eBay Listing More Affordable Alternative to Kooks Headers

[Capote]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/122136112538?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[FearlessAZ]

Looks promising. Looks nice and definitely cheaper than the Kooks

 

[Sparky]

This is it has the O2 sensor only getting the exhaust stream from the front 3 cylinders. Are the kooks that way also?

Seems like a bad idea to leave half the cylinders totally out of the reading.

 

[Mooseman]

Isn't that also how it determines which cylinder is misfiring? I would have put it in the last Y and supplied an extension for the O2 sensor.

 

[Capote]

This is it has the O2 sensor only getting the exhaust stream from the front 3 cylinders. Are the kooks that way also?

Seems like a bad idea to leave half the cylinders totally out of the reading.

Kooks has it in the same spot:

 

[littleblazer]

I think the problem with the O2 being at the last Y is that it could be too far away temperature wise. That's a pretty long run you know? Still not great having 3 out of the loop.

 

[Wooluf1952]

That leaves the same question as the Kooks: Was it dyno tested?

 

[Capote]

A former (banned) member here recently put Kooks headers on his truck he got for a great deal. Was tired of cracking his manifolds, he's pretty hard on his truck doing highway runs weekly. He hasn't told me about any issues as far as o2 readings.

 

[Nexus1155]

Woah. Obx copied them? For anything from china it should be cheaper than $500 but I am sure you can get them to go lower. It being a good deal, I feel you would get better gains from Limes turbo up pipe. I am not denying the flow or long tubed header gains, but its $500 for something that may or may not work. If your mani is cracked. SURE. I doubt the O2 sensor being in that location has any negative impact. If something is wrong where the O2 needs to make a change, the damage would be done by then over time. Most chinese crap I buy that has to do with exhaust systems usually get made and sole to you from $21-$55. Something like this, should only cost the consumer a few hundred. They are gouging only slightly...

 

[littleblazer]

A former (banned) member here recently put Kooks headers on his truck he got for a great deal. Was tired of cracking his manifolds, he's pretty hard on his truck doing highway runs weekly. He hasn't told me about any issues as far as o2 readings.

Even with washing my engine bay I have yet to experience a cracked manifold... I should stop now lol but I could understand if it were a regular issue.

 

[Nexus1155]

Had it happen on mine at 100k, but I think it happened because I had a clogged cat and it got the mani to be hot and assumed cracked. I work on cars a lot and even I gave it to an exhaust shop to do funny enough... you do not want to do it and get a stud stuck in the head...

 

[Capote]

Woah. Obx copied them? For anything from china it should be cheaper than $500 but I am sure you can get them to go lower. It being a good deal, I feel you would get better gains from Limes turbo up pipe. I am not denying the flow or long tubed header gains, but its $500 for something that may or may not work. If your mani is cracked. SURE. I doubt the O2 sensor being in that location has any negative impact. If something is wrong where the O2 needs to make a change, the damage would be done by then over time. Most chinese crap I buy that has to do with exhaust systems usually get made and sole to you from $21-$55. Something like this, should only cost the consumer a few hundred. They are gouging only slightly...

They pretty much did for more than half of the design it seems.

The 2008/2009 Exhaust Manifolds on our platform had a design improvement that increased horsepower. It's one of the contributing reasons the later Trailblazer's had more power from the factory when compared to earlier years. I have one on my rig and I have a bud that did the same. It's on par with how Kooks Headers perform. I'm not knocking Kooks or OBX, but we can achieve the same result using the later year manifolds.

Even with washing my engine bay I have yet to experience a cracked manifold... I should stop now lol but I could understand if it were a regular issue.

Doing a lot of runs at high speeds and RPM's on the highway will crack it. That's why he went through two, he does this all the time...

 

[Sparky]

Probably why mine never really cracked (just rusted and still needed replaced lol), I rarely "got on it" with the truck. I would occasionally, but I just don't typically run my daily drivers hard. More often (and more extreme) heat cycles would likely crack that sucker more often. I can see a header being more cost effective at that point if you're running it harder and the darn thing keeps cracking on you.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Saw this awhile back, but still cant justify it