Aftermarket Headers, Yes or no? Options

[6gLoganL]

I am considering purchasing aftermarket headers for my 1996 st 1.8 i am curious if they make a difference performance wise and if its worth it. Thanks

[Bitter]

He can have headers, just not at the same time.

I thought they made a fairly noticeable difference on my 7A. Maybe not in total power but in how they shifted the engine's torque up some and let it breath a little better at the upper end of the RPM range. The eBay header is patterned off a 20V 4A-GE exhaust manifold but with a little longer and a little fatter runners, same cylinder pairing and 4-2-1 design. It's 'tuned' for about 4000-5000 RPM, with the 7A running out of power at 6000 totally it does move power up a little high but with correct tuning (or if you're pre-96, just adding some timing) that shift is very advantageous since it doesn't really diminish lower range torque that much. As far as small 4 cylinders built on late 80's design go, the 7A is a pretty torquey engine. I didn't feel like I lost any of that but gained more power up top. Win win in my books, especially since at the time I think I paid about $70 with shipping. Don't spend more than about $100 on it though and watch that you get the correct oxygen sensor type. There's flange or thread in, they do make an adapter to bolt to the flange that lets you thread a sensor in though.