cutter22

Hey all,
I recently picked up a 88 4runner with a 22re and absolutely love it. I just noticed that the header has a 3" split in it after the exhaust manifold before the o2 sensor. Currently its running great and everything is pretty much stock.

Wondering about replacing the header to something aftermarket. LCE seems a little out of budget but maybe possible but wondering if there is a more affordable solution that will get me some more performance. Also wondering if going aftermarket im going to see an improvement if the rest of the rig is stock or if it would be better to dedicate the cash to other projects i want to do on the truck.

Im mostly interested in getting the best mpg on the vehicle since its my DD but i do take it out in the woods and hook up a trailer but mostly on pavement.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

snobdds

If your header is cracked, it's probably a cheap model like OBX or pacesetter, neither of which I would suggest using again. To get a quality header your going to have to drop some coin on it. I would only go with LC Engineering or Doug Thorley. Although I've heard Trail Gear makes one now too, however I do not know a lot about it...

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

below are the current 22re headers available. i put them in order of increasing price and positive feedback. as always, you gotta pay to play.
-OBX
-Trail Gear
-LCE
-Doug Thorley

lastly would be custom setup that not many choose to do. in past discussions, it was claimed that a stock exhaust manifold (4 holes into 2), followed by a larger diameter downpipe around 2" (2 holes to 1) basically mimics the Doug Thorley 4-2-1 "Tri-Y" header. the poster commented that the stock exhaust manifold is simply a good design with many man hours put into developing the part and does the job just fine, but it's the DOWNPIPE that restricts flow since it's made from such a small diameter pipe. the problem with all this is that you're gonna have to get one custom made and 99% of consumers wouldn't bother doing so, and your average exhaust shop doesn't do custom exhaust pieces like this without it coming with a large price tag.

tri-y/4-2-1 design is supposedly designed for better low-end power (great for crawling or from a stop) whereas the 4-1 design is better for high-rpm flow (something a gutless 22re will never do).

it it were me, i'd fix the crack until your budget allows you to replace the entire exhaust system with better parts. doesn't make sense to put new free-flowing header on old 1.75" ID exhaust pipe.

cutter22

Thanks on the suggestion, seems like waiting till i can replace the whole system is the way to go. mostly im just looking to get better performance and mileage out of the 22re. im all stock and do a lot of long distance driving so efficiency is my main concern.

streetlancer

iTrader: (1)

Rock the stocker! Like highonpottery said, its the best design on a 22re. I got a lce header but dont notice much difference.