Gauging interest in new header
 

I would like to gauge the interest in a new header for the RX8. I am currently working with a shop who makes quality high flow cats, test pipes, and headers for cars such as 350Z, S2000, MR2s and more...

We provide all dyno charts to show the differences between stock vs. our after market products after completion.

I am starting this thread to gauge what the interest would be in a new header design for the RX8.



I am aware the two real current options out are the:

OBX header for roughly $250 whose quality and durability has been questioned by many, and whose design has the o2 sensor on only 1 of the 3 ports which results in inaccurate readings.

RE Amemiya header which costs over $1,200 and is a quality durable piece, and who has a proper collector with o2 sensor at the collector.



I feel that the header length, collector design, and o2 sensor placement can be improved on the RE-A header as well as total power gain all in a product whose quality is equal to OEM for $5-700 -designed and dyno tested in the USA.

Please list your questions, concerns, and if a 6-10hp gain is worth the price of a quality header for the RX8 that can match if not exceed the performance of any header currently on the market.

Thank you,

Billy

just check the little box next to "everyone still NA" and you're done :)

It doesn't matter if it's got a true perfect merge collector, equal length, all stainless steel, O2 sensor after the collector, etc... Even if it's equal length and cheap to purchase, it's not going to produce any more power than any other header out there. None of them have a performance advantage over any other. The max you will get PEAK is about 4-5 hp and that's it. That isn't enough to feel under any circumstance. There are other ways that MIGHT be beneficial to making power but no one has tried them yet.

The exhaust ports of the Renesis flow so poorly and are so turbulent that any potential in the exhaust in the way of power is nullified by the ports themselves. On top of that the center exhaust port is actually 2 of them that are siamesed. This means they are tuned completely out of sync with the other ports. While this may not sound like too big of a deal, the outer ports exhaust the same place as the center ports do. Now you've got tuning on half of the exhaust energy leaving the engine and something totally different on the outer ports which may cause interference waves within the exhaust system that directly affect the other side.

There is one way to potentially combat this issue and I have stated this long ago yet no one has ever tried it. However after playing around and porting Renesis engines I really have my doubts about even my idea working any better than a few horsepower and packaging it into a small space would be even more difficult.

There really isn't a market for another header. The OBX is basically a direct copy of an existing one with the exception of the O2 location. This is easy to remedy though as bungs are cheap and anyone with a mig welder can install it after the collector. It's also very cheap. With it's initial price and some simple relocation of the O2 sensor, it's still a better value than anything else out there. I wouldn't be concerned with it's lifespan. People criticize Racing Beat for not using stainless steel on many of their exhaust systems yet most of them outlive the rest of the vehicle.

When and if you do make any products and want to sell them here, you need to first become a forum vendor. Even gauging interest in a future product can be construed as an invitation for contact as it may lead to future business as a result of the exposure gained here.

IMO your idea won't work

IMO I proved my idea is the only way to go ..

so how do you fix the turbulent flow of gas out of the exhaust ports? you said that you have an idea, but i didnt see it. are you hiding it on purpose?

if you dont mind telling, please do.

theres a new header on ebay for 700 bucks that looks pretty impresive. you may want to take a look before you start welding

Just checked it out. Looks nice and did fix a lot of the problems with the OBX header. Still the gains for RX8 headers are pretty slim -as was the S2000 but we were able to make a gain significant enough to cause a large demand for our S2000 header.

But thats the reason why you start these 'gauging interest' threads - to find out this information, see what else is out there, and to not waste time and money developing something that either their is no market for, or the market is already saturated.

Thanks you guys, you have been very helpful (some more than others). -Back to work developing suspension pieces to get more steering angle out of the RX8 for drifting, who knows, their may be a significant demand for those to warrant producing them... ;)

Haha, so you want to go into business together? jk.

-I havn't had a axle failure on an RX8, even under racing stresses. Is it a common to break them?

exoticspeed offers headers for the rx8 but im not sure about the quality of it

http://www.exoticspeed.ca/product_in...09c70ee4f7c156

Looks like a nice piece but $900 for maybe 3-4 hp....not worth it.

The easiest solution is to just buy the OBX manifold and have a professional welder re-TIG weld the entire piece for a price. It depends on how much it would cost, but I guarantee it would cost less for the $200 for the OBX manifold and the welding than even the second-cheapest option.

But your idea is no different than anyone elses and it doesn't work better. You won't prove it does.

Have you tried my design? If not, how do you know it won't work? I don't know if it will either. I just feel it's got the most merit as it is the ONLY design to address the center port differently from the others. ANY equal length header will not work any better than any other. Not saying mine will work well. It might not. I am saying that no equal length design is worth it's weight in metal though.

Thats true i agree but then again why buy a new catback system when it gives you the same amount of power and price as well? I guess everyone has their reason to get something, power, looks, sound, etc. Oh btw that header sounds really nicee

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=LawoxW5ZJK8

yes it does, music to my ears!!!