I just wanted to start a separate thread (not dealing with resonance) and just share my experience with them.

I just got them installed a few hours ago by an Acura Tech that does work on the side (MD/VA folks, PM me if you're interested). I know a lot of folks have done them themselves, but I just didn't have the tools or time, so I got hooked up with this guy through a local shop.

He too was impressed with the quality of these headers. He's done about 3 installs of Comptechs in the past and said these were pretty darn close. We used the stock gaskets (he thought they'd be fine), but I got some grade 8 bolts. The install took about 1 1/2 hours (maybe a little more) and he finally fired it up. It was LOUD...sounded like a V8! I didn't know what these would sound like, so I assumed that was how they sounded.

Turns out, there was a leak (you could smell the gas). He put it back up on the lift, tightned up things a bit and was kind of trying to pry the lower fitment into place with a crowbar. He put the lift down, cranked the engine and it sounded much better and the leak was pretty much fixed. BUT. He turned to me and said "There might be some bad news." (you NEVER want to hear that.) He basically noticed that the flange wasn't quite meeting up with the engine block exactly (I think that's where it was)-- it wasn't meeting quite flush, but it was close. Everything seems cool with it now, but the fact that he said there might be a problem is slightly worrisome considering that he's done this a few times. He thought it might have something to do with the welds, and it affecting the angle. He had a few solutions IF I noticed any leaks in the future and said he'd take care of it (thicker gaskets being one thing. I kept asking during the install if he thought the stocks would be okay and he thought so, now I'm not so sure). SO, I just had to mention this...I know a lot of folks are jumping on the bandwagon, and I just wanted to be as honest as possible. (I think I'm the first person to mention any fitment problems as far as I know.)

BUT.




These things are AWSOME. This is my first power mod, so I can't believe the gains I'm feeling on the Buttometer (tm). I had a good amount of tire squeal the first time I pulled out, and I definitely felt a difference. Great on the highway too! It's not quite as loud as I was expecting it to be, but there's definitely a little more low end bass going on down there.

So, I'm a happy customer. I know that these aren't Comptechs and that I may have problems down the road, but I'm willing to take that chance. I will say to anybody thinking about just getting HEADERS...to GET HEADERS. Well worth it!

Thanks for listening.

 

usin the stock manifold gaskets almost always is fine... now the crush ring gaskets at the collectors isnt...it is fairly common to put the front bank on ther rear and rear on the front but this should be fairly obvios with the ones you have ,as the rear has the "squiggle" to make room for the dampener found on the 6mt...you might check to see if your front bank is indeed your front bank...other than that enjoy your new found power

 

I'm surprised you had immediate gains. Took a couple days for mine.

Glad you're happy, enjoy them!

 

sorry to hear that it wasn't a smooth install, but glad it all worked out. that was my first mod and i enjoy them thoroughly. hope you do too

 

Oh wow, the headers will actually "tune" over the next few days? That's even better! Don't get me wrong, I wasn't thrown against my seat violently or anything, but it's definitely noticeably more powerful. I think my car was pretty quick, but I always thought it should be a bit faster (especially since it's a 6spd). Now it feels like I thought it should stock (if that makes any sense).

 

Give it a day or two and report back.

 

Good point TypeR...is there any other way to tell which is which? He noticed that nothing was labeled, so it's quite possibly they could be on backward!

I'll keep you updated to let you know if my precision Acura mechanic actually put my headers on wrong.

 

Ah, something else to look forward to! Excellent!

 

I umm... put mine on backwards at first too. But when I went to put on the J-pipe, it was obvious. There's no way I could have made it fit by a little persuasion. I realized what I did and switched it and then it was fine.

 

Man, that would absolutely suck if that's the case. But it's good to know it's a somewhat common mistake. I hope if they ARE on wrong, nothing was damaged trying to make it fit. We'll see!

I'm inserting this 'cause it's funny.

 

ive got DC sports sitting here next to me..........havent installed them yet, and dont know if I will.

 

have there been any issues with the DC's?

 

How could you put them on backwards? The rear header has the bend for the 6MT.
I don't get it?

 

I had mine installed yesterday by a former Acura tech that now works for Mercedes. Anyway, I had the same fitment issue. The flange is not completely flat It wasn't a big deal for this guy as he just tightened the bolts in a different order and fixed the exhaust leak. A couple of heat cycles should make it better I think (or hope).

I can already feel the gains, and the car sounds much better It's pretty damn throaty compared to what it was. So, for $150 bucks I don't think you can go wrong!

 

How much did the Acura techs charge to do the install?

 

$8,964.17 sounds about right.

 

8k? huh?

 

He charged me $200. Seemed somewhat reasonable considering what I saw him go through. Although when asking what he'd charge for a spring install, he said around $350. I think I can do better on that.

Sleek Silver, thanks for letting me know you had fitment problems too. Maybe they ARE on correctly and they're just not quite perfect. I'll keep monitoring it and see how it goes...

Just went for a drive and am loving the feel of the car now. And it sounds like it has a pair now.

 

becuase many of these arent going on the 6mt

 

didnt pay attention to the fact your are a 6mt ...they all but cant be put on back wards...

 

So you're saying that it's basically impossible for them to be put on backwards? I never really noticed the difference between either of the headers...they looked the same to me, but apparently there's a difference to fit the 6 spd eh?

Hopefully you're right!

 

the rear bank of the header has alittle "squiggle" almost "S" shaped to make room for the 6mt motor mount dampener.. i havent done an install on the 6mt so i cant say for sure but i would think it would next to impossible to get them reversed on a 6 speed...BTW if i were doing stuff like this on the side 100 maybe 150 on the headers and 200-250 on the shocks and springs

 

I had this same issue with the OBX headers I originally bought back a few years ago, the flanges were not welded to the proper angle, not to mention the flanges were not flush, hence I had leaks and there wasn't much I could do.
Then within 3 months the welds started to crack, I ate the headers and the $350.00 I paid for them.
Needless to say I was pissed and SS Autochrome wouldn't do anything to solve the issue.
I said screw it and I bought the Comptech's, found them for $1,000.00 new and wished I would have bought them the first time, I know they are expensive but worth every penny in my opinion.
Over time the XS headers will have issues, there is no way they can build a product that cheap that will last for any length of time, OBX had the same problems. The headers have to withstand quite a bit of heat when you think about it, the quality of metal and especially the welds are key not to mention correct fitment.

 

wanna come up to VA...lol...


I've been reading alot of the posts on the pros and cons on these headers and i see more satisfaction then regret...i think im going to get mine soon as i come back from tx....

 

no but you could come down to sunny fla...im thinking of putting these on my accord...its a toos between these and the DC

 

has anyone installed the dc sport headers yet? i'm thinking about these. i've never really heard of any problems with any of their other headers so far. i might drive down to p.r. and have you install them. lol

 

Please don't make statments you have NO proof to back up. No one has had them long enough to guage how long they will last.
Mine have been on since Nov 05.

 

im in sunny fl wanna do mine lol

 

pm me when you wanna make the trip over

 

Hey Type R i'm in clearwater and I got some XS headers I've been waiting to install in my 3.0 wanna help. or maybe we could do both at the same time?

 

imo you should only be getting these if you have a 6 speed. that's the only reason i got them. for the 6mt the only other option is ct's and those are $$$$$$.
for the non 6mt-doesn't dc sport make headers that are more reasonably priced and has a company name to back it up? why not go for dc's if you have non 6mt?

 

The DC's weren't out when I ordered mine.

 

I'm sick of reading that

 

So how are your XS headers holding up?

 

Well there some other cases. I personally installed 2 sets of these. One had an uneven flange and there was a slight exhaust leak. I tightened the nuts as much as possible and then the customer later on tightened them more to try and solve his problem and he ended up snapping an exhaust mani stud. I can't remember if it was the same guy but one of the two also had a cracked weld on the rear collector.

So yes although they fit okay they do have some issues but for $150 you can't complain.

 

I'm getting mine Jet Hotted as we speak. Hopefully it'll reduce the heat that causes the cracks in SOME of the XS headers.

 

Just got my information to ship mine last week. I think before I do I'm going to take them to a pipe shop just to see if the flex section can be improved.

 

keep us updated man

 

I don't remember there being any reports of cracks in XS headers... You sure you don't mean cracks in OBX headers ??

I just did a search for ssautochrome crack* and xs power crack* and didn't see any one complaining here.

What's wrong with the flex section ? I know there was an issue with the megans:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=megan%2A+flex

Just curious, as the only issues I remember so far about XS power / ssautochrome has been:

1) less then perfect hardware (nuts and bolts)
2) iffy gaskets
3) slight fitment issues
4) resonance for some

The "whoosing" sound or resonance that some members have reported might be attributed to leaks due to any of the above.

Edit: Maybe someone should probably start a "XS power header owners" thread so we can find out for sure what the issues are, and how often people have had problems.

 

Ive had mine installed since feb. 06 no problems what-so-ever