Risk Factor with a header?

[ghetto waggon]

The friend who got me into the whole "car tuning" scene told me, awhile back, that headers are not something to mess with. He said that if you plan to keep the car N/A that for safety reasons the header should be avoided...something about if installation is not perfect, you run risk of it blowing?

Like I said, I heard this awile ago, and he IS afterall a honda tuner, but can someone provide any clarity as to the risk factor of running a header? I am totally unfamiliar with them. Thanks

 

[APEXistud]

There is no risk of blowing your motor if you use a header. The only thing that can get blown if not installed correctly, is the exhaust manifold gasket and that at the most will result in an exhaust leak. An exhaust leak at its worst could throw a CEL (Check Engine Light), result in losing a bit of HP and lead to higher underhood temperatures if left unchecked. Your friend was mis-informed by who ever told him that.

 

[Sir Nuke]

I have no clue what your friend MAY have been refering to.....not in all my years of hotrodding cars....and that has been a very long time....longer than a lot of you guys have been alive.....I have NEVER EVER heard of a header BLOWING an engine.....after all all a header is, is a tuned exhaust pipe for your engine....

NOW.....one thing is for sure.....if you put a header on one of our Proteges.....you are going to be removing all the Cats....which may make it impossible for you to get your car inspected in your area.....also unless its properly made or modified for use on our cars, as in the bungs for the O2 sensors in the right place....your CEL (check engine light) will come on and STAY on.....


other than that....its not going to hurt your motor.

 

[ghetto waggon]

I think he meant the header will literally rupture ~?