Unequal vs. Equal length headers?
 

I'm sure there have been a ton of posts on this and if there is one helpful one, link me to it, but I'm looking for a good set of headers. I have a borla exhaust and want a little more power and a better sound. Should I go with equal or unequal length and what is the best set to buy?

UEL for the characteristic deep boxer rumble

EL for the smoother sounding rumble

What do we have stock? I like the sound of whichever it is with the Perrin unres catback. Is there some benefit to changing the remaining pipe between the header and catback and if so, which is compatible with either EL or UEL header?

Stock Header is EL.

There's two pipes between the header and catback. The Front Pipe and the Over Pipe.

There are benefits to changing these as the stock front pipe contains a catalytic converter. Changing this to a hi flow cat or removing it completely can produce decent gains.

Why would someone prefer one over the other, merely sound or actual HP gains?

You could say both.

People have been saying EL outperforms UEL but after looking at many dyno graphs, it looks like it mainly comes down to the header AND tuning. There are UELs that show a % gain from stock similar to most EL.
It looks like the top dollar (~$1k+) ELs provide the most gains though.

So... mainly sound I suppose.

Seriously...use Google:

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601219

My car is N/A but that forum was interesting anyway.

stock isnt el but it isnt uel either...

I know what you mean, but that technically isn't possible.

I am so glad that you made this post because I was actually going to make it lol.


And to answer the OP's post I would say get JDLs. I was looking into getting EL headers as well but the UEL was looking appealing mainly because of the price, it's a little cheaper at least on the JDL website

http://jdlautodesign.net/shop/ft86-equal-length-header/

You have the option to get a catless or get a high flow cat. I don't know if you have to pass emissions in ATL or not.
I don't have JDL Headers but I've read a lot of great reviews about the JDL headers also you should look into nameless headers too. But for me I'd probably lean more towards JDL.

I guess since we're on this subject anybody wanna tell us about Nameless and JDL headers

I was under the impression that it is ever so slightly UEL. Which makes sense judging by the sound, where you get a bit of a rumble in the very low rpms. But to be honest i haven't taken a close look yet--planning to go UEL in future though.

To make this really simple, the only reason to get an UEL header is if you want the signature Subaru boxer rumble. Otherwise, EL is a mechanically more efficient design and will give you a sound that is more akin to Porsche boxer motors.

Personally, I am a fan of EL. I don't care enough about that Subaru boxer rumble to want a less efficient part on my car.

The difference in efficiency really isn't all that much though, and that's why some people can justify opting for the UEL header because of the sound it makes.

I went with OpenFlash Header. I wanted the Subaru Burble, it was inexpensive, and Vishnu bundled it with the OFT along with a tune specific for this configuration mated to the Vortech with proven gains. My car along with the Perrin headerback system drives and sounds exactly as I personally felt it should have from the dealer.

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