Raceland 4 Piece Headers

[kevnj]

I looked at my 4 piece Racelands last night, and they clear the subframe by a mile. If anything they're close to the firewall, but not touching.

Thanks for contributing to the thread.

[ck_taft325is]

I want Raceland headers... Wishno, how was installation of them? I've heard Raceland's can have clearance issues when installing or the mount holes don't always work.

[giantkeeper]

I want Raceland headers... Wishno, how was installation of them? I've heard Raceland's can have clearance issues when installing or the mount holes don't always work.

Correct, my raceland longtube headers were a PIA to install due to the flange hole alignment and the subframe/sway bar clearance.

Drill out the flanges and shim your motor. I have no rasp with this set up and aside from install issues so far I am satisfied with the performance.

[Wishno87]

I want Raceland headers... Wishno, how was installation of them? I've heard Raceland's can have clearance issues when installing or the mount holes don't always work.

Not too bad in my case. The holes lined up fine. It was a pain to tighten all 24 nuts though and as with most headers you need to remove the engine mount arm to get them in there.

[AnimalE30]

What would be better for an m50tu, the four pc or two pc long tubes?

[kevnj]

What would be better for an m50tu, the four pc or two pc long tubes?

Better as in easier to fit or better as in performance?

The 4 piece from what people are saying are a whole lot easier to fit then the raceland long tube headers. The supersprint knocks offs seem to be a toss up. Many people have had no problems and some have had fitment issues on the earlier designs.

For performance I would think the 4 piece to be pretty comparable but there would be no way to know for sure without testing. The raceland long tube 2 piece headers seem to be optimal for performance in the cheap Chinese category but are difficult to fit in an E30.

For real header performance using quality collectors get out your wallet and be ready to spend at least a grand.

[Jand3rson]

Sorry if my half-awake brainless self missed it, but you guys are talking about installing these while the engine is in the car, yes?

And the 4-piece Racelands are easier to do this way?

[Wishno87]

Sorry if my half-awake brainless self missed it, but you guys are talking about installing these while the engine is in the car, yes?

And the 4-piece Racelands are easier to do this way?

Yes I swapped them with the engine in the car. Both require the same effort to install but the raceland ones fit in an e30 better and are not nearly as raspy. They do require the THR cabs though. I got rid of my supersprint ones so I did not have to shim the engine as high and to reduce rasp.

[kevnj]

Sorry if my half-awake brainless self missed it, but you guys are talking about installing these while the engine is in the car, yes?

And the 4-piece Racelands are easier to do this way?

I haven't installed them yet. I have the engine on the stand so will install these before putting the motor in.

Maybe some of the other posters can comment. Since their sounds to be no clearance issues requiring them to be modified, they should be easier to install then the long tube racelands which require based on feedback I have gathered reading other threads.

1. Shimming
2. Header bending/hammering
3. Subframe modification usually with a hammer and some heat.
4. Flange modfication


Disclaimer: This info was gathered by other posters. I have no 1st hand knowledge. There is so much information scattered all over the place on the inexpensive headers but it's not always clear on which headers are being discussed (2 piece US Supersprint Knock Offs, 2 Piece Raceland Long tube Header with large diameter pipes and 4 piece Raceland headers), people just say ebay headers.

[AnimalE30]

Better as in easier to fit or better as in performance?

The 4 piece from what people are saying are a whole lot easier to fit then the raceland long tube headers. The supersprint knocks offs seem to be a toss up. Many people have had no problems and some have had fitment issues on the earlier designs.

For performance I would think the 4 piece to be pretty comparable but there would be no way to know for sure without testing. The raceland long tube 2 piece headers seem to be optimal for performance in the cheap Chinese category but are difficult to fit in an E30.

For real header performance using quality collectors get out your wallet and be ready to spend at least a grand.

Yeah, I should have been more specific - I was referring to performance wise.

My brother has a set of the long tubes that we will try first. If we can make them work and I like the sound I'll go with those. If not, I'll pick up the four pc. Thanks!