ok,

I'm lookin at finishing off my exhaust here.... I am def. getting a downpipe (with high flow cat...sucks but whatcha gonna do..) and I already have the gmpp cat back... now I'm looking at headers... I have roughly 300 to spend on headers.... I don't wanna go crazy, and I don't wanna throw and CEL's so let's keep this an EOM replacement deal, but what IS the best exhaust (I have the 2.4 SS btw) let the debate begin!!




P.S. - I was originally thiking about just getting the gmpp header but I found the zzp header then and thought it was a wee bit better, plus they sell that and the downpipe I'm getting as a combo so it's cheaper.... though it's not ceramic coated or anything, not that it's a big deal but still

 

I just ordered the 2.5' XTC b-pipe w/cat for my 2.4, so like you, I'm in the market for a shorty header.

The reason I went with the XTC over the ZZP b-pipe is everyone on the board who has the ZZP thinks it sounds crappy - real raspy. Do some searches and you will see.

The ZZP header is priced right and I like the 1 5/8" primarys as they tend to give better low-midrange torque, but I'm leaning toward the Intense header. It looks like the bends on the Intense are not as sharp, plus I like their quality. I would really like to see what ZZP's soon to be released equal length model will be priced at. I may go with Hahn's turbo in the future, so I don't want to blow $500 on a header right now.

I'm waiting to hear of someone's header experience on a 2.4 (hopefully some dyno results, too) before I make my decision.

 

get the hahn racecraft header, its probably the best

 

I agree. It's also $500, which is $200 out of Co|3alt$$'s price range.

 

i just ported the manifold on my co-workers codalt ss 2.4 the ports are off a good bit and the collector can be opned up a good bit too. his car pulls harder than ever and he sait he picked up about 2mpg after we did the exhaust manifold and the intake manifold.

 

how did that go? i've thought about that myself... pick up a manifold and go nuts with the die grinder.

 

Did you change the shape of the ports, or did you just match them and clean them up a little?

I've ported quite a few motorcycle heads myself - the old D shape. You need to remove the valve guides to do the job right - pain in the ass, cause then the seats need to be recut.

It's tough to even the air flow without templates and a flow bench to measure things. Rather than trying to do one port at a time, I've found that if you work a little with each port, you get a much more even job. Of course, a CNC port job is best, but big$$$

If I ever have my head off I'll def. give her a light port & polish. The car's head that is.

 

the intake header is plastic....how in the world do you port a plastic header? lol is that even safe?

 

i'd say go with them as well...

 

why is it you can get 2 v8 headers so damn cheap yet our 1 costs like 2x the price

 

You don't port the intake manifold or header, you just make sure that there is no lip or overlap where the manifolds bolt to the head. This is called port matching. When you run your finger between the head and the manifold (if you can reach inside the port) you should not feel where one starts and the other stops. You would remove metal from the head to get them to match.

If the intake manifold turns out to be smaller than the port (very unlikely), you would carefully trim the edge, assuming the plastic is sufficiently thick, to smooth out the airflow as best as possible, minimizing turbulance.

 

hmmmm that's not a bad idea

 

Why do dogs lick their nuts? Because they can. It's the same reason we're paying $3/gal for gas.

You're not paying for the steak, you're paying for the sizzle. You're buying benefits, not features. You're not buying bent metal tubes, you're buying the performance that those tubes produce.

It's also supply and demand.

When enough of these engines get produced to cause manufacturers to want to compete in the market, the price may drop some. Don't hold your breath though - I've seen Honda headers over $1,000! But as long as there's limited availability (and limited production runs,) the price will remain high.

 

like sushi said supply and demand, and once alot more companys start making a header for our car it will bring competition on prices

I have the sc dyne header and I love it, it was a little more then you want to spend but it was an really well made header. It came triple ceramic coated and it gave my exhaust a very deep throaty sound and I felt some pretty nice gain's from it. I give it a big thumbs up.

 

what about a pacesetter header ( armor coated $199.99) ? part # 70C1272

 

^^get it ceramic coated or it will look like crap in no time.

 

oh yea.. duh me.. i meant ceramic coated... becuz pacesetter only makes it in black or ceramic......

 

pacesetter is ****, alot of people i know that have installed them have had fitment issues and they said they couldnt even notice a differnce if power

 

Cobalt Addiction will have a header for us very soon. I would wait for that one!

 

def wait for the C/A one... gonna be priced good and should be a bit better than the ZZP (wasn't impressed with the quality at all)

 

Im either getting the Cobalt Addiction header or the GMPP Manifold

 

u say making a header for us? do u mean as in cobalts in general or for ss/sc & ss/na only? becuz i'm have an LT.

 

I'd be interested in a header from C/A, they seem to be the best source of stuff for us at least in my experience, but that scdyne was was freakin sweet as well, though yeah, the price is a bit meaty. I think I'm gonna either wait for the C/A header or go with the intense? maybe? not too sure yet, but I'm def. thinking of going turbo when chevers comes out w/it, unless the hahn/turbonetics/etc.... setups show up as being better. who knows.

 

1/4" die grinder with sand paper rolls. and yes it is safe. I reshaped the runners in my intake with plastic welder.

 

its gonna be the same fitment as the other headers... all models except for 06 2.2 with air injection...