I am wondering which header to go with. Should I go with the Alta header with a race cat or the OBX with the race cat like Helix offers? Also will I throw any codes if I put the race cat on any of these headers? Thanks in advance. Peter

 

I have the Alta and Love it . Don't know about the race cat, i'm using the cat it came with. Have not thrown any codes, yet.

 

I have the alta V2.0 header and LOVE it. A touch over 2k miles on my rig and no CEL.

 

I have the ALTA (v1 catless) and have a slight fitment issue. I had a MINI technician install the header, however I do have to admit the header was used. Anyway, with mine the header sits to the left side of the tunnel (where the header and CB bolt up) so my o2 sensor (post) hits the wall, which caused it to wear away the wires and I'm currently stuck with SES and DSC lights on.

But the sound, and block fitment on the header are awesome. It sounds really good and looks great!

-Cody

 

I had a Great mechanic install mine also, no problems with hitting the sides, but will need to take to a muffler shop and straighten it out alittle.

 

I snagged the OBX header and got it ceramic coated. That plus my one ball made for a super cheap mod with good benefits for the full exhaust system.

 

I went with the ALTA because of the fit and finish. I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

I have the OBX for several reasons:
> value -- I got my OBX ceramic coated, the OEM cat welded on, and installed for less than the price of the ALTA part
> used OEM cat (non-OEM is included in the ALTA) I live in CA and worry some about CARB, plus the OEM has proven to be quite durable and reliable
> the OBX is patterned after the SuperSprint -- I like the longer collector and the position of the cat, as well as NOT using the "woven" approach to flexibility, which I think is less durable than the OBX solution to flex between the header and muffler sub-systems

I love the sound and I personally believe the OBX is less restrictive due to the longer collector.

 

How much does the ceramic coating cost for the OBX header?

And would it not be too expensive, hence more reasons to go with the Alta in the 1st place anayway?

 

Same here, but with around 5K miles with the header installed. No problems, just more noise

 

No aftermarket header regardless of whatever cat you use is legal in California.

 

I had fitment issues with the OBX, I also did not like the quality. If you want cheap, you get what you pay for. I had to re-drill 3 of the holes in the head flange because they didn't line up. Luckily, I had a scrap head that I used to pre-fit the flange, a real PITA, and it sat too far to the left side (same problem w/the O2 sensor, bent the heat shield to accomodate.) Cutting the OEM cat to fit the short pipe was also a PITA and I had to cut the short pipe to keep it from contacting the catalyst.
The ALTA on the other hand, bolted up nicely, again, it sat slightly to the left side, tweaking the heat shield for O2 clearance was needed. The overall quality of the part is much,much higher.
Under most "normal" conditions, there really isn't any difference in performance between the two that I could determine from the driver seat.
Good luck with your decision
--Dan

 

My OBX was off as well. Eric (Helix) had to drill out one of the holes and you could see drill mark on where it was suppose to be drilled and they missed it. So that is the one flaw in the OBX you might have to do some time consuming drilling if the holes are off.

Besides that I love my OBX.

 

I had fittement isssues with the OBX as well but now I'm extremly happy with it.

Perhaps we can call OBX and tell them about this prroblem so they can fix it.

 

 

My OBX fit perfectly, holes were drilled dead on. Ceramic coated mine by Jet-Hot and added a slip flanged Magnaflow 2.5" CAT.
No codes
No problems
More low and mid range torque, best bang for the buck after the pulley.
Whats not to like?

 

what did it cost you to have the OBX ceramic coated?

 

Yeah, I know. I kept the stock header just in case I wind up needing to replace it. IMO, the OBX with the stock cat looks more stock than the Alta.

As I wrote in my earlier post, ceramic coating plus the OBX plus install all together was less that the price of the Alta header. I think that's pretty good value.

I should mention also that I got my OBX from Helix. That gave me a lot more confidence that fit would NOT be an issue (vs. buying from e-Bay, which, as Grassroots' and others' earlier posts indicated, might not always go so well). I'm sure if there were ever to be any problem with one from Helix, Eric would absolutely make it right.

 

If I remember correctly it was $150.00.

Think it's in the big OBX dyno results thread somewhere.

Bought mine off Ebay.

 

Yea the tubes on the OBX don't look any longer than on the stock header. The Altas are much longer before they get to the collector. I hope this gives better performance, but not sure. If you look at the header from RMW, their pipes go all the way down under the car before they go into the collector, I belive the longer the tubes the better flow it will have.

 

Give this article a read http://www.team-integra.net/sections...sp?ArticleID=2 for some general guidelines on header design.

 

here it is:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...X+dyno+results

 

My ceramic coating cost $150

 

Just a quick two cents. You do get what you pay for with the ALTA (and the early MINOR issues with crooked tails on ours have been addressed and no longer an issue. My apologies to those that had a hiccup in the install as a result), unlike the other one mentioned above, we are a US based firm, with a US warranty etc. And as crappy as this is, the cat included is CARB approved, but does not carry a specific EO# for use on the MINI. While I never condone bending the law, the ALTA cat does have an EO# on it. If the inspector glances over the part vs. scrutizies it, you may be a-ok. (Again, we do not condone breaking the law!) But the quality of our welding and materials used in the part is evident over the other product. Besides why not support a US company? I know shameless plug! My apologies :-)

Let me know if I can help with anybody making a decision here. Thanks again for listening!

 

Will an aftermarket header fitted with the OE cat (OBX) pass visual inspection? I know this is state specific, but does anyone have an idea? The header just moves gas, it dosen't clean up the air moving though it. The cat does that. If the OE cat is rewelded onto a new manifold, why shouldn't it pass.