Where are all the headers?

bumpin_p5

Member
:
2002.5 Mazda Protege5 SportAuto
Yes, Yes, I know that there has been half a million posts about headers and where to get them, but they have been no help because they are old. I know you can get OBX from Ebay, and Vibrant from a few place here and there, but is there anything else? Those headers are pretty much it as far as I have seen. There was a post with all the links and most of those links are either dead or the company doesn't make the header anymore. Can you guy that have headers reply with your header type (non-turbo headers only) and where you got it from? I appreciate it.
 
Another question, you guys that have headers, do you buy new downpipes to go with them? Do you eliminate you cat? Or do you leave everything the same and just replace the header?
 
i have an AWR header...can get from awrracing.com

it eliminates the precat, if you still have your stock exhaust then you will retain one cat. you do have to cheat around the cel if you get a header though. no downpipe needed (thats only on turbo cars). also go to protegegarage.com for more options...i think he has obx. i say either get the obx or see if you can get an awr. the obx is a 4-1 and the awr is a 4-2-1. both are of nice quality from what i have heard
 
also one other thing...id go aheead and replace the exhaust manifold gasket while your at it. they are not expensive...i think my dealership had them for 15 bucks.
 
Tsudo from eBay. Looks like an OBX. Has 2 o2 sensor bungs.

Removes the first cat. Need 2 non-foulers to fix the CEL. ($7.00)
 
You bought a car that was in production for 2 years and was discontinued, hence basically NO aftermarket.....deal with it. Be glad you can get the few parts you can.
 
?
2001-2003...thats 3 in my book....there are plenty of aftermarket parts out there. not as many as a civic or fox body but a good amount considering there were only 3 years it was made
 
justanotheradikt said:
some people are starting to come up with problems with tusdo though.


What problems do you speak of?

I have the Ebay Tsudo header, spark plug nonfouler as the CEL fix. It came with a new gasket and I was able to reuse the donut gasket.

It hooks directly to the second cat witht he flange directly next to the oil pan. Easy install using the How To on here.

I searched for awhile, the OBX was not on ebay at the time and the group buy here had fallen through. There is a header that uses the first cat, a couple more expensive headers(seems they came coated) but I had a bad cat and needed to replace it, so I got the tsudo.

No complaints, other than a dumbass neighbor putting his grubby hands on my header while it was chrome and his hand print turning purple once it heated up.(pissed)
 
justanotheradikt said:
?
2001-2003...thats 3 in my book....there are plenty of aftermarket parts out there. not as many as a civic or fox body but a good amount considering there were only 3 years it was made

I think he was referring to the fact that the Protege 5 itself was only built as 2002 and 2003 models. Engine-wise, the Pro5 has the same engine as a 2001, 2002, 2003 Protege, however. The P5 differs in exhausts (shorter than the sedan), suspension, and certain body components. So both are right...engine in production for 3 years, but body and other P5-exclusive aspects were only in production for 2 years.

I also agree with justanotherdikt in that for a 2-3 year production car there is a pretty decent aftermarket. Most of our parts are made by people we can actually speak to and ask questions because they personally designed, manufactured, and sold you the part (AWR, Kartboy, DGMotorsports, etc). While with a Honda, you can buy from parts from virtually anyone and you can't rely 100% on the retailer to be able to answer any questions you have about the part. Also with Hondas, Nissans, and other icon tuners, you have to worry about knock-off parts. We have a better chance of getting a quality part. Sorry for the rant, just my $0.02.

To address the topic at hand, Thunder also makes a 4-1 header (I'm waiting for mine arrive). Just like the OBX and Tsudo, it removes the first cat and a CEL eliminator is required. If I had the cash flow, I would have opted for the AWR because it is a 4-2-1 design which is better for more mid-range gains. If anyone is interested in the Thunder header for the FS-DE 2.0L or for the Mazda 3, get in touch with Gary (Protephile is his screenname) and he can hook you up. He is a great vendor and an awesome guy and he is the only source for Thunder right now (they also make exhaust systems for our cars).
 
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gimpo2 said:
wrong, the FS-DE has been around for soooooooo freakin long. its just noone cares about proteges

I stand corrected. I didn't even consider all of the overseas Ford, Mazda, etc cars that have ran the FS-DE.

Also agreed that the big boys don't consider the Protege given what you pointed out about the FS-DE being out a lot longer than most think. In regards to Mazda, all attention is (from what I've seen) given to RX-7's and Miatas. Even the RX-8 aftermarket is growing pretty fast.
 
Captain KRM P5 said:
i am stocking OBX headers again and have about 15 on hand right now

do they come with all the neccesary hardware and the CEL Eliminator?
 
i ahve the ractive header from ebay... its a 4-1 design but it stays split in 4 pipes from the block until a couple inches from the midpipe... where as the obx and others come to 1 about halfway down the header... i dont see a reason for replacing the short stock ehader with more short headers... just the way i see it but hey im new here too =)
 
bumpin_p5 said:
do they come with all the neccesary hardware and the CEL Eliminator?

a CEL eliminator can be done one of two ways and is up to the end user. there is the MIL fix which involves wiring in a resistor as described in the how-to section of this forum and there is the more common spark plug non fouler fix which involves hollowing out a pair of non foulers so that your secondary o2 sensor is slightly removed from the exhaust stream.
 
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