I was talking with a guy at work today about the Comptech Headers and he said that they weren't really worth adding to my car (CL6) because it was only going to create power on the top end. He said the axle-back mufflers were the only part of the exhaust he would really do.

He also went on to tell me how one of his friends put the full Comptech setup on his CL-S6 and a stock base CL was just blowing him away.

Any input from you guys about adding the headers?

 

Yeah I have some input. The guy at your work knows nothing about a J-Series Engine. Comptech has print out sheets that prove to the fullest that their headers add at least 15-20whp more than stock. As a matter of fact, headers are without argument the most powerful N/A bolt on you can currently add to an Acura CL.

When I had my CL, I was neck and neck with 350z's and G35's while it was stock. After I added headers I would pull on them by more than 3 car lengths. When I added those headers the car felt like I had added a mini supercharger. Definitely one of the most important mods to have on this car.

 

He was driving a CLS-6 with CT headers.

He lost to a stock base CL.

huh...

 

He has no idea what he's talking about. The CT-E headers are the best mod for a naturally aspirated CL-S. You will see 15-20 hp throughout the entire mid range and upwards of 30 hp in the top end. The mufflers will add 5 hp tops, if even that.

We have them on sale too if you need a set:

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-220427.aspx

 

Once i put headers i shaved like 0.3s on the 1/4 this guy doesnt know anything or he may have something wrong with the car.

 

Your mechanic knows what he is talking about, its true. I mean, there was some kid with just Comptech Mufflers who said he kept up with a 335i which is rated at 280-290whp.

 

The thing is though I really want to believe him and not at the same time...

He's been racing and building NSX's since the came out but at the same time how do you know that the guy driving the car wasnt just a schmuck.

He said the big concern with loss on the low end is that the headers opened up the exhaust too much.

 

That's a decent price on XLR8s website.
I paid that back in the summer of 2004 for mine shipped.

 

look at my sig ... look at everybodys sig ... theres one thing u will see on every modded CLS ... u sure he wast talking about a hi flow cat or a straight pipe ? and u misunderstood ? the headers are a must ir youre gonna mod ... add headers ,crank pulley and an intake and you will have pretty close to 40 more hp top end as well as a 20 hp bump accross the entire rev range ... the headers alone have zero detectable loss in HP/or LB.FT. at any measurable RPM

 

Yeah I don't know if he misunderstood me but I'm 100% positive I asked him if he still had a hookup with the guys at CT and said I wanted headers and exhaust. (He's the service director at the dealer). Then he went on tell me all that stuff..

Maybe he thought I was talking about a highflow cat, he's been there for 20 years... maybe he's getting old and senile lol

 

Maybe he is just taking knowledge from another car and making same assumptions about this car. Headers are definately worth it, the only question is if you want to spend the amount of money ct engineering wants for them.

The axlebacks won't really add performance. They are basically just for sound and looks. You would need a full cat-back to show gains. There is a tanabe cat-back(most will complain piping is too small) or you can go custom.

If you are opening up the exhaust you also want to open up the intake also.

 

well in actuality he is right about the headers, they start adding power at about 3000rpm. under that, because of reduced backpressure, torque is lost (and i have a comptech graph that shows at 2800rpm there is a loss of power from the headers). this graph doesn't show anything lower than 2800 because, i'm assuming, the loss is even greater (and that's not good for marketing).

with that said, there is no way i wouldn't buy them. day to day, from when i first bought the car, i shift slightly higher because of the loss of torque, but who cares? it's the highest whp/$ bolt-on for this car.



the pdf is no longer hosted on ct but you can look at a google cache of it here: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...4DBhzQ&cad=rja

 

Dyno before and after.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-dynograph-gallery-51/cl-s6-ct-headers-823346/

 

when i added my ct headers i have no idea i could notice a bolt on. it was insane.. like the car is competely 100% better all around. low end high end and sound is way better.

i wouldn't own a cl w/o headers. so buddy doesn't know our cars

 

I don't see how below 2500 rpm matters with my 6 speed. If you are trying to drive fast you would launch at atleast 2500 rpm and always keep car above 2500 rpm. The only time I see where it would matter is if you try and gun it from 2000 rpm on the highway. In that situation I would just downshift tho.

 

are you disagreeing with me? because i never said anything about driving fast. do you always launch at 2500? because i don't. not everyone drives their car racing light to light. idle - 2500 rpm is pretty important in day to day driving.


i shortshift as much as i can to conserve gas. so this means that instead of shifting at 1900 before the headers, i had to shift at 2200.. and then when i put my exhaust on, 2300-2400.

 

OP: your friend has it backwards, add the headers for power, the axleback exhaust might add a little if any at all but is mainly for sound. Lot's of fynos out there showing great gains from adding headers.

 

He was saying there was no low end gains, if anything there would be a loss in the low end from the header and the high end gains you would see you wouldn't be able to access unless you had enough stretch of road....

Which would be a huge problem if you were racing from a dead stop and not a roll.

 

It was shown to create HP and torque. Sure you might lose out on power at start but the engine revs up quickly and stays up there. Plus everyone knows to help beat AWD or RWD, we need to do it from a roll.

 

1) Get headers.
2) Laugh at the service director.
3) ??????????
4) Profit

/thread

 

That was the direction I was headed immediately after he told me not to, worse comes to worse I can always sell them if he's right....

 

i don't think you will have this issue at all. as noted above this is the best bolt on, besides boost.

selling mine in the BM.... and not because they suck and didn't add power.
https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/volk-gt-v-wheels-19-x8-%2A%2Amint%2A%2A-amr-coilovers-comptech-6-speed-headers-838643/

 

lol why you getting ride of them?

 

No I was not disagreeing since the point I am trying to make is different. If you aren't trying to drive fast then why would you need more power anyway especially low rpm. I don't always launch at 2500 rpm but if I am driving slowly I don't see the point.

 

i'm parting out the entire car and then selling it.

 

op i hope u put the headers on the car and then ur gonna be like... wow i'm such a goof i didn't have faith in the bad boys.

theoretically u should increase ur mileage too since the car is more feed up. (presuming ur driving it the same) which u won't for the first month.

 

And all this is so TRUE!

 

The poor idiot doesn't know anything about this engine or the CT parts. Best mod is headers followed by CAI and followed by the beast of all the CT supercharger. Headers will transform your car performs immediately. There are not too many headers out there that generate 15 to 25 HP like CT. Go for it you will not regret the mod.