robbsdfff

What's the best cheaper header for a 97 Xj

TRCM

best & cheaper don't belong in the same sentence

define cheaper

Cane

APN header http://www.ineedparts.com/apn-jeep-e...-manifold.html

robbsdfff

thank you cane do u run it? And if so if there any hp gain and any sound difference

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

409 stainless runners? meh, that's gunna rot if you don't coat it.

SouthSeaPirate

Here's the one I got. Can't comment on quality yet, but looks the same as APN and others. Prob the same manufacturer tbh

Cane

it's what most people recommend for after market so i bought it but haven't had the time to install it yet. you can refer to this, it's what sold me on it : http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=93378

like they state in the description it will not fit 99+ so be aware of that.

and like it was said above, coat it with some high temp paint. i used "transparent" color to keep the steel look.

as for power, if you couple it with a high flow cat, new injectors, bored throttle body then it will make 0-20 hp depending on who you ask. just the header alone will change the tone of the exhaust sound, but honestly i haven't heard it in real life, only videos, so I can't say much more than that!

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

They claim its made out of 304 but I wonder what the actual quality is for 88 greenbacks.

BlueRidgeMark

Yeah, I'm thinking it's about 18 gauge tubes, and that flange looks like it's about 1/4". Maybe 5/16". I notice they don't bother to mention that unimportant little detail ....


And I love this:

Help me with this, folks. Just what exactly does "Hp. / Tq." mean? Horsepower divided by torque???

And what in the world is a, "TIG Welded CNC Machine Flange"?

(I think it's an example of Engrish.)

And speaking of TIG welding, well, let's not talk about the (lack of) welding on that thing.


Yeah, I'd say that would be 88 bucks down the toilet.

Rogue4x4

This.
And this...
The speed daddy headers are notorious for being junk.
Then, you really can't say much about it then. Install and report back.
THIS.
Yup.

The "TIG welded CNC machine Flange" means they got the flange cut on a CNC and had it TIG welded to the header.

So. After ALL that...I'll just say this.

If you want to play, you got to pay.

I run a Gibson SS ceramic coated header. Yes, it was 'spensive. But, I wasn't gonna put crap on my stroker. 'Nuff said.

Probably the best money I spent, though. It's fantastic. Excellent quality, zero fitment issues, great installation instructions, hands down a quality product.

Buy quality. Cry once.

mschi772

Similarly, I saved for awhile and bought a Thorley. 304 and ceramic in and out. Perfect fit and so wonderful. The early Thorley's had some cracking, but they improved the build and use very thick tubing now. Unfortunately many people still believe in OLD problems because they're too dumb to look at the dates on the forum posts they dredge up. Bought mine for a decent deal through Kolak--love that guy.

cleenrob

my apn header was garbage, poor fit, and when i pulled the motor recently i saw several different cracks in the welds

kyle96xj

I have the speed daddy header, I so far it hasn't cracked, rusted or had any welding defects that I can see. I have about 1000-1500 miles on it idk. It does have one serious flaw though, it doesn't seal on the bottom of the 2nd or 3rd cylinder exhaust port. Before I installed it I noticed the flange was considerably warped, about 1/8" at one point, where it now leaks. So I emailed the company and asked about it they said if I installed it and had an issue I could send it back, so I installed it used the crappy exhaust gasket that it came with, because I thought it might void their return policy if I used a different gasket. Well it leaked bad, my Jeep sounded like a tractor. So I re torqued and ran it for a while still leaked, I figured it was just the gasket causing the issue. So I picked up a fel pro gasket and coated it in copper gasket spray. Reinstalled the header, success! Until two days later I started hearing it again, I re torqued the bolts and it still leaks to this day. Quite frankly I don't have the time to park my Jeep, mail in my header and have them ship me a new one, so I'm going to hang on to this POS until I can find a better solution. So if you buy it check it for straightness and if it's off send it back. Also I don't feel any hp or tq gains but the leak could be hindering that.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

I honestly feel like you're in for a world of unnecessary headaches with a cheapo header. I would take Ronin's advice and buy quality first and cry once.

cleenrob

x2, i was going to do a borla long tube header to replace it, but i went a different route