Megan Racing headers, which one?

[1995eternal]

Well im going to be purchasing some headers off ebay, and I like the Megan Racing headers. However there are two types of headers they are selling on ebay. One is a more of shorter style and the other looks more like a long tube header. Here are the links:

Short: Brand New Megan SS Headers 95-99 Eclipse non turbo : eBay Motors (item 250586768115 end time Apr-25-10 18:54:09 PDT)

Long: MEGAN RACING HEADER 4-1 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 95-99 N/T : eBay Motors (item 350339049827 end time Apr-16-10 23:11:17 PDT)

Basically my question is... is there a difference between the two headers, besides the price. Does one provide better low end power or something. Maybe someone can explain the difference. Or maybe they are the same header but they look the same to me haha IDK. Any advice would be great, thanks guys.

 

[Fotowntalon]

If memory serves me right, long-tube have better high end power, and vice versa for short, personally i wouldn't get either and look for a 4-2-1 but that's just me.

 

[nothingfiction]

i know that the 1st one is Megan Racing. That`s the same one i have on my car. the seconds one... i question it`s Megan authenticity. Megan`s website does not advertise a 4-1 for our cars.

Megan Racing

 

[KazooGS-T]

Just buy this one, there is no real difference and you'll save 50-90 bucks.

Stainless Steel Header Eclipse 95 - 99 Non Turbo T 304 : eBay Motors (item 170234888797 end time Apr-21-10 16:44:16 PDT)

 

[1995eternal]

Just buy this one, there is no real difference and you'll save 50-90 bucks.

Stainless Steel Header Eclipse 95 - 99 Non Turbo T 304 : eBay Motors (item 170234888797 end time Apr-21-10 16:44:16 PDT)

Thats a good call, it would save me some cash, which I could put towards the cat-back system i'll be getting as well. Im defenitly looking for more low end power/torque. Would those headers be a direct bolt on, or do I need a gasket too? Sorry if thats a stupid questions, still learning here.

 

[Fotowntalon]

i'm telling ya, if your looking for more low end, get the 4-2-1's not 4-1's

i know that the 1st one is Megan Racing. That`s the same one i have on my car. the seconds one... i question it`s Megan authenticity. Megan`s website does not advertise a 4-1 for our cars.

Megan Racing

actually it does, the link goes straight to a 4-1

 

[nothingfiction]

Correction. my bad. you are right. Megan doesn't sell the 4-2-1. and upon looking closer, the two headers look exactly the same. even the 50 dollar one linked above. Only difference would be the stamp (or lack of a manufacture stamp) on the third from left runner.

the Megan Racing header is made in the same plant the obx racing header is. (i think it's obx but i can't remember right now. Only difference between the two is the stamp and that Megan Racing ceramic coats their stainless steal headers.

 

[1995eternal]

i'm telling ya, if your looking for more low end, get the 4-2-1's not 4-1's



actually it does, the link goes straight to a 4-1

who makes that type of header (4-2-1). Link? They have them on ebay? I like ebay prices....

ehh found one, DC SPORTS 4-2-1 CERAMIC HEADER 95-99 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE : eBay Motors (item 350340179848 end time May-12-10 17:28:02 PDT), dang the price sure went up for that sucker.... But for what I want it does sound nice. I like low end torque....

 

[nothingfiction]

Greddy makes some. Here's a link (non ebay) but you get the picture

Greddy 420A 95-99 Eclipse Gs Stainless Steel Header

 

[Fotowntalon]

yeah GReddy and DC make them that i know of, granted you are paying more for a 4-2-1, i personally have those DC 4-2-1s, and sometime today or tomorrow i can post a video of how my car sounds, granted, its hard to say exactly how much the headers contributed to it. After all the intake/cat-back/cat/ headers/ cams and any porting all contribute to how the car sounds

 

[1995eternal]

The DC Sport header looks sweet. And I bet you get what you pay for. I might as well save some cash and get the 4-2-1. thanks for the info guys.

 

[Diamondrev]

come on guys.. the 420a has been dynoed with DC headers and it will only net you .4 hp

1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS - Power Pages - Import Tuner magazine

I have compared the Ebay headers vs our stock ones and the stock ones have bigger ports.
Also heat makes power so the stock header with the heat shield is much better..

 

[nothingfiction]

interesting read. i'd like to see more graphs of different manufacturers though. And it does say that there was a slight inconsistency with the ambient outside air rising compared to the engine heat.

we allowed the car to cool off before attempting the installation. Unfortunately, the ambient air temperature rose quite a bit and seemed to hinder the acquisition of larger horsepower gains.

Those numbers very well can change if the air temperature didn't rise, given it does not state how much it rose, but they stated it rose enough for them to even say it hindered a few of the readings.

 

[Fotowntalon]

come on guys.. the 420a has been dynoed with DC headers and it will only net you .4 hp

1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS - Power Pages - Import Tuner magazine

I have compared the Ebay headers vs our stock ones and the stock ones have bigger ports.
Also heat makes power so the stock header with the heat shield is much better..

I've read numerous people complain about lack of low end with he 4-1's. it also gained 2.7 lbs of torque with DC headers. I don't see how you can say stock exhaust manifold is better than a header, if that was true than why wouldn't everyone use a stock header?

 

[Diamondrev]

I've read numerous people complain about lack of low end with he 4-1's. it also gained 2.7 lbs of torque with DC headers. I don't see how you can say stock exhaust manifold is better than a header, if that was true than why wouldn't everyone use a stock header?

because everyone likes the header look. if you change to a header with no heat shield then your just going to increase under the hood temp. like I said before, heat makes power. this is what im told at school.

Im comparing the ebay vs stock also. (4-1 vs 4-1) not the 400 dollar DC header.

of course if your going to make your own Long tube header then it would be well worth it. like bullet did with his NA race car.

I would just perfer stock.

 

[1995eternal]

Hmmm, there seems to be some conflicting info (I think). I've always heard that running headers helps with preformance. I understand the heat sheild concept, heat= less power, right? However when driving around there's plenty of cool air running around the engine to keep things cool. Anyways back to the header question, will a 4-2-1 header setup benifit my preformance?

 

[nothingfiction]

because everyone likes the header look. if you change to a header with no heat shield then your just going to increase under the hood temp. like I said before, heat makes power. this is what im told at school.

Im comparing the ebay vs stock also. (4-1 vs 4-1) not the 400 dollar DC header.

of course if your going to make your own Long tube header then it would be well worth it. like bullet did with his NA race car.

I would just perfer stock.

Most people who have headers use thermal wrap on them to lower intake temps. And most people who have headers have already replaced the plastic air tubing that absorbs the heat from the engine to a aluminum hard pipe that deflects heat and is routed away from the engine to pick up more cool clean air.

 

[Fotowntalon]

I'm not 100% sure on the more heat more power for exhaust. but 1995eternal, for intake you want colder air. I know for exhaust you want to be careful on to much heat because of heat soak in the engine.

 

[VelocitàPaola]

There's a little bit of misinformation going around in this thread...

Plastic doesn't "absorb" heat, and aluminum doesn't "deflect" it. Aluminum is actually a much better conductor of heat than plastic. Many newer GM LS engines actually use composite (read "plastic") manifolds. The reason the stock plastic charge pipes are often replaced in DSM's is this: they have corrugated flexible sections which contribute to turbulence in the intake charge.

As a rule of thumb you want the intake charge as cool as possible and the exhaust gases as hot as possible. Engines are actually more efficient the warmer they are, but they have to be cooled because of the limitations of the materials of which they're made. You can help keep the intake charge cool and retain heat in the exhaust stream by using insulation.

OP, pretty much any header will show you performance gains, but a 4-2-1 will probably show you more. Mark Bullett was looking for one on eBay for a very long time, but I'm not sure that he ever found one. You should also take into account that stock components were designed for the most amount of power and efficiency over the widest RPM range possible. Performance parts are usually designed for greater power over a narrower RPM range.

 

[Diamondrev]

There's a little bit of misinformation going around in this thread...

Plastic doesn't "absorb" heat, and aluminum doesn't "deflect" it. Aluminum is actually a much better conductor of heat than plastic. Many newer GM LS engines actually use composite (read "plastic") manifolds. The reason the stock plastic charge pipes are often replaced in DSM's is this: they have corrugated flexible sections which contribute to turbulence in the intake charge.

As a rule of thumb you want the intake charge as cool as possible and the exhaust gases as hot as possible. Engines are actually more efficient the warmer they are, but they have to be cooled because of the limitations of the materials of which they're made. You can help keep the intake charge cool and retain heat in the exhaust stream by using insulation.

OP, pretty much any header will show you performance gains, but a 4-2-1 will probably show you more. Mark Bullett was looking for one on eBay for a very long time, but I'm not sure that he ever found one. You should also take into account that stock components were designed for the most amount of power and efficiency over the widest RPM range possible. Performance parts are usually designed for greater power over a narrower RPM range.

Thanks for clearing this up.

No there is not an ebay header that is 4-2-1. DC is probably the way to go besides constructing your own like bullet did.

 

[1995eternal]

yea, ill be getting the DC sport 4-2-1. I just gotta save up a bit. Im runnin a AEM CIA, which puts the filter way down low, in the wheel well in front of the drivers side tire. Im sure thats sucking plenty of cooler air, being that it is further away from the engine. I just got a cat-back system off ebay today, so hopefully I will see some gains after I get that installed. After that I will be getting the headers or a bored throttle body. Im still new to the world of DSM's and still learning. Im not going to be racing or anything like that, I just want something fun to drive on the street. And as far as the power range goes, I'm shooting for low end torque, and not so much seeing how fast I can go on a straight away. Thanks for all the adivce. Im sure I'll be posting some more 420a questions in the future.

 

[sek_phok]

which ever one i have....... ITS GREAT! GREAT PERFORMANCE! FAST!

 

[nosdsm3]

I used to have a greddy sus 4-1 on my car and it sounded great. Not sure of the power gain.

 

[bih55]

I used the cheap headers off ebay and now the car feels its slower

 

[KazooGS-T]

yea, ill be getting the DC sport 4-2-1. I just gotta save up a bit. Im runnin a AEM CIA, which puts the filter way down low, in the wheel well in front of the drivers side tire. Im sure thats sucking plenty of cooler air, being that it is further away from the engine. I just got a cat-back system off ebay today, so hopefully I will see some gains after I get that installed. After that I will be getting the headers or a bored throttle body. Im still new to the world of DSM's and still learning. Im not going to be racing or anything like that, I just want something fun to drive on the street. And as far as the power range goes, I'm shooting for low end torque, and not so much seeing how fast I can go on a straight away. Thanks for all the adivce. Im sure I'll be posting some more 420a questions in the future.

It's really a waste of money; but it is your money that you are wasting. I had an eBay header/CAI (replaced the filter with an AEM dry filter) and they were the exact same as others that had name brand parts, and I paid $120 for both of them brand new, several years ago.

You really aren't going to gain very much with regular bolt-on's for the 420a. Look at getting an AF/X underdrive pulley, it will be the most noticeable gain out of all the bolt-on's you will buy.