big effort doing all the research just to find the weak point in the other stuff but finally you are successfull.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate your work and your products but other companies have nice things too.

my .02

 

Nissan warranty?
For S-tune maybe but surely not for R-tune

 

Not the headers. Headers are part of the R-Tune lineup which means no warranty.

 

Def. Crawford headers..

Hell, they should be the Nismo of America...

 

so far from what I have seen, none of the headers were very worthwhile from a torque standpoint.

The NISMO header itself is warrantied....not your car with it installed (though thats the same regardless of whose header you get).

Personally, I am going to port the stock manifolds and the ports on the head - I am quite sure it will yield similar results to the aftermarket headers, without the noise nor expense.

As for high flow cats, again, I am not sold on them yet - have to see the stock ones first and talk to people smarter than I on the topic.

 

My sincerest apologies if I implied in ANY way I was pulling someone down.

During the entire xpose about the XERD scandles, etc... the company DID infact leave me with a less than perfect taste in my mouth.

Needless to say they have delivered a few products, and people seem to be fairly happy with them.

We too at Crawfords considered for a few moments true racing long-tubes. The conclusion came when we determine a) power gains beyond what we had already done would not be had, and b) the majority of the market could not use them.

I personally think they are pretty slick looking, but all in all very disappointed that they did not make any more power than they did. You can only make a pipe so long. NASCARs can get away with 30"+ piping. Our VQs unfortunately can't... there are limits...

The ONLY thing that really impresses me with their headers is the price. It's a great price for what you're getting. From looking at their design, they are so lucky for the layout... it is so VERY easy to reproduce... More so they gave themselves SO MUCH room to work with, development did not take very long, thus R&D costs were kept at a minimum.

Ah my respects to someone building ANYTHING for the 350z. More respects to those companies producing the more "difficult" parts, i.e. exhaust components, etc.

Not enough torque? I suppose if you are used to gains made on V8s by bolting on headers, you are DEAD ON... none of us are making gains!!!

Unfortunately lower displacement motors, especially ones that don't rev terribly high... will not show that great a gain from a header.

Where will you see a header shine?

Superchargers and/or CAMS.

I would LOVE to see someone fully build their car with TOMEI cams and strap the stock mani's on... dyno it. THEN dyno say the XERD, NISMO, or Crawford headers! It would be amazing the difference then!

As for porting the stock manifolds, you're not going to gain a thing. The inner-wall of the stock manifold is already very thing, and contains a form of heat-shielding around it. For what it is, it's already VERY efficient. It's the design and route the exhaust is taking that is keeping if from producing BIG numbers. It's a stock piece... it is just that! Before you go to the trouble of porting, just buy a set of Borla headers. They are CHEAP and will yield far better gains. Entrust me, a LOT of time with be wasted on stockers.

You want more power? You make the tubes LONGER! Can you go too long? Yes... remember these key facts as you picture the way a header is made.

The VQ35 on the flow bench showed signs of GREAT flow. Honestly, I cannot remember which... but only one side could real stand to be p&p'd... exhaust or intake... I don't remember.

The cats, you're right on... with a stock motor you just won't see that much. Are they really worth it if you're not needing that much "breathability"? It's your call on this one! Once the SC is in, or big cams... it's just another bottleneck.

Good conversation... let's keep this thread going!!!!

 

Uh oh... I see someone getting pissed over this comment!

 

Good info, thanks for the insight. I don't know if porting is even needed, just something I was tossing around in my old head
I have a spare set of heads going to our engine builder soon, and I am going to let him tell me what to do and what not to do.

I have already given him the specs of the cams, headers, etc that I know exist at this point. If what is currently offered is not enough, then we'll just make it.

What I am personally looking for is low -mid 300's at the wheels, but staying totally NA. I am not down (right now) with doing bottom end work, which is just as well, since there won't be gains there anyway. Like I have done with past cars, I just want to exploit all I can from the existing platform, and where its lacking, look to the aftermarket - and if its not there, or we (or someone else) can do it better, then go with it!

I have been into imports all my life, never having owned anything V8 or American But from where I sit, and what I have seen so far, I just don't see the headers making or breaking my setup much. Unfotunately, my head won't let me buy a set of Borla anything, having a very bad taste in my mouth from their early Subaru stuff (which is what we are known for). Though things may have improved since then, I just don't want to take a chance with something as tucked away as headers, not to mention I tend to stick to the rarer Japanese stuff, as its the scene I have been into for a long time now (going on 10 years..yikes!).

So for now, we are going to start out head development work and see where it takes us, all the while watching what the rest of the aftermarket brings to the table.

 

Oh man! I had my heart set on those headers because I though they would be covered.

 

You guy do research instead of rebadging.

I've got Nismo parts on my car, but I'll be doing Crawford for the rest.

I like my Nismo, but I also like the best performance.

 

As for the Xerd headers I am not afraid of regulations.
I am running the stock exhaust and the noise won't be that high. No one will check me.
I'm only afraid of switching to an aftermarket catback. So my point of view changed completetly.
Before I was searching for the best flowing unit and now I search for the quitest unit.
Think I'll end up with Nismo or HKS.