Tomei UEL vs HKS/Tomei EL headers for gains
 

Looking at headers between 500-700 the HKS seems to be available for ~650 some places which is the one I am leaning towards.


Im a big fan of Tomei products. It seems they have 2 headers UEL and EL I understand the UEL will give the car the distinct boxer engine sound which I don't care for either way.


I have seen drift office's dyno's of the Gruppe-s(same as Tomei UEL) and their dyno of the HKS header. The results looked similar to me but I am no expert.


for reference:


Gruppe-s(Tomei UEL):
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92104


HKS:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41525


It seems the primary complaint about the HKS header is the price. Which seems to have come down to the same as the Tomei.


Which would one suspect to give the most power under the curve between the three(HKS, Tomei UEL/EL)?


Will be going with OFT stage 2 at the same time.






EDIT 1:


Adding related links:
I thought I would add more related information:


Perrins findings:
http://blog.perrinperformance.com/br...n-and-proving/


Vittuned:
http://blog.vittuned.com/just-a-coup...-vs-tomei-uel/


Post #31 Jonsey's Tomei EL dyno sheet:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=113829&page=3


Post #37 username404's Tomei UEL dyno sheet:
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=113829&page=3


EDIT 2:


Changed the title to reflect the info gathering.




Keep it up!

the difference is moreso in quality --- the Tomei is better material and finish than the old HKS.

HKS has 2 new versions out now that come as complete systems with over-pipe and mid-pipe as well

Very similar to Apexi.

If you don't want the full system go for the Tomei -- it's top quality. I run it with the matching over-pipe on my supercharged 86

I assume you are referring to the UEL Tomei? Do you believe it will give more power than the EL version overall?

Reach out to the guys at moto-east or someone else who dynos a lot of cars and see a lot of headers. I bet they will point you to Tomei. I was more than happy with the numbers from my car on a Tomei EL with a good tune.

I'm using the EL version and that is what I recommend unless you want that terrible boxer rumble fart.

EL tends to make the most peak power also -- although it's not a ton.

HKS is making an overpipe now? Its not on either of their sites.

I went with EL and besides boxer rumble I would say that a big difference is either want power low end or high. I plan on doing mostly tracking events and run higher rpms and reason I chose that.

FYI various other very good EL headers out there on the market besides Tomei - I have a P&L 4-1 long tube header that gives a really nice low end (long tube design) combined with a great top end too (the one I have is even catted). Extremely happy with it - thick walls, nice welds, clean collector, sounds amazing. I think there's a used one FS in the classifieds here. JDL & PTuning are a couple others.

I'm also not a fan of the boxer rumble, but I'm running the Tomei UEL because it makes just as much (or more) power as any EL on the market and doesn't have a torque dip. It bothers me that the typically more efficient EL headers under-perform on this platform, but that's just the way it is for the FA20.

Tomei really knocked it out of the park with their uel. Only EL that matches it is ACE.

I can vouch for Tomei's quality and completeness of the kit. Anti-seize, gaskets, heat shielding all included with kit. While the anti-seize and heat shielding doesn't add much to their costs, it goes to show Tomei's attention to detail. Not quite sure if gruppe-s includes the same even if the header is nearly identical.

As far as performance go, I'd say it's satisfactory having gone with the Tomei EL previously. The idea of having the exhaust pulse and resulting uneven left to right bank wear bothers me. lol I'd say the output is very similar to the HKS EL with the shape of the torque curve following that of a tuned stock header setup. The UEL does a better job leveling the torque dip, if that's is your main concern. Since you're using OFT to tune, the OFH probably should be a consideration as well as they offer package deals with a discount. The output is similar, though IIRC the runners are constructed of slightly larger diameter piping allowing for a slightly better increase at the top end.

wrong bud, uel headers do not match or make more power than an el. uel headers are best from 0 to 3500rpm, after that power goes down, el headers make power from 3500 to redline, therefore EL are suited better for extra hp.

Wrong, friend :sigh:

For some reason manufacturers are still feeding people this line about how ELs give more power and UELs give more low down torque. Most tuners who see a lot of these however, are getting same numbers up top with a good UEL as any given EL with more torque. Bob (Driftoffice) and Vit (VitViper)both seem to get their best numbers consistently out of Tomei and its derivatives.

For me, I had a Nameless and my Tomei eats it alive literally everywhere. (that's a lie, there is an area from 4100-4200 where Nameless has about +3 ft-lbs, but I'm +40 at 3500) Same dyno, same baseline, It did exactly the same as the Ace 350 on the same fuel with a little more torque.

And for you to make a statement as broad as "el headers make power from 3500 to redline" makes me think you might not know what you are talking about. Every header performs differently and 3500 is smack in the middle of the torque deficit on most equal length headers.

Give this a read
http://blog.vittuned.com/just-a-coup...-vs-tomei-uel/

good find. So is it possible the Tomei UEL outclasses the HKS and the Tomei EL?

I think anyone who argues/claims that "UEL is better than EL", or "EL is better than UEL" is making claims that are too broad. More important factors go into the design that make power for our motors, not to mention general ftiment/build quality/reliability. And then there's the tune. Way too many cumulative factors to simplify it down to UEL vs EL.