First off, Hello fellow cl members!
I am posting here in quest of an answer from other experienced and knowledgeable owners.
I just recently installed the headers myself and am happy with them. The icebox is hopefully on its way. only problem is:
1) i need more power still! (power-hungry)
2) i want to get rid of resonance from the headers

now, no one has any dyno's of the car before and after icebox and headers, so there is no use in asking if the power is definately there or not. but i still want some input on power difference and where is the gain noticeable(low,mid,high)

lastly, some have mentioned that the icebox got rid of some resonance from the headers. but on the other hand, if my memory serves me correctly, he mentioned that he barely had resonance to begin with.
i on the other hand, do have enough resonance that is very noticeable, though it seems to get quiter after a while of driving.
my final question on this is for anyone who has installed the icebox after the obx headers. did you notice the resonance quiet down?
i will know myself once i got the icebox installed, but that may be a few weeks from now. so for now, i am hoping that you guys can give me some input.

 

With Icebox and headers you will see gains from about 3,000 to redline.

Headers provide bigger gains on the upper end while the Icebox provides gains across most of the RPM range.

Check out the Dallas Area thread under Local Meets after the weekend as a couple of guys have added one or the other or both.

Ruf

 

Ruf, i checked out that thread, it was 200+ pages long!
i read alot of them anyways, and the race with the vette must of been fun. too bad i dont live around there.
anyways, have you gotten your icebox yet?

 

I have had OBX headers for about a month now and have plenty of loud resonance at 2500rpm. It drives me insane, especially when other people are in the car. I got the Icebox installed last weekend and the resonance is still just as bad. I have asked many times on this forum if there was a way to quiet the resonance. I have emailed OBX, I have faxed them a letter. They never reply (contact info is online at obxracingsports.com). I like the hp gains but I am considering either going back to stock or getting the Stone Headers if they solve all of the fit problems with them. The CL-S is supposed to be a luxury coupe. The resonance cheapens the car I think. As for the input...expect a lot of people around here to tell you that you should have bought Comptech. That is the advice that I got!

Good luck...let me know if you hear anything!

 

Oh, and as for where the power is, the icebox might give you a slight edge over a broad rpm range over the headers alone which help higher up. Keep in mind, that even if you get a 10hp boost at the wheels with the headers, you are talking about a 4% increase in power at SOME rpm ranges (headers only, I dynoed at 220hp at the wheels). A lot of the gains might just be wishful thinking since a 2-4% max increase in power over a broad rpm range is going to be fairly subtle I would expect. Don't get me wrong, the car will be faster, just not "ohmygod" faster. Comptech has the Icebox dyno for the 6 speed, that might be something for you to check out. Nothing with Icebox AND headers though.

 

my resonance has almost disapearred now, i have had the obx's for bout 2,000 miles. maybe i just got used to it and its less noticeable. Blackmagic, how is the power increase with OBX and comptech?

 

The resonance on my OBX headers has never decreased - I wish it would!!! I was going to put the stock intake back on to try and see if the resonance would stop (I did not think it would, but it's easy enough to do). But, BlackMagiCLS confirmed that it makes no difference.

I will be going back to stock if I can't get rid of the resonance. It's ridiculous - sounds like a fat cow mooing!!!

One question for all you guys. I plan to bore the ports on the flange that connects to the engine block - so that they are the same size as the stock header ports. This is the only major difference I see between the three different headers.

I remember someone doing this with their OBX install a while back (I can't remember who). Does this person get the resonance??? Can anyone remember who did this? I don't mind doing the labor, I just want to know if it helped. If this person still gets a resonance, I won't bother. I'll just go back to stock.

 

Like I mentioned up above...I wonder how much of the gains are in my head vs. actual gains. If anything, there seems to be more power in the upper rpm range. You get to redline faster. I notice this getting on the highway sportshifting at WOT.

Someone on the forum mentioned that the resonance might be related to the braided linkage in the pipe that connects to the c.converter. Maybe, if this is true, after a few thousand miles it loosens up a bit? I don't really know if that is true since I got mine from NashaNightHawk when he installed the Stone Headers and I think that he had 5000 miles on them at that point.

 

Here is my advise:
Removing the front headers is very easy.

Remove the front header and do a visual inspection... look at the point where the tube are mendel bent, if there are any sharp edges ( like a smaller tube in a tube ) blocking the flow, this is what is making the resonance sound...

Also, porting out the flanges and matching them to the engine ports would increase the HP gains and fix any minor resonance sounds!

Then you can do the same for the rear header...

 

The OBX headers are made for the 3.0 Honda V6, correct? Is there any difference in the port size on those engines as opposed to our 3.2 Honda V6? Do the Accords get the resonance too?

 

there shouldnt be a difference on port size, that would also cause fitment problems. as nashua said, the resonance is from tubing. i dont know much about sound waves, but i know that the piping isnt smooth or there is a point in the piping which allows for the various sound frequency to become audible. what confuses me most about the resonance is that it occures at a certain rpm.?!?!

 

The link I gave you should have started you on page 254 or 258.

The race with the Vet was fun, but not as much fun as beating a SC430 last week.

Anyway, yes it's on and I like it.

I wish headers weren't soo expensive.

Ruf

 

I chimed in on that last conversation…

The braid + coupling caused a problem on early Comptech headers. I verified this with Mike B and others at Comptech before and after I purchased mine. I called again when a member got an older model Comptech header from a local scumbag dealer.

I wish someone would just pop for the $20 for the Griot's stethoscope (or just grab some rubber tubing with a small chunk of copper pipe at the end -- 1/4" works).

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=37855



IMO, knowing WHERE the sound is coming from would be very helpful.

 

I had the OBX headers before I got rid of the car. The resonance was sorta annoying, but it wasn't that bad at all. Just try and avoid staying at the RPM for a long time where it occurs. It seemed to get a little better with time, but not much.

I had the Short Ram intake which has a MUCH more annoying UFO sound.

I basically ignored it and I didn't notice it anymore.

 

cusdaddy, that is exactly what I do...I just make sure that I stay away from 2500rpm! It seems like one of those spots where the car likes to be though so it means more sportshift playing than I normally do on the way to work.

Power3dfx, the fact that it only happens at that one spot makes me wonder too. If it was the sharp edges that were causing the problem I would thing that it would be relatively constant...someone compared it to a musical instrument in a different post. MAybe louder at some points but not just showing up at a 100rpm wide area. Odd.