I'm curious to know as well. I've been shot down in a few threads when I've asked about this mod.

Everyone's consensus seems to be this is a mod that isn't cost and time effective and that I should steer clear of it.

I'm not one to always go with status quo. So I'm curious to see what your outcome is going to be because I am interested in the experiment as well

 

Interesting thread. I'm curious to see if there are actual performance gains with OEM headers. BTW ... I was told by GTM that the motor did not have to be lifted/lowered to replace exhaust manifold on my 07. Maybe Nissan got more mod friendly?

 

Its a fun job, did mine last week!

 

May I trouble you to elaborate? Was the install problematic? Did it involve lifting the motor? How has performance changed post-install?

 

Lets just put it this way, you need lots of tools. Since I am a mechanic, i didnt have any problems. Its just very time consuming. It wasnt hard for me, just very tedious work. No you dont have to jack the engine. The performance was def more noticable at midrange to the end of the powerband

 

I don't suppose you have a dyno of the noticeable changes, do you? Also, you're still NA?

 

Yes Hotel! Please elaborate! I've very curious and interested at the same time. Just wanted to know if its worth all the trouble in going through with finding parts and having them installed.

How long did the process take you? Also, about how much should someone expect to pay for the parts?

Finally when you say more noticeable in the midrange~end of powerband, how noticeable are we talking here? Was it as noticeable as let's say adding the MD plenum spacer or more like ztube?

How much HP/TQ did you gain by adding the HR headers? Sorry for all the questions. I'm very interested since you're the first person to go through with this on our board that we've found. Your answers will help the rest of the VQ35DE community 100 fold in helping us consider this mod as a must have for our cars

Thanks in advance

 

No dyno for before and after and yes, im still N/A

 

I took us 9 hours total. We also bled to coolant lines and had to splice the passenger side O2 sensor. I will give cliff notes later. We got the y pipe from fed ex today and installed it. Started it up and IT IS LOUDDDD. I am waiting on my front bumper to get back from paint and once this happens i can make a nice video, but for right now, I need to relax. Im bruised, battered and broken. EVERY muscle in my body is in pain, my knuckles are split open, and I am just wore out. But damn, we honestly had alot of fun doing it! I have $20k in tools alone so i definitely had all the right equipment to do the job. As for someone who doesnt have very many tools, good luck. I used breaker bars, pry bars, pneumatics, extensions, sockets, ratchets, wrenches....list goes on and on. Had to take out ALL the coolant lines that wrap around the engine to gain access to the bolts. Had to take out the coolant resevoir, and power steering reservoir, and release the belt tension unbolt the AC compressor. I def understand why most shops charge around $500 for this!


What parts are you referring to that your expecting to pay for? There was a definite noticable difference in mid range power/torque, the car seems to def pull harder. And when i get my dyno tune it will really open the potential of all my mods up! Adding a z-tube wont give you much power at all. Usually 2-3 hp on most aftermarket intakes. I cant say much about the spacer, i dont have one and havent seen any dyno numbers. But yes, headers are alot of work, and most people dont think they are worht the time or $$$, but if you got time and $$$ you will def get a generous amount of power for the purpose they serve. Now the question is, how mechanically inclined are you to do the job? Do you have a full set of tools? A cheap harbor freight 150 pc kit wont do the job! Good luck, hope this helps!

 

Hotel, that's admirable what you shared. I can't wait for the video clips and dyno runs.

That's where you'll see the fruits of you labor. 9 Hours wow....how many people worked on this job at once?

As for parts, I was referring to the actual HR headers and any supporting pieces you may have needed other than your own tools to install them.

How soon do you expect to have those clips? As for the MD spacer, that's considered one of the best mods we can do for our cars.

If you ended up adding one to the mix, you'll notice even more gains.

Hotel, you mentioned that the sound is louder...we're talking OEM headers here. How much louder can it be over the stock DE headers?

 

It was just my buddy and I working in a 1 car garage! But i have a full set of tools Im hoping to make some video next mon-wed. These are megan racing long tube headers i installed. They are cat delete. So yes, it is VERY VERY loud!

 

I had headers before I went FI. I have a "mod-friendly" dealer, so I had them do the install. They did a great job too! At the same time I added Stillen dual exhaust, Kinetix HFCs. I have no dyno before and after, but it felt like all the resistance had been removed and air was flowing through the car effortlessly. I would do it again. The sound was awesome and my butt dyno was impressed.

 

WOW. interesting...but looks tedious work.

HMMM. for the price comparison, vs aftermarket..it might be worth it..even after haveing someone install it

any updates from the OP??

Hotel, nice...seems like a weekend job for most novice mechs...

 

Hotel, for some reason I was under the impression you swapped the OEM headers from the HR motor into your DE motor. That's what we were asking about. I'd still like to see and hear your clips when you get them.

Try to get some rest and relax. I know how all day jobs can be...ehhh

Your back and legs must feel like crap right now

 

Nope, they are the megan long tubes. I did the install last week, i just copied and pasted what i had posted after the install, but yes, it was a very sore week!