nikitopo's BRZ OEM+ build

[D_Thissen]

Build quality looks average to be honest. Since it's an oem part, I'm going to assume it's relatively expensive as well.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I received yesterday the new factory exhaust manifold. Amazing build quality, thermal coating and very well thought design. I haven't seen something similar from the high quality aftermarket brands:




I'll install also the metal thermal shield:




Even the wrap paper has an anti-corrosion additive:

Where did you buy this from and how much did it cost?

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

Where did you buy this from and how much did it cost?

I bought it from Japan. Cost was similar with a good aftermarket header with the additional benefit to get the heat shields. I guess in US or Canada you can find a used one cheaper.

By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if they took a dozen of good aftermarket headers, studied them and created the new one. They have the resources to do such a thing ...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I bought it from Japan. Cost was similar with a good aftermarket header with the additional benefit to get the heat shields. I guess in US or Canada you can find a used one cheaper.

By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if they took a dozen of good aftermarket headers, studied them and created the new one. They have the resources to do such a thing ...

Toyota R&D does not need the study the aftermarket to tweak parts. This header is almost identical to the previous one with some marginally larger pipes. It isn't some miracle of technology.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Toyota R&D does not need the study the aftermarket to tweak parts. This header is almost identical to the previous one with some marginally larger pipes. It isn't some miracle of technology.

But think of the gainz in conjunction with the throttle body!

[mrg666]

Originally Posted by Cole

But think of the gainz in conjunction with the throttle body!

Hi, Cole! How are you doing?
Song for you

[Irace86.2.0]

I believe those are probably mild steel MIG welds against a cheap stainless. Test a magnet against the welds to see.

[Mr.Impreza]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I bought it from Japan. Cost was similar with a good aftermarket header with the additional benefit to get the heat shields. I guess in US or Canada you can find a used one cheaper.

By the way, I wouldn't be surprised if they took a dozen of good aftermarket headers, studied them and created the new one. They have the resources to do such a thing ...

Nice! Really interested in seeing your review on how it is once installed!

[Clipdat]

Factory thermal coating! So cool! Makes me want to get the 17 manifold if the cat in my 13 manifold goes bad.

I'm an OEM header kindof guy, especially because the rest of my exhaust is quite loud!

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I received yesterday the new factory exhaust manifold. Amazing build quality, thermal coating and very well thought design. I haven't seen something similar from the high quality aftermarket brands:

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

This header is almost identical to the previous one with some marginally larger pipes. It isn't some miracle of technology.

It is not just larger pipes. Check carefully the red circles. The tube bending is entirely different and allows to have an equal length design and a different structure. Old manifold wasn't exactly equal. It helps also to have a smaller angle in the bending.

Originally Posted by Cole

But think of the gainz in conjunction with the throttle body!

Yes, there was a lot of discussion about the throttle body. The factory throttle body is enough for the engine's power. What is the benefit of a larger throttle body is that you change the air flow. Meaning that you get more air with less velocity. This gives a bit more power in mid to high-end revs and a bit less power in low end. So, it is essentially a shift of the power and depends the application if it is better or not. Hope now is more clear.

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

I believe those are probably mild steel MIG welds against a cheap stainless. Test a magnet against the welds to see.

I have not seen many cases of cracks on the factory manifolds. The same cannot be said for the aftermarket ones, but anyway I guess it is a matter of preference.

[Mr.Impreza]

The other issue with aftermarket catted headers is that the cats tend to burn out on them within months or years.

I know 2 members with the Fujitsubo Catted Header who had cat failures within 1 year.

A header that costs $2500.00CDN to bring over here and to only discover that the cat burnt out would be quiet a disappointment.

It's the reason why I haven't bought that header and still running my stock one. I'm waiting for either a used one to come up for cheap, or for Fujitsubo to re-design the overall design.

~

By the way, I've decided I'm going to go with the STI catalog instead of TRD since I know you dislike TRD haha
The STI parts just seem to be engineered better like the Flexible Tower Bar and I have a soft spot for them since I came from a STI build 02 wrx bugeye
I also already have the STI pink springs installed so might as well match everything with STI.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I have not seen many cases of cracks on the factory manifolds. The same cannot be said for the aftermarket ones, but anyway I guess it is a matter of preference.

Big, thick, MIG welds can be more reliable, yet OEM manifolds crack all the time, and those welds aren't exactly a sign of an amazing build quality. TIG welds are definitely prettier, as well as, having polished stainless steel or nice titanium. I'm pretty sure the incidence of cracking is proportional to cost and OEM headers aren't exactly on the cheap end, so they may not be best to compare to cheap headers that are known to crack. Also, OEM headers are often on stock cars and lightly modified cars, which are not known for having extra heat buildup in the exhaust or track-level vibrations and stresses like modified cars with aftermarket headers, so it may be like comparing apples to oranges.

[nikitopo]

Originally Posted by Mr.Impreza

I know 2 members with the Fujitsubo Catted Header who had cat failures within 1 year.

Maybe a reason is because Japanese do not tune the car after changing the header. At least not the majority, especially if there aren't driveability issues. There are gains even without a tune and a less restrictive header is also more safe on spark timing. Reliability is also an important aspect for them. Westerns on the other side will tune the car and try to get every single bit of power from it. It's not a coincidence that Japanese know how to build reliable cars, while the Western cars broke all the time.

Personally, I have a plan to tune the car but not for the header per se. Mainly because I am using high quality fuel. Apart from this, it is fine to leave some additional power on the table.

Originally Posted by Irace86.2.0

...those welds aren't exactly a sign of an amazing build quality. TIG welds are definitely prettier

I'm sorry, but it seems that for you build quality is a pretty weld. In my perspective this is useless, since I'll never see it after installation. I'll not hang it on a wall or something similar. For me a quality header means to be functional and keep the heat inside (thermal coating, metal shield) and have good reliability.

[Irace86.2.0]

Originally Posted by nikitopo

I'm sorry, but it seems that for you build quality is a pretty weld. In my perspective this is useless, since I'll never see it after installation. I'll not hang it on a wall or something similar. For me a quality header means to be functional and keep the heat inside (thermal coating, metal shield) and have good reliability.

You don’t have to be sorry. It seems like you use the word ‘amazing’ and ‘quality’ loosely or unconventionally, which you don’t need to apologize for. For instance, you might buy a McDonalds burger and call it an amazing, quality meal, and perhaps some would agree because it does in fact fill your stomach well and will never get seen again after you eat it, so who cares if it looks like crap and is filled with junk. Many may not describe the meal as amazing quality. I guess to each their own, right? I mistakenly assumed you were ignorant about the range of materials and techniques used to create a header, but you seem to be fully aware.