header on a daily driver

[bbaer6676]

Would there be any reason to put headers on a steet car? is there any performance gain to justify losing your cab heating?

brian

[IROC]

If you can live without the heat (remember, defrosting the windshield is handy sometimes, too) then headers offer lighter weight and possibly a little better flow.

I had headers on my car for about 8 years and now have SSIs. Even in Alabama, heat is a nice thing sometimes.

Mike

[Bill Verburg]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
You already have headers.

Bingo!

[bbaer6676]

when i ment headers, i mean with out the heat exhanging capabilities, just strait pipes to the muffler.

[Bill Verburg]

The weight of the heater box shroud is so minimal and heat can be so useful why bother to remove or replace?

Even on a full race car a defroster can be useful to clear a steamed up window

[bbaer6676]

then why do they sell them?

[Por_sha911]

Answer: B&B headers have heat.
(I cannot say if they make them for your setup though).

[bigchillcar]

no measurable performance gain to make a change from what you have. btw, are you in an area where you never need heat? or is the car not driven daily anyway?
ryan

[76carrera3.2]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
You already have "straight pipes" to the muffler. They are just surrounded by a little bit of tin that comprise the heat exchangers.

To save money.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally posted by bbaer6676
then why do they sell them?

Well, if you have a 1978 and later car, the exhaust is comporomised for the sake of the catalytic converter. Instead of equal length tubes to the muffler (like the earlier exhaust setup), you have one side dumping into the other. SSI headers make good sense on 1978-1983 cars. B&B headers are a nice improvement for 1989-1994 cars. For Carreras, it makes more sense to do the Euro Premuffler and chip, I think, because the diameter of SSI's offer less of an improvement over the stock exhaust.

People make headers without heat exchangers because it's cheaper to manufacture. But there's no performance bump -- you just lose the ability to defog your windshield.

[Carrera3.5L]

Headers on a daily driven, 8K mile per year street car also with no a/c. Granted, I live in a climate that is mild year-round so that factors into the equation.

If it gets somewhat cold, I wear a jacket.

If it gets hot, I roll down the windows and open the sunroof.

I have zero issues with the windows fogging up the few days a year it rains (and I drive my car in the rain instead of parking it). I simply crack the windows a touch. No big deal.

Ralph

[coloradoporsche]

Yep. Money.

I spent ~$450 on headers and I think SSIs cost, what, $1500? And there is a performance gain over the stock exhaust on my SC. For some folks $1000 savings is no big deal, but for some of us it is.