thinking about buying a CHEAP manifold

[loveless]

and need some comments

- 100% 304 Stainless steel
- 2.8mm wall thickness
- 0.5" flange thickness
- Includes bolts and gaskets

someone is going to say that it might crack, but all manifold, even hks, invidia, greddy will crack. For a fraction of the cost (130$ shipped) you can't really complain.



how come all the brand name exhaust manifold looks like the following color?

jic


hks

and all the knock off ones are chrome color?

anyways, I am expecting to finish this in about 1 afternoon of work (on my own) with only hand tools, think that's possible?

I am guessing the procesure is probabaly something like
1) disconnect downpipe/hotpipe
2) heat shield
3) losen the bolts between turbo and manifold
3) remove bolts between manifold and block
4) detach turbo from manifold (assuming that I can do this without removing the oil/water lines)
5) swap manifold and reverse installation process

[Dousan_PG]

cool
have fun swapping it out for the stock on in a few months
haha
definately can do in a day
but i wouldnt put that shit on ulness:
solid motor/tranny mounts
flex downpipe
properly braced
suspension in good shape.

otheriwse it will crack qiuck

[loveless]

I have nismos mounts
agx/sportline but I don't slow down at all over bumps
hks none flex down pipe
now sure what you mean by brace though

[sideview_180sx]

you know the phrase "you get what you pay for" don't pay attention to it. because you will learn that lesson first hand. so go ahead and buy it. many people would say I told you so. but don't expect the best from something like that.

[loveless]

there are certain things that statement holds true but it seems like some things, doesn't seem to matter.

For instance, an obx intake is no differnt from an injen intake except for the filter. Obx shifter shifter, a knock off of C's, seems to have little complaint. An ebay down pipe, test pipe, is no different from an hks/greddy/invidia one. Exhausts however, due to the material used for sound resonation and flow, matters.

An exhaust manifold, from my understanding, is no different from an intake arm or a down pipe. There are no tricks to it, at least is per my understanding. Which is why I come to you guys asking for opinions.

Of course I know you get what you paid for. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind spending on a hks manifold but I would like to know HOW and WHY it would matter between 2 similar products.

[evilimport]

Usually the cheapy manifolds have not the greatest (obviously) welds and will crack at the flanges due to the extreme heat of the exhaust gases super heating the welds and the weight of the turbo and downpipe pulling downward = cracked manifold.

Looks like the used HKS manifold had heat wrap around it....

[sideview_180sx]

Originally Posted by loveless

For instance, an obx intake is no differnt from an injen intake except for the filter. Obx shifter shifter, a knock off of C's, seems to have little complaint. An ebay down pipe, test pipe, is no different from an hks/greddy/invidia one. Exhausts however, due to the material used for sound resonation and flow, matters.

Of course I know you get what you paid for. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind spending on a hks manifold but I would like to know HOW and WHY it would matter between 2 similar products.

even the hks one cracks, and thats an expensive decision. it all comes down to the materials used, quality of weld and preventative maintence. people have broken the knock off shifters and other problem. ebay products are for the time being, if you plan on any form of longevity, you will learn the lesson, but what is my opinion going to do if you have already decided on crap manifolds. numerous threads on many forums explaining the same thing.

[loveless]

yeah I noticed the heat wrap on the hks manifold... does it matter? Is it weaker due to prolonged trapping of heat?

In any case, I probably won’t be buying an exhaust manifold after all. I guess I’ll camp for an used one on ebay and zilvia/nico

Where can I buy a decent flex down pipe? greddy and hks are not flexed

[NZO]

I believe splparts makes one.

[Ian]

it's easy to find flexpipes on ebay and stuff...get a 3" one and then have it welded into your downpipe

[SR240DET]

Originally Posted by loveless

how come all the brand name exhaust manifold looks like the following color?

jic


hks

and all the knock off ones are chrome color?

all the name brand ones you posed are used.... thats why they look like that.. hahhaha

[HyperTek]

blah
http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=77797

[s13silady]

if your set into getting a cheap manifold... look for the "Megan Racing" one. good company.

[khoadogg]

Since we're on the topic, is upgrading the up-pipe worth the extra money?

[s14turbosilvia]

Originally Posted by khoadogg

Since we're on the topic, is upgrading the up-pipe worth the extra money?

Uppipe? You're thinking of a boxer engine. Now, if you were refering to the dump pipe, or turbo outlet, etc. then yes, it is. Much better spool and top end, and for only $175 for the good ones?

[loveless]

is this a good idea? I was looking into flex pipe to brace for possible aftermarket manifold. I realized that the front of the cat is help by a bracket so there is really no reason to replace the cat with a flex pipe.

Looks like the best bet is actually to modify the down pipe and install a dump pipe at the same time... let me know what you think.

anyone know where I can get a downpipe with full 3 inch + flex pipe?

[khoadogg]

hehe, in that case, does anyone wanna buy a 3in RS*R dp?

[loveless]

the mild steel one? it doesn't have a flex pipe built into it from what I read