Anyone running the header and cat back system? i have a question

 

The Banks headers are known to have cracking problems. I had the Banks monster cat back and header on a TJ. Overpriced and zero performance gains for any of it.

 

that answers it before i even asked


what header should i get?

 

Anything Banks is way overpriced and often isn't as good as other products you can get for cheaper. I refuse to buy anything from them. ATP or APN makes a good header.

 

I thought I was reading the other day on here about Banks headers being so good and having extra weld area around the tube and flange etc? Personally, I can't see there being much of a difference between a factory tubular manifold and an aftermarket header. But with that said, I am going to be installing a header, cat and cat back system. My tubular manifold is starting to show a slight sign of a crack and the exhaust system has some crappy welds from someone.

 

Clearly there are some Banks haters here, I suspect most are just jealous because they don't have or can't afford Banks parts. The fact is that Banks does a lot of research and testing on every product they manufacture. Remember the old adage "You get what you pay for". Yes you can buy cheaper parts but remember you get exactly that, cheaper parts. Funny, in 50 years of working on cars/trucks/RVs, I have never heard of anyone who had Banks headers crack. Not everyone cares about quality I get that, but quality parts simply cost more to manufacture. I use a lot of Banks parts on both my personal Duramax and Cherokee and I have installed hundreds of Banks parts on customer cars, and they are easily some of the best engineered parts on the market. Yes they cost more but remember "You get what you pay for".

 

Most of the haters are the customers (like me) that had to replace the headers 2-3 times within a few years. Go check out any TJ forum and post your remarks and see what happens. You probably think Smittybilt and Rusty's are high quality too.

 

Clearly you have bought into Banks marketing hype. Gale Banks is a marketing expert and that is what he uses to sell his products. Some of his products are okay just over priced, other things he sells are pure garbage or completely uncessicary. Banks is the laughing stock of the diesel performance world, and there is good reason for that. I do care about getting the best quality parts for my money, that's why I avoid anything that has the Banks name on it.