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Help with headers

rwiz12

New CEG'er
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Messages
10
I'm looking to buy new headers for my '98 svt. I've narrowed it down to OBX and MSDS but I'm open for suggestions. I just want to know how both of these fit to the car and how they ran (from people who bought them). Also, are there any other addtional parts you need to buy in order to get these to fit (up until the cat)? I heard you may need a y pipe for the msds.
 
I've got OBX, supposedly they're just re-branded Weapon R headers. The OBX plaque fell off shortly after the headers went through a few heat cycles, which just adds to the theory. I'm pleased with them, bolted right up on my 3l. 8k miles and they still work perfectly. They come with all the hardware as well. Although, I'd did go with some OEM header gaskets, I didn't really trusts the gaskets that came with them. The metal style gasket is unlikely to ever leak or breakdown. The plus side is that they won't rust.
 
Any decent set of headers will bolt up directly to the stock Y-pipe.

I used the stock Y-pipe on my MSDS headers for a while until I was able to source a better one.
 
Which y-pipe did you go with? I saw that there was also an msds y-pipe
 
Help with headers

I don't like MSDS' design on the Y. It has a really bad kink in the short primary.

I found a stainless Weapon-R y-pipe. Much better.
 
The stock y pipe after it comes off the headers and before the cat back pinches the two pipes, that come from each head, together so that it is like two half circle pipes with a dividing wall up to the cat gasket. If you have ever looked at it from the end that connects to the cat you can see how it is restricted. The optimized pipe has that "dividing" cut out and is welded back together as one large pipe as soon as the two down pipes from the headers meet before the cat. This opens up the exhaust system some and causes less restriction in the system so it's more free flowing. This also adds a little more hp according to some older threads I have read. I just recently bought an optimized-y from solo92s10. I absolutely love it and with an improved cat it gave a really rich tone to the exhaust. Not loud, just rich. :)
 
I read in the sticky that an optimized y is not a DIY job. Where would I have to go to get one optimized? That is, if I can't find one to buy already optimized.
 
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