01gt eibach

Okay, so am doing the whole catback, replacing the entire exhaust just aft of the headers, using a Magnaflow performance muffler and hi-flow cat. I know headers are notoriuosly expensive and laborious, but if I am gonna do it, now is the time.

Is there a noticable performance gain?
Would you do it?
Are there good aftermarket ones available? (Recommendation on brands?)

My goal: Performance gain for a street car, staying CA smog legal
Car: 85.5 944 N/A (manual)

dede944

I've got an 85.5 too...
My header are the old type cast.

I heard that the later tube header are good for
a few hp... That would make a cheap upgrade.

MSDS are good but better for track, loose on bottom
end to gain at higher RPM.

Bursch seems worst than OE.

That's my knowledge... maybe not true...

If anyone knows, I would like to know if the late header
fits with the downpipe (2-1) of the cast header ??

chitown928s4

I put in Bursch headers on my NA cuz the ones on there were cracked. The Bursch headers sound a lot throatier than OE. Dunno bout HP gains but sure sound nice. I may pull of the NA if your inrested in buying them PM if so. Thier about 2 years old.

xsboost90

i dont like bursch's quality- get a late n/a header for it and roll...

jgporsche

NOOOOOOOO! MSDS is ****. I had a set I was going to use for my 944S. You get what you pay for. Speed Force Racing makes the best headers and exhaust... PERIOD!

Even though you bought an exhaust, this is my experience.....
I have posted a dyno chart from my SFR exhaust system. If you look at the HP and TQ curves, I gain 10WHP and 10WTQ throughout the RPM band! We are not talking peak numbers. The biggest difference was in 2 spots, @ 4000rpms I gained 11WHP and 14WTQ over stock, and @ 5500 rpms I had 10WHP and 14WTQ over stock.

Not only is the sound incredible, but it is a work of art how everything fits.

I will be buying the SFR St1 headers for my 944S as well and expect to see some similar gains as the exhaust.

Don't get me wrong, the setup is pricy but WELL worth it. Also, they are located in Cali.

M758

late tube headers are simple bolt on and use the rest of the factory pipes.

MSDS headers on 8valve cars don't increase hp. SFR headers may make hp on the 16valve head, but I have no information on the 8valve head.

iamgod

speedforce doesn't have an NA header...only turbo or 968

jgporsche

Tim can do anything someone asks him to.

He doesn't have a 944S MAF intake(yes, I said MAF intake, not cold air) that sits under the header panel, but he is making me one.

M758

Tim's header for the 8valve NA if he were to make one may not make any power. Just because the 16v makes power from a header does not mean an 8v car will.

tifosiman

I still have yet to see any definitive info/charts that show the SFR exhaust, or any similar nice SS set-up, gives any real-world gains on an 8V 944 N/A.

RMills944

if someone wants to donate to the dyno cause I'd be willing to make a few runs with the SFR system on my 84. I'm not sure what the engine is stock though (it's relatively healthy).

jgporsche

"May not" being the key phrase. Why is everyone so negative all the damn time. If you haven't tried it don't make ASSumptions. This crap gets ridiculous. because of statements like that, someone who possibly was going to buy them won't. Then no one finds out if their are gains or not.

jgporsche

how many people with an 8V n/a go to the dyno?

schwank

spec 944 drivers. Everyone chases the last hp or so after a rebuild. look around the spec 44 forums... you'll see people quoting 134.5hp, 131, 131.5 hp.

M758

Yep.
my last dyno was 134.2 rwhp. A competitor's car on same dyno 135.0 hp, but I made a little bit more hp in the mid range. I have seen charts as high as 138 rwhp, but with weaker mid range.

BTW.. Mid range in a race car I consider to be 4500 to 5500 RPM.


Almost forgot.

I have seen dyno charts on MSDS, Bursch, Stock Tube and Stock Cast Iron headers. All make the same hp (within 2-3 hp) and my preference is for stock tube headers.