Competition Another Ebay Item, Stainless "B" Header

[sbentz]

bentz, what gauge tubing did you use? a lot of guys I know use schedule 40 weld els to build turbo headers/manifolds... thick wall mild steel works great because it's affordable and doesn't crack like stainless... look at banks' stainless header/manifold that they've got on their sidewinder... it's got belows to allow for the expansion/contraction of the stainless.



Forrest

The one in the photo is 14 ga. mild. I have another we are getting set up for a VG turbo twin setup, using Schedule 40 mild. No, not equal length. Too much work with the heavy wall stuff. The Banks setup is one of the best I have seen, and it is typical of unlimited budget and engineering time. But, still not equal length.



My opinion? In the ideal world, inconel is the material, equal length if you have the time, money and room, and pretty small runners. The one I built was a bit too big. I would go more in the 1 1/8 kind of sizing, as long as you can run them into a nice 3=1 collector like I did.



I am working on a ATS Cast unit now, and am planning on a few tweaks. The cast does a great job, good strength, good thermal retention, small envelope, minimal expansion under high temperatures. Clint and I have a couple wild thoughts we may try on turbo(s) / WG / VG / combo for 2005.



Yes, we do have a few "Whoops" parts laying around, like the water / intercooler we tried, the old header, and more. You can't imaging the number of turbos we have measured and considered. Try try again...

 

[Forrest Nearing]

equal length is nice, but far from necessary... as evidenced with how much power we make w/ stock manifolds... lots of guys have great success w/ "log" style manifolds. you'll love the sch40... tough stuff, and you can weld the heck out of it. I used sch40 on the hot elbow between my twins.



Forrest

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Doesn't have to be perfect

I agree with Forrest. I think any effort, even far from perfect in terms of curves, collector length, runner length, etc. has to be a major improvement over stock. That should be the goal, to begin with . . . far better than stock, better than ATS in terms of flow and balance, but not perfect.



Remember too we are dealing with a turbocharged engine with exhaust under pressure. This will dampen pulsations and scavenging won't be as much of a factor in attempting to utilize it properly to enhance torque and horsepower. Give each exhaust port similar openings, passage and distance to the turbo inlet and you'll have a gained a lot over the cramped, common passageways and sharp angles of the stock unit.



Here's a quick diagram I drew up, it's not pretty and far from perfect, but possibly easier to build? This would have to go with a clocked exhaust housing, coming up to it from below.



Vaughn

 

[Forrest Nearing]

remember guys, you gotta leave room for twins!



Forrest

 

[Hammer]

Vaughn. .

The only thing I see with your drawing is the short collectors that will have to be used. To make the exhaust bend into the turbo like you have it will also restrict exhaust airflow. Remember,forced or not,when air tries to make a bend it creates turbulence and that will hamper any HP gains.



Forrest. .

I disagree with your comment about equal lengths. To make a manifold with equal length tubes would definately help with exhaust air flow patterns. The problem again is limited space and cost factors. The ATS manifold is a quality proven piece designed with equal runners,smoother ports and less constrictive bends than a factory manifold which allows it to make better use of the exhaust pulses. If the owners today are making the power they are with the manifolds we have available now,imagine what could be done with one that could flow more efficently... ... ... . Andy

 

[Forrest Nearing]

ATS doesn't have equal runners, it's a log style manifold... "equal length" = each exhaust valve is the same distance from the turbine wheel... and it optimizes the exhaust pulses against the turbine...



I didn't say equal length primaries weren't ideal... I said they weren't necessary to yield better performance. some of the fastest/most powerful vehicles I've seen have turbo headers/manifolds that have non-equal primary headers or log manifolds.



Forrest