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Cracked stock manifold : which replacement ?

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Hi,

I'm the future owner of a stock JDM S15, and unfortunately, the exhaust manifold cracked just a few days ago... (it's rather cold in France now, and the S15 was not running very often) :(

The crack is quite large, on the fourth cylinder, and I wonder what is the best replacement...


I've read lot of topics where it is said that Stainless Steel manifolds are very prone to crack...
The Tomei expreme seems interesting, but if it will crack, it's not a very good deal...

In fact, the cast iron stock manifold seems to be rather good, in performance, and in cracking resistance...
But in Europe, where the S15 has not been imported, it's impossible to find a S15 oem exhaust manifold...

So, what is the best choice ? I surely can find a used manifold from japan, but the shipping will be very high...
Are SS this fragile ?

And finally, the S14a and S15 manifolds seems to be different. But will a S14 manifold fit on a S15 SR20 ?
Because, it rather easy to find one here...

Thank you for your answers ! :wave:
 

DeanS15

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Try this mate,
http://www.h-dev.co.uk/product_info...d=168&osCsid=f2f42aa6d6ca4594027deeb47cf5347f
many people over here have it fitted (including me) and I haven't yet heard of any cracking issues... It seems wether you spend 150 or 600 there is still always a chance of cracking... It's most important to support the exhaust properly to avoid it ;)
Thanks for your answer !

Does it fit correctly with the stock other parts?

Do you add any braces to support the manifold ?
 

DeanS15

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It does fit in the stock location mate, you would need to use flexible turbo oil and water hoses really because the originals do not really bend at all and are prone to leaking. You can wrap the manifold, some people do, I didnt because I think it makes them get much hotter and more likely to crack but it's a personal preference thing...
 

DeanS15

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heres a pic of my h-dev manifold and the heat shield that i fitted to protect the bonnet from the heat :)

 

DeanS15

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I'm pretty sure the mazworx manifolds are made for t3 type turbos and won't keep everything in the stock location...
 

Max

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With a SS mani your turbo will spool up so much faster, especially with an SS turbo elbow and downpipe. I changed up about 6 months ago. I actually got a used SS one, but a good quality one. I figure, and I have an experienced friend to back me up, a used one will be just as good performance wise. If it hasnt cracked already, hopefully it won't... Infact my friend purchased a cracked tomei one and had it professionally repaired. One, it was way cheaper, and its pretty unlikely to crack again!

When looking at manifolds take a damn good look at the welds, especially on the inside. Any lumps and rough looking edges are liable to heat up way more than the rest of the mani, melt and/or drop off into the turbo. That is why i would not bother with anything cheap and non branded. Even if it is branded just be sure! You won't regret it!

My friend and I wrapped mine, the elbow and downpipe with some good exhaust wrap too. It did take alot, and alot of SS ties. I hear that wrapped manis are only more prone to cracking if the exhaust wrapping is done badly, i.e unevenly and leaving any gaps. They crack because one area cools quicker than the rest, so a well wrapped manifold will infact cool slower and more evenly, reducing chances of cracking.
Food for thought.
 
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