Hey guys....just figured I would jump in here...
I have had the MSDS headers on my car since February of 2001...I was actually the second person to get the headers, if you count Jason, the owner of the test Cougar, as the first person.
There are other Contour/Cougar owners around (Ive seen some of them post in this thread) that have had the headers for quite a long time as well, and are a good source of information.
Two weeks ago we were doing some dyno testing for our business (DuratecPerformance.com) and we had some extra time. So both Joel (My business partner) and I were able to hop on the dyno to do 3 runs each.
My Mods:
KKM Intake
75mm ProFlow calibrated for 19lb injectors
SVT TB
SVT UIM
SVT LIM
19lb injectors
MSDS Headers and Y-Pipe
CarSound High Flow Cat
2.5" Mandrel bent exhaust with single Flowmaster 40 Series Muffler
Diablo Chip
His Mods:
Injen Intake
75mm ProFlow Housing (stock guts used)
SVT TB
SVT UIM
Diablo Chip
My high HP for all three runs was 162.1hp. This was with my very heavy 18" rims, which I feel cut my HP figures down by at least 10hp. I will find out for sure when we go back to the same dyno in about 1-2 months, and I use my stock 15" rims and tires.
http://www.duratecperformance.com/dynos/cougar.jpgAs you can see, the chip really didnt add anything to the top end, but did help in the low and mid range. Joel's high HP number was around 152hp, so 10 less than me. He had no exhaust work done at the time. He has since ordered a Borla Cat Back and will be installing MSDS headers soon as well. If he can get them on before our next dyno day, then this should be a great test of how much power a full exhaust really does help our engines.
Before the next dyno day I will be installing an extra exhaust bung so they can hook up the wide band O2 sensor more easily. We are also trying to get our hands on a MAFterburner for tuning the A/F ratio with. With my 15" rims on and with tuning, I strongly beleive I will be over 170whp and might even be close to 180whp.. I guess we will all see.
Nikolas
