Header options advice needed

[rfuerst911sc]

The description on the last one you posted stated it is made of T321 but then you scroll down to the pics and they say the flange and mandrel bent pipes are T304 ..........which is it ? I have cheap Ebay headers on mine made of T304 , been on the car four years and so far so good . Having said that if these headers shown below are REALLY T321 I would purchase them . But at that price I doubt they are T321 either that or they are made in a Chinese sweat shop


http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5336391335&toolid=10001&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FT321-STAINLESS-RACING-HEADER-MANIFOLD-EXHAUST-97-04-PORSCHE-986-BOXSTER-BASE-S%2F401774979366%3F_trkparms%3Daid%253D555018%2526 algo%253DPL.SIM%2526ao%253D1%2526asc%253D201310031 32420%2526meid%253D63bcdcdf151840079ffddab060cf509 2%2526pid%253D100005%2526rk%253D5%2526rkt%253D12%2 526sd%253D162427660994%2526itm%253D401774979366%25 26pmt%253D1%2526noa%253D0%2526pg%253D2047675%26_tr ksid%3Dp2047675.c100005.m1851

[edc]

The cheap ones are fine. I have used them on both my Boxsters the first time being in 2012. Current set been on this car since 2013. You can spend a tonne more money for some FVD or Cargraphic ones for not a whole lot more gain.

[Dave80GTSi]

As has been noted here previously, aftermarket eBay header fitment can be hit or miss. Some seem to fit and align perfectly, while others are off enough so as to be practically unusable. And there is no good way to predict this beforehand - you just have to roll the dice and hope that you get lucky.

Assuming that you currently are running the Euro non-cat manifolds, my personal opinion is that for most practical street-driven purposes, there is not going to be a huge performance gain to be had via the use of headers. Accordingly, if I were in your shoes, I would choose to keep things simple and would retain the OEM manifolds.

You would then end up with a system such as I posted on Page 1, Post 19 in this thread, reposted below:



And here's the finished view:

[edc]

Just changing the OE manifolds out for the cheap eBay ones you can feel the engine rev a little freer especially in the last 1000rpm. If they are coming off anyway then you may as well change them.

[maytag]

Have y'all seen the new ones just released from soul performance for the 986?

Damn sexy.....
https://soulpp.com/?s=986

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Robert986]

Thanks all, I guess at this price range it´s all basically the same and as Dave80GTSi stated, they are hit or miss, so I went for the cheapest ones. Next stop trying to remove the manifold bolts..

[pilot4fn]

This is the setup I just purchased - thank you for the great idea
How did you do the O2 sensors? did you use the original ones and did you need extensions for the cables or did they fit as is?

Originally Posted by Dave80GTSi

Assuming that you currently are running the Euro non-cat manifolds, my personal opinion is that for most practical street-driven purposes, there is not going to be a huge performance gain to be had via the use of headers. Accordingly, if I were in your shoes, I would choose to keep things simple and would retain the OEM manifolds.

You would then end up with a system such as I posted on Page 1, Post 19 in this thread, reposted below:



And here's the finished view:

[Lord09]

Another inquiry about the o2 sensors. Since the stock ones are very short (US 2004 S). Did you extend them yourself?

I tried searching for o2 sensor extensions and didn't see any (surprised, since my previous Miata had them available).

I tried searching for ROW o2 sensors as I assumed they'd be longer since they don't have primary cats, but couldn't find them. Anyone ever tried ROW o2 sensors?

[itsnotanova]

Most of the guys I know who race 3.2+ motors use the Chinese manifolds with great success. I used a pair on my 3.4 street boxster and love them. For my 2.7 rallycross boxster I used 997 exhaust manifolds and love those too. You need some fabricating skills to make those work though. I go over the 997 manifolds in this thread. http://986forum.com/forums/show-tell-gallery/73877-6-months-live-build-thread-2.html

[Dave80GTSi]

Oxygen sensor extension info:

See my post no. 13 here: http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/72788-searching-spock-o2-sensor.html

And my post no. 9 here: http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/73010-headers-high-flow-cats.html

Works perfectly!

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

Most of the guys I know who race 3.2+ motors use the Chinese manifolds with great success. I used a pair on my 3.4 street boxster and love them. For my 2.7 rallycross boxster I used 997 exhaust manifolds and love those too. You need some fabricating skills to make those work though. I go over the 997 manifolds in this thread. http://986forum.com/forums/show-tell-gallery/73877-6-months-live-build-thread-2.html

Wood can you post a link to the "good" headers? Does great success mean fitment and performance?

[itsnotanova]

Originally Posted by jaykay

Wood can you post a link to the "good" headers? Does great success mean fitment and performance?

Sorry I don't have one. I got mine secondhand but they were never used. I don't remember who made mine. They all seem to look the same and have the same fitment issues, as in the bolt holes need some tweaking to line up. The welds look pretty good for where they're made. In a street car they'll probably last a lifetime, but only last a few seasons in a race environment.

[itsnotanova]

pro tuning lab .com is selling headers for $131 a pair

[edc]

I wouldn't worry about a link. The seller supply and batch may not be the same anyway. I've had a set of the eBay ones on each of my Boxsters buying in 2012 and 2013/14 from different sellers on eBay. The cheapest price looks to be about 20% more now in the UK.

[Robert986]

Well boys, just got all parts for my new exhaust.. At least it looks sweet!

[Black Knight]

Does anybody have any experience with Racing Dynamics Headers? They look a bit better built than the EBay specials and the pricing is not as dear as Fabspeed etc.

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by Robert986

Well boys, just got all parts for my new exhaust.. At least it looks sweet!

Nice! What brands did you get for each component? Are you goin to ceramic coat every thing?

Are those long tubes equal length headers?

[Robert986]

Originally Posted by jaykay

Nice! What brands did you get for each component? Are you goin to ceramic coat every thing?

Are those long tubes equal length headers?

Hi, sorry for late response, I´ve been busy, unfortunately not with Boxster -related issues ;-)


Here are the exact links to what I purchased:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/151320114061?fbclid=IwAR3M8cSf06s7vSxjBWgWAXw8tuz--AX4ufTTn-u3Ut-8xL7a5u1f5cAkGpg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Stainless-Steel-Exhaust-Header-Manifold-for-97-04-Porsche-986-Boxster-2-7-3-2-H6/233239962851?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&fbclid=IwAR17DivMbiRtPqDocW4iAzqBimzSKLXWD5sxw_LT7 B_tymi5McTh4Ze2FLY

https://www.ebay.com/itm/200CPI-SPORTS-CAT-STAINLESS-EXHAUST-DOWNPIPE-FOR-PORSCHE-986-BOXSTER-2-5-2-7-3-2/351973215955?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&fbclid=IwAR3Rt-61HdVDbfRjxP6LuEjeuv6H1sxmQoFIB0WaktcerltyxUorz9F6 JH0

I have actually not hade time to put it on yet, just need a few days off.. Soon..

As to your questions Jaykay, Initially I planned to ceramic coat but I haven´t found a reasonable/credible shop as of yet so I doubt it.

Equal length? Well, I would have to say almost, I don´t think they are 100% equal, but close.

Regarding quality I have to say that the Headers leave room for improvement, the tubes are not welded perfectly "end-to-end", a bit sharp edges internally, so I had to dremel a bit to make it more smooth. The other stuff, cat back and cats looks quite nice.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

and consider the 987 oem muffler with cats built-in as well (if you want to keep cats at all).

I have a used set of Fabspeed primary sport cat manifolds I'm going to sell if anybody wants to go that route.

[Robert986]

So are you guys wrapping och coating the headers? Or just run then as is?

I was plannint to ceramic coat, but didn't find who could do it, now figuring I might wrap them.. Mainly to protect the surrounding areas from heat.