Just picked up the June issue of Option and they had a whole page article on the new Power House Amuse headers. Needless to say they are incredibly sweet, and made of titanium. They drop the header weight from a stock 17kg to 2kg!! They are of a 4-2-1 design and appear to be designed to have equal length headers, though this is difficult to tell from a picture alone. I couldn't find any pricing information, and I don't read Japanese so have no idea what they said about them.

I can scan the article and a couple of Power House Amuse ads if someone can translate them.

 

scan them and i'll try the translation.

i'll bet it'll be super expensive though.

 

Actually, the stuff isn't all that much. It's just expensive for the S2000. For a Skyline, their R1 exhaust is only 100,000 yen as opposed to 200,000 yen for the S2k. Anyways, I'll scan the stuff soon.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by S2kRob
[B]Just picked up the June issue of Option and they had a whole page article on the new Power House Amuse headers.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bbsilver
[B][QUOTE]Originally posted by S2kRob
[b]Just picked up the June issue of Option and they had a whole page article on the new Power House Amuse headers.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bbsilver

Quote:

Ooo, 17kg to 2kg. Those tube are 1/4 the thickness of the stock. I am picturing heat problems, cracking, and bending. Do they require a heat shield? Since you are letting more heat into the engine cavity, how does that affect the performance for those without a CAI?

The stock header, although an impressive design is made from very heavy tubing and is a mass production unit. Holds in sound and probably retains heat well.

All of the aftermarket headers are much lighter. Most made from polished stainless, they have butted joints , thinner tubing, and weigh a fraction of what the stock one does. Obviously the ti unit is even lighter.

A heat shield is always desirable, standard on stock and on the Mugen. There may be a little heat buildup on the right side of the engine but the intake is not in the same vicinity (not the same problem as transverse Hondas) so the stock airbox performance should not see a big change.

I don

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bbsilver
[B]
Ooo, 17kg to 2kg.

 

I'm taking all of that into account. I'm talking orders of magnitude. 2.35Stl. 1.6Ti. Only a 30% weight savings or the identical design, 12kg for the Ti design. Loose another 25% on the flanges, 8.7kg.

Worst case Steel
190Gpa Modulus

Best case Titanium
125Gpa Modulus

Titanium is good when compared on a weight basis, but it is not the be all end all of materials. For an identical design the steel version would be stronger.

Take the 8.7kg as a baseline. The Amuse version would have to remove 75% of the mass to get their 2kg weight. I would expect to see ~5kg. Honda puts a factor of safety on their designs, but I bet it is no where close to 4x.

Other possible problems:
- The lower mass would drive up the natural frequency.
- The lower mass would require you to insulate and/or isolate the headers because of heat dissipation.
- Lower strength would mean the exhaust might not be able to absorb abrupt loads like when you stall the engine or pop the clutch.

I'm just throwing out a word of caution. Just because these companies put out a product, doesn't mean it is better. How many out there have an aftermarket exhaust or CAI that actually produces HPs? I would imagine there are easier and cheaper ways to reduce weight on this car: battery, battery holder, rims...

 

I think you are assuming a lot without pulling off the stock header and looking at it. The type of material is not all that makes up the difference. The stock header is about as heavy as you can make it with thick material, sleeved joints, and fat flanges.

I know people that are half my weight at the same height but just as durable.

Caution is fine but until you have both units on a bench for inspection it is speculation. I don't want to defend an unknown product, but why are you attacking it?

BTW, the best way for me to reduce weight in my car would be diet.. no ti needed

 

Something just doesn't sit right with me. Looking at the description again, it's a 4-2-1 with equal length tubes. That should be even heavier. You're right, I'm looking at the design blind. I'm making estimates just based on experience. A 75% reduction would definately encroach on some of the design safety factors.

Details aside, what will the 10kgs buy you? I would venture to guess only weight savings and a change in engine tone. That's just a guess based on the posts over the last year of people that spent $3500 on the exhaust and found they have stock performance with a cool sound. The exhaust was the first thing I looked at when I got my car. I'm glad I was out of money at the time. Maybe when I get a supercharger I'll get one.

Nothing is stopping anyone from buying the product; I would even encourgage a rich guinea pig to test it out. I just saying I would be cautious of the possible ramifications.

Time to get out and walk, huh?