about all I can tell from the pics are that the pipes look well formed. the things to evaluate are the gauge of tubing; fit to the ports (you want the flange and first bit of pipes to be about 1/8" bigger all around; the weld quality (headers are notorious for cracking at the flange); and the smoothness of the collector joints.


I sent my header to HPC coatings; its a baked on ceramic coating, probably some gets on the inside as well. I've never seen anything tougher and it definitely runs cooler under the hood. It would probably be a good idea to coat the outside of the cat to keep the heat away from the underbody

 

jlm, thanks for the info!

As far as the ports go, it sounds like port "matching" is not desirable; 1/8" bigger all around. I believe this is good for proper anti reversion of the exhaust gases. I remember well.. Credit to macncheese:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/showthrea...=port+matching

BluMiniMe or MadMick, did you happen to take note of the ports?

Here's their HyperCoat Extreme, for forced induction:
http://www.hpcoatings.com/hipercoat_extreme.htm

It's availabe in the Oklahoma plant... I'm sending them an email now. If the price is reasonable, and this header checks-out, I think my patience will be well-served...

 

Tony,

I didn't specifically look or measure for an anti-reversion step between my head and the OBX header. However, I can tell you that the header flange ports are EXACTLY the same size as the holes in the gasket. And, I have a core head sitting here, and there is nice clean line of carbon build up around the perimeter of the exhaust ports. Its about 1/8" which leads me to believe there is a step working.

There is no room to enlarge the header flange ports. The inner surface of the primaries is flush with flange ports. I guess one could put a taper on this, but why? When other have already show that this step is desireable... as you've pointed out.:smile:

I've had a couple of days now to drive with the new header. The differences are subtile, as one would expect. WOT is louder than the factory header, but lower in tone. I do notice a bit more "grunt" or torque. There is a stretch of road on my way to work that is a hill. For a quick pass, I drop down from 6th to 5th and squirt by. A 6th gear pass on this hill works, but is certainly slower. Now, the 6th gear pass wines up quicker as I pass on this hill. Also, the car revs "easier" (how's that for a quantification )... a combination of faster and smoother. If I had a dyno, I'd get you some numbers.

 

Tony, if you heard from hpcoatings. What will the cost of having this header coated be? I'm ordering the header today and perhaps I'll send it for coating instead of just installing it rightaway bare as it comes.
This header has no flexpipe, is that a potential for broken pipes, rattles or other problems?
Thank you.

 

BluMiniMe, I appreciate the thoughtful reply. From what you are saying, given the carbon markings on the stock head, this has been accounted for. And is sounds like it's maxed, from what you describe; and very well I might add!

Does this header come with a new gasket? From eBay, I don't seem to recall seeing one...

Sounds like you got some added power alright, consistent with MadMick's dyno... Given that you have a core head, what head are you running, and when did you get it installed?

minibrute, I too have that question regarding flex. But then it does look very similar to SuperSprint... Those 2 screws for mounting a cat have some type of "spring" on them. Do those have the purpose of allowing for some flexing?

I have not yet heard back from HPC. I will share when I do... I also have an email into OBX, and one of their distributors, attempting to get more info...

 

You're very welcome, Tony.

Header did not come with a gasket. I ordered one from MiniMania. However, the gasket is, I believe, tin, with a black paint-like treatment. If you don't get too ham-handed with the OEM header removal, you should be able to reuse the gasket. Some of the black paint will fall off though. I reused my gasket when I did the HP header (which was removed a week later... OEM header reinstalled). I had no problems reusing it, but after having the header off for the 3rd time, I figured I wouldn't push it, so I put in a new gasket.

The core head was bought on ebay to either send in as a core for a performance head, or to attempt my own porting. My Mini is my commuter car, and I can't have it layed up waiting on parts. I haven't done anything with head... yet.

The flex joint is exactly like the Supersprint, and is a method I've seen and used on race bikes, more than a few years ago. Its still a somewhat popular method for joining exhaust work where you need some flex. It works like a ball and socket. The main piece has like a hollow "ball", then the rear portion is the socket. The portion that is the ball, is a high-temp gasket which fits onto the collector, and holds and seals into the socket. A nice feature as opposed to metal on metal, which would certainly wear out in time.
Ciao

 

Very re-assuring! I think I'll need to see the unit to fully grasp what you are saying regarding the ball and socket... but in concept, it certainly makes sense. It really does seem like a SuperSprint knock-off. If you've seen a SuperSprint in-person, do you recall if the plumbing was more substantial, ie thicker than the OBX one?

Naples? If you are native born, your English is exceptional!

Thanks for the confirmation on the gasket...

 

As I recall, when i had HP extreme put on my header, it cost about $250. Now that they have done one and know how big it is, you might give them the "sheesh...its tiny!" argument to wrangle them down in price.

 

blueminime, are you back to the oem header?. Or are you still running the obx?

Thanx Tony.

 

reading my mind jlm in the email to them last night, my last question (of 3) was regarding price. i said for a small 4-banger header . i remember you saying how hard the stuff is as you had to remove some once... i guess any welding should be done first...

jlm, is your atp welded, or bolted into place?

heck, even if 250 for the coating, and this header is like 180 bucks delivered, and the cat for 200. that's pretty dang good considering what one gets!

EDIT/ADD: jlm, being the metal guru that i recall, how does SUS-304 stainless steel differ from T-304 stainless steel? Both descriptives are used here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

 

Tony: My English better be good! I am American after all! 23 year US Navy Vet still serving proudly and currently stationed here in Naples. I haven't personally seen a Supersprint, just many pictures as I was shopping for my header(s). If I knew the pipe gauge used, I'd share. I can tell you that once bolted to the motor, that sucker was SOLID-- no flex or bend, and clears everything very well.

minibrute: Nope, the OBX is a keeper. Its staying on for good. Initally installed the HP Racing (it was CAT-less) and way, way too loud - painfully so... buzzed every interior panel from 3k rpm to redline, and literally hurt my ears at 6k to redline. So, off went the HP header, and on with the OEM-- took time to remove the stuffin' out of the pre-cat. Noticed no difference over stock. Saturday, installed the OBX, and now I'm a happy guy.

Oh, I also wanted to add to my above post... I much prefer this ball-socket arrangement to a "flex-pipe". Exhaust systems shouldn't be like a garden hose... flopping around. Once you take an OEM header off... the other half just flops around.

 

As I recall, the ATP comes with an extra loose flange. I welded the Supersprint ball-joint flange onto one end and welded the extra, loose flange onto the center pipe.


I did have one of the tacks that hold the heat shield onto the cat exterior shake off producing an annoying rattle so check these out before mounting.

got no clue about the 304 prefixes. the only 'fix i have seen is 304-L, which is a low carbon alloy to avoid carbide precipitates, better for welding. T-*** and *** are terms used interchangeably, as far as I can tell.

 

Blueminime, I'm considering getting this header. I'm concerned about getting unwanted rattles and noices or having other exhaust parts crack and fail prematurely due to the extra vibrations. Can you give me some feedback on that?

Tony, I called a number obx gave me to order the header and was given a price of $249 plus shipping. I was under the impresion the price was under $200 shipped.

Here's the contact obx gave me: www.tuningdepot.com at 650 228 1461

Thanx all.

 

BluMiniMe, that explains the solid grasp of the English language alright! Hey, I'm probably speaking for others as well, and while off-topic, I just want to say thank you for the service - 23 years!!! It's much appreciated...

jlm, thank you for the clarification on the welding of the cat, and the heat shield tip...

minibrute, eBay! That is where the two guys in this thread got this header, if I recall correctly. I provided the link above. Here it is:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...sspagename=WDVW

$155 :smile: . If I can pick it up in SF, I can avoid the shipping charge. I sort of think that might be difficult though...

 

I ordered one also, for the price you really cant go wrong. Mine was $187 shipped. I cant find a link to any that are currently on auction but here is a link to the one I bought. Youc an check his other auctions in a day or so or email him.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEAFB%3AIT

 

jlm,

I know you're surprised by the result, but would you expect the same sort of result from other headers given your analysis? I'm wondering just how restrictive the stock header is.

 

minibrute: The OBX doesn't cause more engine vibration. The same engine movement is still there, just as it was with the OEM header. The ball-socket joint probably transmits more of that engine movement to the rest of the exhaust system though. I don't see this as a problem though. There is a good 4" of clearance around the collector -- no hard parts to rub or bang against. The factory and aftermarket exhaust systems are hung on some really good rubber bushes -- designed to absorb this vibration. My Borla Race does not rattle, bang, or touch any hardparts, now or in the past. The only weak point on my install is where we welded the adapter to the CAT. We used a butt-weld, rather than having some inner/outer pipe overlap. If we'd had a pipe strecher availalble I'd have done it, but we didn't. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't crack the weld bead over time. We'll see. If that happens, I'm going to put in the aftermarket CAT, similar to how JLM installed his. If the weld bead cracks, I'll post ASAP.


Tony - thanks for your kind words. :smile:

ciao!

 

Anything wrong with these cats?


http://www.exhaustproslinc.com/uncon.html


I used them on my former trucks and they were no problems with them....except better performance.

 

Blueminime, thank you very much for all your help here and your service to the country. I just ordered the header from sparktec for just under $190 including shipping, what a fantastic deal!

Sparktec has them listed on their ebay store again for anybody interested.
The listing has the obx header #10350 been compatible with all mini models,

 

Congrats, minibrute & thanks for your appreciation! Sparktec on ebay is who I got my header from-- the 10350 is the p/n. Fantastic deal! Do let us all know your results as well!

I didn't discuss it, but the welds were all great, good penetration, no globs or slag, and where I could see inside, they did not run into and pool on the interior. I'm still amazed at the fitment for such an inexpensive part. Their jig must still be new .

 

part of the problem with headers is that the metal gets extremely hot and this can lead to weld and surround cracking. All the more reason to go for the HPCoatings Extreme.

 

Jlm, I sent you a pm. I see you are a vendor but I don't know your business. I just ordered an obx header and want to have it coated and installed. Are you the right person to talk to? I'm on long island, I see you are in NYC. I'm going to call hpc to get an idea as to the cost of the coating but I don't know if the cat should get coated too. I have to figure this out, thank you.

 

I'd be happy to take a look and put in my two bits re. construction quality.

 

SUS is Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) nomenclature for steel. SUS 304 = 304

I think the T stands for Type which is also meaningless.

--
Cheese

 

These are the ball flanges I used on my 5.9L Magnum headers/cat. The cat has female and a male end.


--
Cheese