This shrinks the space gases can travel through. Combine that with the compact size, and you get something of an exhaust bottleneck. Which means, over time, less horsepower and torque. Exhaust headers, though, with their longer individual tubes, are designed to prevent this. But does that play out in real life?
Donut Media tried to find out using an NA Miata. Donut Media already installed a new exhaust pipe and air intake in the Miata.
Uncoated or poorly finished headers will rust over time. Ceramic coated ones, on the other hand, are less prone to rust and corrosion. These headers perform their best in the idle to mid rpm range — perfect if you want your daily driver to get a boost in performance. Another choice to consider is equal or unequal length headers.
Where equal length headers provide consistently great performance, unequal ones provide a deeper rumbling sound and more low-end torque. Long tube headers build a lot of power in the mid to high rpm range. It varies from car to car, but generally they replace your OEM exhaust manifold, a downpipe and catalytic converter.
If your car comes from the factory with a catalytic converter, installing long tube headers will often result in a check engine light. Since manifolds are thicker when it comes to absorbing pressure, they also absorb most of the sound from the exhaust. Thanks to their tubes, collector pipes, and thin walls, headers are bound to turn heads as you cruise down the street.
Look at the difference in the sound of the two like this — a manifold will suit a daily driver perfectly and a header is a great match for a performance machine. If you want something that sounds OEM, then manifolds are the way to go, especially for your daily driver.
Just remember that the thick walls have limited space for the gases to pass through which will affect your performance. Your exhaust may get a little louder with headers on board but most car enthusiasts seem to love the aggressive sound. Once you settle for headers, you might want to check out long tube headers if you want a significant performance boost.
There are several different ways to accomplish this task, the two most common being an exhaust manifold or a header. So, what's the difference between an exhaust manifold and header, and which one is the best choice for your automobile? Typically made of cast-iron, exhaust manifolds are typically included in factory cars and trucks. They are inexpensive, relatively easy to install, and are capable of withstanding the high heat and pressure associated with exhaust gases.
However, there are a few downsides associated with their use, including the potential for cracking. They use an individual steel tube for each cylinder. These tubes all connect to a collector pipe. The tubes are smooth and equal in length, and this ensures that the gases from each cylinder reach the collector separately, avoiding back pressure.
The benefit of smooth and equal tubes to avoid back pressure can be lost if other exhaust components are not also upgraded. If the exhaust pipe that follows the headers is too restrictive, it can introduce back pressure to the exhaust system and diminish the power advantage of headers. Another disadvantage of headers is that, due to their thinner walls, they do not absorb as much sound as cast iron exhaust manifolds, making them louder although some may see this an advantage.
Some vehicles do come with tubular steel manifolds from stock. Primarily, these are for performance vehicles, such as sports cars.
Jeep also notably uses tubular steel exhaust manifolds.
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