Intake + Headers ... No Exhaust?

Question

I just put in a cold air intake in my car, along with lighter pulleys ... for my next mod, Im thinking Headers, and my question is:

Would it be okay to run headers with no aftermarket exhaust? Would this have any sort of negative effect on my car? I hear people going with intake, headers, and exhaust, but never intake and headers alone.

The reason why I am so anti-exhaust, is because my car is a 4-cylinder ... and every exhaust for it sounds "super ricer".

Answer 1

Headers are noiser, not the exhaust but the ringing of the exhaust pulses in the pipes and they conduct heat better, which creates more under hood heat. In addition, the loss of heat in the header reduces exhaust velocity which can depress performance.

Were it me, headers would be the very last addition made. For headers to make any difference, improved flow in the intake, cylinder head/valves and cat, muffler and tail pipe have to come first.

Answer 2

The only purpose of the headers is to reduce restriction in the exhaust. If you keep the stock exhaust, muffler and cat. you are keeping the most restrictive components. You won't cause any harm to the engine, but there will be no improvement in performance. You should save the money and leave the stock manifold alone.

Answer 3

Your not gonna build a dragster out of a 4 cyl. Tune the dang thing up where it runs great and use it for a daily driver thats good on gas. That car will never b fast..lol