ISF-88

Hi guys and girls. After hearing about all the quality issues on SIKKY's header I spent some hours of research on finding out more specific info on them. First off though I'm not here to bash on SIKKY in anyway as I'm trying to help here on decisions for you and others to make on choosing your mods. Anyhow this is what I got.

SIKKY's header material is made of mild steel but Ceramic Coated, uses stainless steel vband flanges.

Here is the link where I found out what type of steel it's made from as SIKKY or anyone else was not specific enough on the specs on their website nor on here or any other forums...

Scroll down the page to see the Header's product specs:


http://www.redlinemotive.com/part-nu...ky/hdr004c.asp


Anyhow Ceramic coated Headers are usually made of mild steel to cut down costs vs higher grade stainless steel headers. Here are some helpful info on the differences between the two metals.

Ceramic coated Headers have their advantages and disadvantages. Advantages is it's a tad lighter vs 304 SS, reduces engine bay heat and keeps the heat in the header which will give better exhaust flow which means it gains maximum performance. Disadvantages is most ceramic coated headers are made of low grade mild steel which makes it prone to rust and can crack easier at the welds. Once the ceramic coating chips and flakes off corrosion and rust will happen so they don't last as long. With 304 or higher grade stainless steel Headers advantages would be stronger durability, rust proof and would last you a life time. Disadvantages are it's a tad heavier, more expensive and doesn't give maximum performance due to not holding the heat inside for maximum exhaust flow. But there is a solution for this which is Header wrap as most racers wrap their stainless steel Headers to gain maximum performance.

So here's some personal advice if you live in a rainy/snowing winter city you'd be better off with a good quality 304 stainless steel header. 304 stainless steel would cost alot more but IMO it's worth the money. It would be good if the header was made of high grade stainless steel then ceramic coated but that would cost you way more then $1300. Hence this is the reason why SIKKY Header costs alot cheaper then Elites Autosports.

In the end though it's all up to you on choosing which Header. If you want strictly performance then go for SIKKY. If you want life lasting headers with a bit less performance then go for a 304 or higher grade stainless steel one. By all means it's your money.

But beware once your ceramic coating chips and flakes off which will happen over time then be ready to pay the hefty labor costs of pulling off your header every 1-2 years to get them re ceramic coated then installing them back. Also choose the right Ceramic coat and don't be cheap. It gets costly. Most Ceramic coated mild steel headers last around 1.5-2 years as others tested online.

Now this is just research and info I got from online and friends that work at automotive machine shops so if you have doubts do a research on Ceramic coated vs stainless steel header. Though don't take my word for it as who knows how long SIKKY's headers would last but only time will tell.



Cheers

BB/F

Wrapping any header completely is a bad idea and will shorten the life of the header because it traps too much heat. You'll be replacing your stainless headers because of the cracked welds.

ISF-88

Thanks for the correction and helpful info. Then don't wrap them and get a set of high grade stainless steel header and ceramic coat them

malujerry

iTrader: (7)

or else it's stock headers... 20 less horsepower in exchange for reliability. tough choice...

MINO

iTrader: (4)

V-bands on the ISF Header???
That place is probably mixing some generic info with ISF specific info.

This is a v-band:

ISF-88

Ya it's your money and do what you wish with it. Myself I'm going to wait for a Elite's Header to come out and even at a higher cost I'll spend the money for it...Not trying to encourage anyone to buy his header but I emailed him asking what material was his header made of and good news they are tig welded 304L grade stainless steel Also they will come ceramic coated. IMO if your going to spend that kind of money + hefty install costs on one mod it better be made out of a nice material that lasts long. When it comes down to modding a IS-F you can't cheap out...remember this isn't a civic. You have to pay to play.


Ya probabely a typo on the flange part.

Damage

Let's just get straight to it. Look at Sikky headers:





LOL. Would you pay money for that? All lopsided.

ISF-88

Now I can see your pics...Yes the uneven ports has been an issue with Sikky Headers. Those are doublexi's Headers. Ok since you started it Damage here is another member that has even worse raised welds and uneven ports.


With SIKKY's flanges seemed like they just welded it on the ports and didn't machine them properly after...Also look at the uneven ports...


PIRATE1's Headers






Here is what a properly machined flange/ports should look like. Notice there are no raised welds and ports are all evenly shaped.








Even with the quality issues there is no reason to bash on SIKKY here so please lets keep this professional before this thread get's closed. I'm done with pointing out all the flaws on SIKKY's Header on the other Lexus F forums.

BB/F

So your bashing, but want to keep it professional and not bash? I got an idea. How about you buy what you want to buy and stop trying to push elites headers on everyone. If you dont want to buy the sikky header, then dont. Pretty simple.

ISF-88

Bashing or no bashing and sorry I take back what I said then but I think everyone has the right to know what the products are made of before spending thousands of dollars on it...Just trying to be helpful here that's all.

houstonT

I appreciate this thread as I had NO idea and am in the market for some mods...thanks to the O/P.
Peter

BB/F

Being helpful is one thing. Getting digs in under the guise of being helpful is another.

So lets talk about the ports since you guys are so hung up on them.

What is the port diameter of the exhaust ports in the cylinder head?

What is the port diameter of the ports on the flanges?

Has the port diameter of the header tubes been compared to the actual size of the exhaust ports in the cylinder head?

Does any of the the header flange actually block any of the exhaust port in the cylinder head or are the holes in the flanges larger? If they are larger, the unevenness is not an issue. If any of the flange is blocking the exhaust port, then I could see an issue and wouldnt be too happy about it either.

The pics of the 4 cyl header you posted-beautiful work and I'm sure you pay for it. However, since I've been modding cars (mostly Chevrolet V8's) I've never seen a header that matched the flange ports to the exact size of the exhaust ports of the cylinder head. Usually it was because of what size the tubes were 1 5/8, 1 3/4 or 1 7/8 and in all cases the holes in the flange were larger than the exhaust port of the cylinder.


As far as stainless vs mild steel is concerned. I've used both and never had an issue with either one. I preferred the stainless just because they looked nicer after a couple of years, but my Jet Hot coated headers still looked good 4 years after I pulled them off. Granted the speed bumps had their way with the collectors and scraped off the coating in that area because my car was lowered. Had it not been lowered, the coating would have still been on, on those lower areas. I dont know if all the shrouding underneath our cars will help protect the headers from debris or not. If it does, there is no reason why the coated headers will last a very long time without the coating coming off.

clifftrail

iTrader: (9)

I agree, because of previous posts by you and others it doesn't matter how you are trying to present the information now and appears that you have and axe to grind. Its your prerogative to post but I don't think many people will believe that your simply not taking jabs at this point, me included when this information was found on the public domain in the first place.

MRxSLAYx

These might be what your looking for ... Stock gasket on sikky headers. Im not 100% sure but the stock gasket should match the ports on the head

ISF-88

If those gaskets are matched with the ports on the head then in those pics the flange ports on the header are smaller.

QUOTE by BB/F:

Does any of the the header flange actually block any of the exhaust port in the cylinder head or are the holes in the flanges larger? If they are larger, the unevenness is not an issue.