Porsche 928: Exhaust Header Reviews

This article applies to the Porsche 928 (1979-1995).

One of the first and most popular modifications to any performance car is the installation of an exhaust system. The Porsche 928 has a fairly restrictive exhaust system from the factory, especially those found on the early 16 valve engines. The installation of an exhaust system can maximize horsepower, increase torque, and greatly improve your exhaust note. In order to achieve the best performance gains, a full exhaust system is recommended. The first step towards improvement on the 928 starts with a set of exhaust headers. Read this review of some popular brands below.

Exhaust Headers

MSDS

Price – $650 ($899 for ceramic coating)

Material – Steel (raw or coated)

Performance – Good Hp & Tq gains

Quality – Good

Warranty – 1 year to the original purchaser

The first, and probably the best readily available header on the market for the 928, is the MSDS header. These headers were one of the first available headers for the 928 and have been tweaked and improved over the years. The MSDS headers are often praised by owners for their excellent fit and moderate horsepower and torque increases across the rev range. While these headers are claimed to have a nearly 25% increase in horsepower over the stock manifolds, most owners who have dyno'd their cars report that the increase is actually closer to 10%. Regardless, these headers will provide a noticeable performance increase and are an excellent choice for a street driven car. Recommended if you're looking for decent performance mods for street use.

OBX

Price – $200-400

Material – 304 Stainless steel

Performance – Good Hp & Tq gains

Quality – Fair

Warranty – None

If the OBX headers look similar to the MSDS headers, it is because they are exact replicas! The OBX headers were apparently a product of China. As with most knock-off products, OBX used cut rate manufacturing of MSDS's design and were subsequently able to undercut them on price for the same product. From individuals who have used these headers, they say fit and finish was pretty good and they were a very attractive header option at their price point. However, in early 2014, these headers were no longer to be manufactured or sold. One can occasionally spot them for sale on various classified ads. These are not a bad choice for a 928 owner on a budget if you are able to pick a set up at little cost. Recommended if you're looking for a slight performance upgrade without spending a lot of money.

Devek

Price – $700-1,000

Material – Mild steel (raw)

Performance – Better high RPM Hp with Good Low end Tq

Quality – Good

Warranty – None

Devek headers were a popular choice for 928 owners as they were available in two different sizes depending on desired performance characteristics. These headers showed improvements over the stock exhaust manifolds at all RPM ranges. By opting for the larger 1 3/4" primary tubing header, the power curve shifts up higher in the RPM range as opposed to the 1 5/8" diameter header, which has better low and mid range performance. Unfortunately, Devek is no longer producing exhaust components, so a set of these headers will have to be found on the used marketplace. Recommended if you're looking for good low end torque.

928 International

The 928 International headers are pretty rare as they only saw a limited production run for a handful of individuals. With that being said, they have ocassionally popped up in the Rennlist parts marketplace at reasonable prices. These headers were designed with the racer in mind, as is evident by the 1 3/4" primary piping that steps up to 1 7/8". This design is well suited for high RPM and performance driving as seen on a racetrack. For this reason, they lose out a bit on torque in the lower rev range and are not as suitable for a street driven car as some of the other header options are. That being said, if you are looking for a trick set of headers that not many other 928 owners will have, you may want to snatch these up if you see them for sale. Recommended if you're looking for a good top end horsepower increase.

OEM Porsche 32 Valve Manifolds

Price – $800-3,000

Material – Raw steel

Performance – Moderate Hp/Tq gains

Quality – Good

Warranty – 2 years (when purchased new)

For owners of early 928 models, the stock cast exhaust manifold is extremely restrictive. A popular upgrade for the 16 valve engine is to replace the cast manifolds with 1985/1986 32 valve engine tubular-style exhaust manifolds. As can be seen in the photo, this manifold is much more tubular in design and is similar to a header, which is a much freer flowing. This upgrade yields positive horsepower and torque gains for an early model car, all while keeping the car original. While these manifolds are still available from Porsche at $1,500 a piece, it is much more economical to find a set from a wrecking yard or classified add. It is worth noting that 1985 or 1986 manifolds must be used because the flange that meets the cylinder head changed in 1987 and all manifolds after 1986 will not fit the 16 valve engine. Owners also report that some minor modifications need to be done in order for the collectors to properly line up; however, this is typically not a big deal as most are doing this upgrade as part of a complete exhaust system. Recommended if you're looking for torque gains along with the HP.

Related Discussions

• Our Porsche Headers Showed an Astonishing Horsepower Gain- Rennlist.com
• 928 Headers - Rennlist.com
• 85/86 Manifolds on 16v Motor - Rennlist.com