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With the OBX headers dipping under $1300 for a catless version, shipped to my door I decided to try them out. I found very little information for them on an E55, so thought I would share.
First impressions - Opening the box, one small dent and scratch, otherwise very nice looking. Great packaging, warranty card, no instructions.
Install - Overall straightforward. I had three product issues and one or two installer issues.
1. The second cylinder back on the drivers side, the angle of the pipe makes threading the lower nut on near impossible. even removing all other nuts and pulling the header out, I fought and only got it to force clearance fit after using a 90 degree offset 10mm... Harbor Freight FTW.
2. The pipes were supposed to bolt to the factory resonator... one side has a flange and bolts right up. The other side... no flange! I had to use RTV until I can get them welded permanently. See Pic.
3. The drivers side header vibrates all holy h*** right under your feet. It contacts the heat shield on the floor pan. Can be easily solved by: removing header and exhaust again and using a BFH to beat in a 1" dent, or squishing the pipe/header flat like the stock pipe. I should have just replaced that motor mount, I'm sure that would have helped a lot.
4. They leak. plan on the clamps being a temp solution until you can get them welded in. The clamps are 'ok' quality, but the pipes leak and it bothers me for both safety reasons(kids in car) and sounds like... an exhaust leak.
Installer Issues:
1. Should have replaced motor mounts
2. Shouldn't have bolted headers in until I had all pipes set... cost me an hour under jack stands removing mufflers/resonator hangers.
3. I was not prepared for the rear O2's not to be able to re-route to fit. I need to cut the harness and solder in an extension. I tried to shutoff the rear O2's with STAR DAS, and still get a CEL, codes for rear 02 heater and flow only. Apparently you have to have the O2's in the header and plugged in in order to use DAS developer mode to set them to AUS .
Overall:
I'm happy. When starting the car, nice little rumble settles to a nice quiet idle, although more pronounced than stock. Others say the exhaust leak is mild. I hear it in the car. I kept the factory resonator and mufflers. Light acceleration it is loud but manageable. Medium acceleration will turn heads. WOT is a bit obnoxious, wake the neighbors, make babies cry, but sounds how a 600hp car should. Overall I love the sound, although I do miss being able to get on it and get through traffic without drawing any unnecessary attention. Highway drone is very slight at 80MPH, more pronounced at 90MPH, and almost nil under 75. Acceleration definitely picked up a tad, however hard to tell now since my attention is drawn to the beautiful roar of the v8. I can no longer hear the SC whine.
Before/After dyno coming soon. I was rich at WOT, and someone had exhaust on here prior, so do not know if I will need a tune.
I should've gone with OBX. I got Kleemann's and they cracked on the down pipe after 13~ months. Luckily I got them domestically here in NZ and we have laws protecting consumers from defective products. But for the hassle (they also had fitment issues) I should've just got the extra HPs from china.
Do you feel the MBHs, while costing more, are a wiser purchase?
I could not justify the nearly $3,000 increase in price for a set of headers and pipes. I feel that these are a pretty good value considering the other options. The fact is they are Chinese, if you can afford an American-made brand I would recommend that.
Last edited by trevorradman; 06-06-2017 at 07:37 PM.
Reason: Typo
You can save your self a harness by cutting into the stock one and just splitting it basically.
It will allow enough extension to connect the O2's. I found some stock tape that I used to clean up the harness.
As for the star, make sure the car is running and you have all codes cleared before turning off the rear's.
I had the exact same issue with leaking and vibrating on the driver's side floor with my $3k ARH headers. I had to have a local exhaust shop replace a 4" section of pipe so it wouldn't hit the flooboard. He also welded all of the joints, so no more exhaust leaks.
FYI, that flange you have pictured is built correctly. You need to use the old flange off your old H-Pipe and bolt it on. The fiber gasket on that side is a different style of coupling than the donut on the other side. I think it seals via compression when you tighten the two flanges together.
I had the exact same issue with leaking and vibrating on the driver's side floor with my $3k ARH headers. I had to have a local exhaust shop replace a 4" section of pipe so it wouldn't hit the flooboard. He also welded all of the joints, so no more exhaust leaks.
FYI, that flange you have pictured is built correctly. You need to use the old flange off your old H-Pipe and bolt it on. The fiber gasket on that side is a different style of coupling than the donut on the other side. I think it seals via compression when you tighten the two flanges together.
Good to know, although that seems like a pretty shoddy design, I can't imagine it not leaking.
I wondered the same thing in ordering mine I got a hold of a vendor that sold them both and said they were identical except for a little bit heavier and a little bit different finish, something about an updated design version.
Its funny that the expensive headers have the EXACT same issues as the Chinese ones.
Mine dont have any real issues but then I built them myself on a 10mm thick stainless steel table I built into a jig. Unless you can get a wrecked e55 and turn it on its side and cut away most the chassis there is no easy way to make a set of headers for these cars.
If I was charging for when I built mine it would be a way way bigger bill than $1300. You can easily spend 100hours of time building a set of headers for these cars from scratch no jigs.
I personally would not pay anymore than 8-900 for any header from china but thats probably just me. When you put it all in perspective $1300 isnt bad even if there are issues imo.
Last edited by austingtir; 06-08-2017 at 05:48 AM.
Mine dont have any real issues but then I built them myself on a 10mm thick stainless steel table I built into a jig. Unless you can get a wrecked e55 and turn it on its side and cut away most the chassis there is no easy way to make a set of headers for these cars.
If I was charging for when I built mine it would be a way way bigger bill than $1300. You can easily spend 100hours of time building a set of headers for these cars from scratch no jigs.
I personally would not pay anymore than 8-900 for any header from china but thats probably just me. When you put it all in perspective $1300 isnt bad even if there are issues imo.
Sorry to go off topic, but do those chassis braces make a noticeable difference? I AutoCross my car from time-to-time and it needs a little help in that area.
Sorry to go off topic, but do those chassis braces make a noticeable difference? I AutoCross my car from time-to-time and it needs a little help in that area.
The one that goes under the plastic to the front of the car is the one to get. It effectively locks the front subframe to forward/backward and side to side movement. Very noticeable difference in handling. The rest of them not so much.
The one that goes under the plastic to the front of the car is the one to get. It effectively locks the front subframe to forward/backward and side to side movement. Very noticeable difference in handling. The rest of them not so much.
Austingtir - badass headers man! Ive always wanted to fab up my own turbo headers... winter project!
jkatman909 - I will have my kid do a video soon
lazy12g - you talking about my nittos? I just got them, 555rs... 285s barely, and I mean barely fit on stock rims with a lil fender roll on a lowered car. No rub except on hard launches. I love them... dead hookers! (Bwahaha).
Jumph4x - badass! Zx10r pictured. Love bikes! I like your posts on canbus interfaces... I didn't know sniffing them was a thing and I'm anxious to get started. Ive broken down interfaces for the past 10 years.
I know 4 who have them exact headers and didn't have zero issues you had ..No offense it's more a install errors you had..No bending no denting needed there a clone of arh headers and actually got larger primary's then arh if you know that and did your homework
I know 4 who have them exact headers and didn't have zero issues you had ..No offense it's more a install errors you had..No bending no denting needed there a clone of arh headers and actually got larger primary's then arh if you know that and did your homework
Thanks for the feedback, although I disagree with a large amount of it except that they closely resemble ARH, and many people consider them "clones".
The larger collector may be a cause for the vibrations/clearance issues. This problem is common with many LT headers in high horsepower E55s. The torque just requires a bit more clearance. I had several places the header contacted the heat shield when power braking. I will let you all know if new engine mounts help.
The cylinder 5 pipe is at an odd angle compared to the others. This is a manufacturing issue... I am confident in my ability to thread a nut. I am not saying every OBX header has issues, one of my 8 pipes did.
The missing flange, be it a ARH design or not isnt cool with me. This leaves a dangling flange on my resonator, and a slip collar that is free to work its way loose. The other clamps leak. Albeit slightly after tightening the hell out of them. I hear/feel it, some cant hear it. Rtv under the clamps also helped, however I will be welding them.
This is my experience, Id like to hear any other OBX owners with first person knowledge of the install.
06-06-2017, 04:36 PM
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