jlukja

That would work in my favor. I try to keep mine looking as stock as possible.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Before everyone jumps on the bandwagon you guys should make sure of the quality of this header and that the hp gains are verifiable. Someone should repeat this by buying the header, doing a dyno beforehand, and the one after the header is installed. I'm not saying the original poster is lying but you have to be careful b/c it could be a marketing ploy. Let someone verify the gains first and see if they are reliable.

jlukja

^^

Like I said, caveat emptor

rmpage

Hah, that's really all you need to say to explain CARB to out-of-staters. While there is probably at least some meritorious intent, like most everything else (firearms), the laws are written by complete idiots without even a basic understanding of the technology they're trying to legislate. The result is a bloated bureaucratic nightmare that accomplishes absolutely nothing other than aggravating consumers and costing taxpayers a ton of money.

I moved from CA to MA right around when MA adopted CARB's methodologies. indeed.

jpt

This is exactly why I ordered it and will be doing a before/after dyno at a reputable shop that did not sell me the part. I'll post results soon -- if it's good, you might want to consider getting this part in stock, as it's significantly cheaper than the DC header and looks to be of nicer stainless construction. I'm sure lots of AZers would be much happier to buy it from a trusted AZ vendor than some random ebay store

jpt

Vote Libertarian...

jiggaman

got my comptech header installed today and am very please, nice compilment to the hondata reflash

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Well we will have to see how well they hold up and if anyone has fitment issues. I have had some experiences with new header(s) before and they started out all well and good and then ended up in disaster. I do not care to repeat that same mistake with the TSX members b/c it is an extreme hassle for both the consumer and the retailer. I prefer to stick to proven products manufactured by companies that I trust and have good customer service. So we will see how this header and this company turn out. If in a few months and after a few dynos the product is around without issues I wil be looking further into it.

Thanks for thinking about me though!! I appreciate it. I will try and help where I can.

jpt

uh, maybe I will hold on to my stock header...

eh, screw it, if it breaks i'll suck it up and buy the comptech one. anybody want to buy a nearly-new stock header?

lcrazyaznl

iTrader: (1)

I love the comptech headers, I first got rmatic's fujitsubo exhaust and had fun with the consistent powerband, and response. Then added headers and got more reving power and now im just waiting for hondata...
darn AT05

Personally I stuck with comptech becasue only one person on this forum had issues with their headers and got it fixed.

jiggaman

yeah thats why i went with comptech because i am confident that i will not have any issues

Black_6spd

Thanks for the hard work done to share this with other TSX'ers.

I'd have to admit I'm a bit skeptical as well. 14 whp is nearing 20 hp at the crank, which is in race header territory.

What was the temp/humidity on run 1 compared to run 2? I think we've seen from JTso's dynos that simply doing a run on a cooler day can result in significant differences.

Either way, good find.

Black_6spd

Reading > Me

curls

Looks like delzubo parts jacked the price of this header on eBay already! $189 flat, or $199 for Buy-It-Now

Argh.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

China special.....they work and fit, but overally quality is a little bit of a crap-shoot.

Definately good bang for the buck!!!!

jpt

The vendor of this particular part (the one I got, which we suspect but are not sure is the same as the one jdmturtleracin got) is in Texas, and the manufacturer he claims to have got it from is in Texas too We'll see!

jpt

425450 Performance is still selling it for $174 + $30 shipping and DOHCgarage (jdmturtleracin) is supposedly selling it for $215 shipped. Of course we still aren't sure if any of the three headers brought up are the same one.

edit: ktlperformanceparts has a similar-looking header for $150+shipping. However their description states that "A header supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders from the engine." so I don't know if i'd want to buy anything from them

curls

And the ktlperformanceparts one in the post above mine is located in Texas as well.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Sorry man, I am not buying it.....you can't get a piece like that made in the USA for that much $$ retail to the public. You could not even wholesale it for that much and make money.

jiggaman

texas is pretty close to mexico, maybe its made in mexico?

chuson

Guys, should I ditch my DC header and get this??? The result looks promising, just not sure the quality. But SS should still be better than Ceramic??

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

Haha, that's a good theory.

Does the exhaust smell like bean-farts, rather than burned rice?



Honestly, I have seen a lot of this tier of product out there and they certainly perform well and the $ fits the pocket. But is like a Mustang. Faster than a TSX, for less money....but I still would not buy one.

Marcus

Black_6spd

Good point. Makes me wonder about which stainless alloy they're using.

To the thread starter: Can you check if a magnet will stick to the header?

TSXTuner

whoever gets the next one of these, please compare the
flexibility to the stock part.

This is DC's downfall, without the flexible flange joint, the
flex pipe section at the cat flange has to be flexible like
the stock part.

San-AnT

Matell

I agree. I've gone through two sections of flexpipe, and am on my third. The lack of 'give' in the flex section is the real weakness of the DC design, and any that copies it without improving the flexibility.

I can only assume I drive harder than most to be on my third section of flex, or I have some strange torque monster!

JTso

iTrader: (2)

What kind of flex pipe did you use as replacement? Any pics?

rmpage

No, don't. You already have a good header in there that you've paid for, and to have installed. The DC header probably got you another ~10whp, which is so close to what this gave the OP that it within the margin of different dyno methods, auto trans temperature, air temp, humidity, etc.

In any case, I'd also wait and see if these results can be repeated, and then for a few months at least to see if any longevity issues develop. Then, and only then, would I consider spending a sizeable portion of money to upgrade your car by a tiny amount that you likely won't notice in terms of palpable performance.

jiggaman

thanks for reccomending that shop rmpage, those guys did a good job

Matell

Unfortunately it's exactly the same as the last one I think I may've posted a pic of when I had it first done so there is a high chance it too will fail.

It's dual inner and outer wire braid over the flex section, but is a little shorter than the DC original making it a little stiffer, even though the flex itself is easier to bend.

I've discussed pre-emptively with them doing something similar to what you've done JTso with your FI mod DC . The plan will be for them to cut out the section from the flange forward to the 2-1 merge, weld in a new larger diameter pipe (probably a little smaller than the Honda OEM diameter)with a larger diameter+longer section of flex, and reposition the Primary A/F.

Hopefully this will yield an increase in durability, plus a low rpm torque gain.

rmpage

No problem, it's hard to find shops with a good vibe, honest people and good quality labor rates. I always suggest them for people in the area.

Matell

Here you go,

First Fix

They applied protective paint on this first fix.

Second Fix

No protective paint. Will have to fix that up.

chuson

Thanks for your good advise~!!! Temps dropped about 15C compared to last week. The car seems to pull alot harder.
Also my CEL came on for 4 days, and disappear today??? (On and off twice today) why? I didn't reset the battery. I'm guessing it's from the High-Flow Cat.

Matell

I've never had a problem from the Hi-Flow cat throwing a CEL. If you have a DC, and you've noticed even the slightest change in sound that you could easily think you're imagining, jack your car up, put your hands and ears near the flex pipe and have an assistant start the car through the window.

My first DC failed flex was just like that. It seemed to pull harder (though in your case temp will also contribute) and then I had sporadic CEL's before after about a week it was on permanently.

WlcTL

wow so what is this problem with the dc headers....it seems serious. so are you guys saying the dc headers has to be fixed before use? ive never heard of this before. please give me some more info of this issue because i was really close to ordering it . liek today. lucky i got a hold of this. thanks

Matell

The first generation DC headers for the TSX had a problem where the flex pipe would come away on the inside from the necked section to the flange where it meets the cat. This was fixed by most of the initial owners by having either several spots of weld, or a continuous bead of weld applied to fix the flex to the metal flange.

The second generation is the type I have. It corrected the problem the first had. I'm not sure how many others have had problems with the flex as I have on the second gen, where the corrugation of the flex has actually cracked through.

My problems may be due to the fact I drive my car hard most of the time, it gets driven long distances daily, and occasionally see's track use.

Use the search function and you'll see several lengthy threads on the problems people have had with DC, but also note that there are people who've never had a problem.

Value for money based on the gains and what they cost, they're brilliant. If you only ever drove on the weekends they'll probably be fine, however based on my own experience I personally wouldn't ever buy another DC product or recommend them.

Matell

Better get back on topic, and not hi-jack the thread to be another analysis of the failings of the DC design for which most companies have copied. (ie. OBX - Stainless DC copy, and this new one which looks to be a better quality than OBX - stainless copy of the DC)

aaronng

Won't serve much purpose. THey usually use SS304 or SS304L for stainless steel exhaust parts and those are magnetic. The only other common stainless steel that is not magnetic is SS316(L), and they don't use that for car parts because it is too soft.

jlukja

rmpage

Most likely it is. You can either wait for it to go away, or reset the DTC using a scantool.