Nitin

iTrader: (1)

I just saw that a user posted the question as to why he should pay so much more for Comptech headers as opposed to OBX headers. Just thought it was interesting to see someone from Comptech respond. Mike B's response was:

"Comptech headers are made here in California using US made materials while the OBX headers are made in Taiwan by the lowest bidder. US made steel and stainless steel is much better quality than Chinese and Taiwanese made steel. As far as I know, the OBX headers are not CARB legal which makes them illegal in every state. The best they could do power-wise is to match our power since it is a direct copy of our design. Depending on their build quality, it could make less power. I find it rather amusing that they claim to make more power than us, though. Time will tell if they have any problems with tube cracking or bellows coming apart. And their headers will not fit a 6 speed car either."

http://www.comptechusa.com/cgi-bin/f...m=24&topic=108

JRock

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't CARB for California?

Nashua_Night_Hawk

Pretty BS... to me.. see my dyno and pictures I posted... First class materials and labor... Period!

EricL

Last time I looked....

EricL

Hey, they look ok to me too... But, so did the tranny when I bought the car...

Being in the "we want tell you how to make it state", I would still have to buy the Comptechs...

AgentDSS

Yea, it is

nate'sCLS

Yup!

California Air Resourses Board

HellaWhat

What MikeB is trying to reference in his "not CARB legal..." statement is if it passes California standards, it will pass anywhere. Just because not all states have a CARB equivalent, doesn't mean they don't have standards for engine parts. Something that doens't pass California law doens't mean it's legal in all other states... Just the general rule is we Californians have pollution laws God can't pass.

Red Rider

I've had my Comptech headers for a year and a half, and they are awesome. It was $$ well spent and at least Comptech put their money where there mouth is and gave us something right away. Let some knockoff come out for cheaper, i'll still take my Comptechs You usually get what you pay for, time will tell. Next up Comptech SC

acuraboy_RENAMED

i think he's confusing "50 state legal" with a CARB#.

i believe if it has a CARB# it is 50 state legal. but if it doesn't have a CARB# that doesn't mean that it is not 50 state legal. lots of states have VERY liberal emissions laws

Chief F1 Fan

For $400 bucks, how can ya go wrong? Even if they did break after say 2 years, you could go out and buy another set and still not spend as much as you did on 1 set of CT's (assuming you do install yourself). Two more years and my car is history (at the most) Hello M3!

EricL

I could turn your comment around and use a tranny analogy...

There are obviously two different markets -- and there are more choices -- which is fine...

Having been through the header nightmare equivalent of the current tranny situation, you would need to walk a mile in my shoes to know that a pain-in-the-ass it can be to screw-around with headers that break (and I’m not saying the OBX will)…

Red Nj-s

How would they break? It is simply a peice of steel. There is no pressure going on it, just heat. I am preety sure ur basic steel can handle a little heat.

JRock

Except that you wouldn't be turning it around, you'd be twisting it. There aren't two transmissions for our car, one of which is less than half the price of the other. Or are you saying something else?

EricL

The vibrations and heat cycling stress the welds and metal. Those pipes are not one chunk of cast iron or steel AND people are human.

There was a different issue going on with my older mild steel headers, but they finally held together once I redesigned them (they had new flanges, strapping, and had new beads everywhere (there was more too). At one point I had some pretty big oxygen and acetylene bottles hanging around to keep them going (and for improvements).

Steel gets stressed by the heat cycling and vibration (just to name a few factors).

Since you didn't mention stainless steel... the old headers I had were "mild steel" (low carbon). The heat and carbon from the exhaust caused the steel to harden and just helped to increase the number of stress cracks. So, I spent more money fixing and modifying my set of headers and in the long run would have saved money by just buying some better ones (I wouldn't have had the pleasure of meeting a bunch of muffler guys, buying exhaust books, and learning welding... so, there was a pay-off of sorts...)


I'm not BS'ing you... and I'm not saying that they WILL break. I'm just telling you that I had so many breaks on a set, that I am willing to pay for headers that I know have a solid track record... and, the OBX may be going strong for 100-years... who knows...

And, I know plenty of people that have had breaks/cracks in ceramic and SS headers…

When I’d get a crack in the headers it would sound like a tractor and the engine lost a ton of HP.


And, don't believe me...

LINKS:

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Performance/headers.htm

See who is mentioned...

"...[BM] I have had a problem with header cracking, but Comptech stood behind it and sent it off to DC Sports to get it fixed, installing one of the headers on my car until it came back repaired. No problem since.



[SA] Just to clarify on the issue with CompTech headers cracking. I talked with Gary at CompTech and he told me that the cracking problem was actually a problem with the joint between the header and the exhaust. The unit he sold me is a new design that is suppose to be improved and fixes the problem. Talk to CompTech for more details...."

Cracking from ??? and fitment issues:

http://integra.vtec.net/geeser/dc_cc_header.html


For me -- there is my own experience, and even the Comptech's -- when first produced -- had some problems with the flex joint and braid...

EricL

Don’t we all judge and view our world based on our previous experience?

Look a bit deeper…

Did anyone suspect that the 2001 CLS would have a “suspect” tranny when they bought it? I don't know about you, but it never occurred to me based on the experience and comments I received from Legend owners...

I took over a year to figure out that something was funny…

And, there are two transmissions for our car: manual and automatic…

And, the irony is... I had one break (well, it became two), in my Bimmer headers, that was so brutal that I could turn it around (by the time I got home...) ...

Sounded like a hemi-tractor too... Argghhh...

JRock

Does one cost half the price of the other? No.

And actually back when we got our CLSes, there was only one trans.

EricL

Picky....

amir was here

if an asian made my stock headers, i dont mind if an asian makes my obx headers.

2001CL

SilverKnight

By just looking at his response, I saw similarities between his and ComptechMike's posts in the other OBX thread. Even though CT official said "it wasn't their opinions" trying to fix the damages caused ComptechMike's posts, I still think it was CT's idea to come to our board and bash the competitor.
I knew CT had some problem with their first batches of headers which were supposed to be made by "first rate" American welders who do welding jobs for space shuttles .
I'm practical so I'm not big on brand name. As long as it works, and it's cheaper, I'll get it over the more expensive brand. I dont even see how products made in the US would be better than those made in another country. If I believe so, I would buy a Ford or GM car instead of my damned Acura which turned out to be made in the US as well.

I know OBX headers work (Thanks to Nashau's dyno). The only thing left is liability. Did any one have any problem with OBX's product before? If someone could provide proof on the bad "steel" and "welding" joins on OBX's headers, I would appreciate since I am seriously consider buying OBX headers.

My $0.02

Thanks for reading

Silver™

From the OBX website:

"OBX High performance racing headers are made out of pure SUS-304 stainless steel."

&

"Lifetime warranty from manufacturer defects."

Nashua_Night_Hawk

IMHO, The OBX headers are first class product. As good as Comptech.... the obly difference is the selling price.

OUTRAGEOUS CL TYPE S

Valley Stream customer reps said, if i ever have a check engine light they wont cover warranty anymore, because of headers is that true?
will they cover tranny if it goes out, i dont reace with it, i just want to save on some gas and just in case i feel like punching it thats about it, i cant go that fast with these rims dont want to bent them.

Nashua_Night_Hawk

1) Let them prove that the headers caused the failing of the tranny!
2) Tell them the extension of the tranny warranty is due to defect in the design and not something else.

Stick to your guns...

SickCL

Outrages, like the tv in visor link

OUTRAGEOUS CL TYPE S

thanks sick

BC

Had to DEQ my car yesterday for new tags. The girl did not check for mods. I am stock. I asked her why she didn't check, she stated that only if my car didn't pass emmissions test would she check. She also said, if the check engine light came on to come in for free voluntary test and her machine would spit out the cause so I could take printout to dealer with reason or fix myself. That is good to know. One more vote in my personal tabulations for the OBX header debate.