Headers
Thread Starter
JK Freak
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 510
Likes: 0
From: texas
Headers
Is anyone running headers on their 3.8l rig? Just wondering about ANY gains at all. I was considering a mild exhaust and thought about headers. I don't know if the stock exhaust system on these mini van motors is very restrictive or not.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
I had to swap mine out due to I cracked the $hit out of them. If you do decide to replace them i suggest pulling off the fenders and the fender well sheilds. Makes it SOOOOOOOOOOO much easier. Also be carefull the screws on mine wanted to be stupid and try to strip out. So watch out for that. The new ones i got had some stupid bends on the drivers side and i had to work some weird stuff to keep it from melting the second plug wire. Also if your going to do the headers might as well replace the stupid bolts holding the headers to the cats. the get hot and back out. swapped them out and all is well. As for preformance increase. I dont really know. there might be some but not enough to notice. Pull the heat sheilds off and see if there are cracks. I was all the way around one and 3/4 the way around the other side. I also pulled off the stupid muffler too. Jeep sounds awesome with out it and its a easy pull off.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 321
Likes: 1
From: Lafayette, LA
Wow, Winged... sounds like your jeep has lots of stupid parts on it. 
Good suggestions on things to watch out for though. I might add that if you're doing the work yourself, PB Blaster is your friend. Use it often on any of the rusted bolts and let it soak in. Just don't use it on a hot manifold though.
From what I've heard, you're only going to get performance gains if you go with a long tube header design. If you replace the stock headers with any of the shorty headers out there, you're not likely to see much (if any) in the way of improvements. The Ripp long tube headers look pretty sweet, but they're awfully proud of them and want a whole lot of coin. On the other hand, they claim 25~30 HP and 30~40 FT/LB improvements at the wheels if you go all out with it, and they've got the dyno runs to prove it.
Good suggestions on things to watch out for though. I might add that if you're doing the work yourself, PB Blaster is your friend. Use it often on any of the rusted bolts and let it soak in. Just don't use it on a hot manifold though.
From what I've heard, you're only going to get performance gains if you go with a long tube header design. If you replace the stock headers with any of the shorty headers out there, you're not likely to see much (if any) in the way of improvements. The Ripp long tube headers look pretty sweet, but they're awfully proud of them and want a whole lot of coin. On the other hand, they claim 25~30 HP and 30~40 FT/LB improvements at the wheels if you go all out with it, and they've got the dyno runs to prove it.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: Las Vegas
I dont know if i would say stupid parts, just made by a stupid person. But its a Jeep, as long as there is oil in the pan then it will run for ever. I have beat the crap out of mine. Brakes blown, running on only front drive shaft. and a bunch of other minor stuff for ever, but she still gets me to work and back. And solid steel bumpers with a bull bar makes people move out of the way when they are driving slow in the fast lane. Im happy with it and all of the problems i have with it. Still kicks ass on the trails.
Thread Starter
JK Freak
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 510
Likes: 0
From: texas
Wow, Winged... sounds like your jeep has lots of stupid parts on it.
Good suggestions on things to watch out for though. I might add that if you're doing the work yourself, PB Blaster is your friend. Use it often on any of the rusted bolts and let it soak in. Just don't use it on a hot manifold though.
From what I've heard, you're only going to get performance gains if you go with a long tube header design. If you replace the stock headers with any of the shorty headers out there, you're not likely to see much (if any) in the way of improvements. The Ripp long tube headers look pretty sweet, but they're awfully proud of them and want a whole lot of coin. On the other hand, they claim 25~30 HP and 30~40 FT/LB improvements at the wheels if you go all out with it, and they've got the dyno runs to prove it.
Good suggestions on things to watch out for though. I might add that if you're doing the work yourself, PB Blaster is your friend. Use it often on any of the rusted bolts and let it soak in. Just don't use it on a hot manifold though.
From what I've heard, you're only going to get performance gains if you go with a long tube header design. If you replace the stock headers with any of the shorty headers out there, you're not likely to see much (if any) in the way of improvements. The Ripp long tube headers look pretty sweet, but they're awfully proud of them and want a whole lot of coin. On the other hand, they claim 25~30 HP and 30~40 FT/LB improvements at the wheels if you go all out with it, and they've got the dyno runs to prove it.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
From: Phoenix, AZ
I did RIPP long tube headers first and felt some improvment but not enough to make a big difference...I then spent the 4K and got the RIPP kit.
If I had to do it over again I would do the RIPP kit first and then do the headers if I needed more power.