Header's On... Driving impressions

dreadsword · Jul 7th, 2003, 10:34 AM

Hey all... got my Hotshot header and custom exhaust on this past week.

Header is the most recent Hotshot GA16, bought used, and in great shape.

Exhaust is 2.25 crush, resonated, with a tiny Dynomax muffler. The muffler is 14 inches long to fit under the extremely tight NX rear bumper. Turfed the stock cat with the intention of eventually bolting up a random tech or something similar - outside of the budget for the moment.

Performance: Seat of the pants only. I can feel some good mid-range pull (4.8k to 6k), more than I can top end (~7k), which makes sense given the stock cams. Third gear pulls are great too - all in all, seems to have shifted the powerband down slightly and added a good dose of useable HP and torque. No changes felt below 4000.

Sound: Not too loud with the big reso. Quiet at idle and for normal city driving, good racket when opened up. Some disconcerting valve noises and so on at first, but I'm pretty much used to it now. Putting a cat back on would damp all that down I think.

Anyway - to summarize: Great parts, cheap and easy upgrade, recommended! Guess I better update my sig...

---Rod.

b13nissan · Jul 7th, 2003, 02:47 PM

Does your header make that hissing/buzzing noise too? I know mine did.

dreadsword · Jul 7th, 2003, 02:54 PM

Oh yeah - all sorts of weird noises. I'm assuming that its valve train racket. Anyway, glad to hear that someone else has it too.

psuLemon · Jul 7th, 2003, 05:23 PM

if you are getting a buzzing vibranting noise, then your heatshield is prolly lose.

the don 1600 · Jul 7th, 2003, 06:45 PM

i have the buzzing noise. really bad. ive put my car up every single way u can. on ramps. stands. 3 ton jack and i still cant find where exactly it is coming from. im thinking taking off the heatsheild would be bad and make my car warmer on the inside. so i guess ill just suffer till i put a new cat. or another resonator on my car. and can get someone else to look at it. while its up on a lift.

psuLemon · Jul 7th, 2003, 07:31 PM

you check to make sure all your bolts are tight??

sno · Jul 7th, 2003, 08:23 PM

buzzing noise? i havn't experienced anything like that with my h.s. header.

dreadsword · Jul 8th, 2003, 12:35 AM

All of my heatshields are gone - so they are not the source. For me, its not even a harsh buzzing noise - almost whirring, but mettalic. Valve train, or perhaps timing chain guides??

andre · Jul 8th, 2003, 12:47 AM

does it make the noise all the time, or at specific times? Mine have be making a noise for years now, but I got over it. As far as I know, there's no way to get around it....except maybe get new ones....some people never had this problem.

Skinny G · Jul 8th, 2003, 11:34 PM

It's probably just the OEM "angry bees fighting in an empty coffee can 'Praaat praaaat!' " sound. You can't get rid of it. It's the way they sound, my good man.

G

nismosilvias14 · Jul 9th, 2003, 03:19 PM

i got that noise tooo....i think its the timing chain or at least wut i thought in my car...maybe my tensioner or sumthing.....

Katana200sx · Jul 9th, 2003, 03:23 PM

some people have said that its the flew pipe of the header making that noise. they got it replaced at a muffler shop and it went away.

dreadsword · Jul 9th, 2003, 04:14 PM

Flex pipe on the hotshot looked to be in great shape - so I can pretty much say its not that.

To summarize so far, looks like the buzz might be:

1. valve noise - can't be fixed except for muffling the exhaust
2. lack of cat - this would muffle out the valve noise
3. timing chain or guides - this would then have nothing to do with the header - right??

Nostrodomas · Jul 9th, 2003, 05:39 PM

3. correct

andre · Jul 9th, 2003, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katana200sx
some people have said that its the flew pipe of the header making that noise. they got it replaced at a muffler shop and it went away.

I did this....even got a different style flex pipe, but the sound came back 2 days later.