ausgeflippt951

Generally, yes. It makes sense in a simple-sort of way: if every cylinder makes ~equal power, the runner lengths need to be equal. If not, the frequencies of the exit gases are too uneven, thus resulting in a less-than-ideal gas flow out of the exhaust and essentially an increase in backpressure. You REALLY get to see this in action when tuning 2-stroke or rotary exhausts (particularly 2-t's), where there are no valves at all and the difference between a good exhaust and a bad one is like a 1000% difference.

Yeah it's a shame Lindsey didn't bother to make 2 & 3 equal to 1 & 4; would have been simple enough, and god knows it's the only part of the engine bay w/ enough room to do so.

Also, why the small-ish diameter tubing used? Is the header intended to be merely an OE repacement?


Other than that, it really does look like a work of art; very pretty.

RKD in OKC

AGAIN...

This header is not meant to be the end all be all of headers. It is a stock replacement with the improvements of modern header design, ie., single pipe runners, long low angle Y merges, one piece flanges, and with the least bends possible. The runners are a tiny bit bigger than stock because that is as close as they could get with American tubing sizes without going smaller.

Most all "Equal Length," "Four into One," or "Performance" headers I've seen for these cars move the power band up in rpms sacrificing low end power for increased flow. In my opinion these cars have a narrow enough power band due low compression and turbo efficiency without adding a performance exhaust that narrows the powerband even further. The design goal of this header is a bolt-on replacement for the stock header that improves flow without losing low end power.
Me likey!

introuble

Richard,

I am so glad you posted this because I was thinking of changing out my headers. I called Mike and he is going to add this to the rebuild. Looks awesome.

kasturbo

Looks good Rob. So is the motor ready to go back in the car now? How soon before we get dyno results?

Andy

I personally think being equal length wouldn't matter much with the rest of the stock crossover. I have a bigger concern with the thermal expansion differences between the aluminum head and steels 1-piece flange, and the 1-4 header with its different shapes/lengths feeding into the 1-piece bottom flange. Having no vendor preferences (I haven't bought anything from Lindsey or Speedforce) and I will need a replacement header shortly, I think the Speedforce stage 1 is better with the Burns Stainless collectors/expansion joints and it looks like it's the same money...

Bill

As a stock replacement, I would not be concerned with equal length tubes. Equal length tubes would become a consideration, if additional performance was the goal.

As a stock replacement, I do see a couple of concerns with longevity.

The turbo motor creates a LOT of heat. Power = heat. The factory headers are made from Inconel tubes, which is currently the best material used for resistance to heat. Headers with Inconel tubes will last the longest, but inconel is not cheap. Do a google search on Inconel.

The flange at the head appears to be one piece. This is a known problem area. Again due to heat. The aluminum head expands at twice the rate that a cast iron head does. The original factory headers would crack from the continual flexing during the heat cycling process. It was so bad, that the factory added a "bellows" to the factory header. The one piece flange does not allow for expansion and could cause serious problems.

These would be my concerns that would have to be answered, before I would choose to purchase aftermarket over factory. Porsche races exclusively in distance races (ie: 24 hour races) to prove the durability of their engineering as much as their speed. One of my favorite Porsche ads, showed a cup car during a pit stop. The caption was "The only race car with a 24 hour guarantee".

Porsche factory parts are superior. I know this from experience. I used to be one of those guys that always shopped for the best price, but never got the best part. I could give you a long list of parts that saved me a penny, but cost me dollars, when I had to replace the cheap part due to premature failure.

Cheap does not always save you money. This being said, I do like Lindsey Racing products and have many on my car.

TRP951

not to get too OT but do you have the video of the cup car commercial?

Bill

I saw it in a magazine. I do not recall which one though.

Luke

OUCH.

To bad OBX can't make headers for 951's.... there stuff lasts FOREVER (and stays purdy) for around $150

RKD in OKC

I talked to Mike about both the alumunim versus steel expansion issues and lack of bellows when they first told me they were making a header. These issues were not overlooked. The shop making the header for LR has been making headers for a long time (sorry I forgot how long it was) and have made them for both cast iron and aluminum head applications. The 951 is not the only aluminum head or the only turbo application they have made headers for. From my conversations with Mike Lindsey, he was quite impressed with their knowledge and abilities and that is why he chose them to design and manufacture the header.

Equal length headers...
While equal length headers do offer benefits in an NA application where proper backpressure and scavanging can increase hp and torque by leaps and bounds, you will not see much benefit in a turbo application due to the backpressure created by the turbo itself.

As for the price..
You can buy pre-bent off-the-shelf tubing and flanges to weld up a header yourself. I think you will find it adds up pretty quick.

gcb951

Not equal length. More like a stock bend. Good for torque.

PuttingThePoorBackInPorsche

How do you figure?