UPGRADE to Alpha? Another Header thread

[Airborne]

Airborne, I'm looking forward to seeing how the OTTP header works for you. Do you have emissions where your are at? Also did you have them install 2 o2 bungs like the stock manifold?

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Me too!!!
We do have emisions where I am at, however it's by county. Some counties have it and some don't. I have my truck registered in a county that doesn't have emisions. So it's not a big deal for me. If there are people out there that have emissions you can add a cat after the header and put the 2nd o2 sensor after that. Again that's not a big deal either.
I am having only the single "precat" O2 sensor bung. The second one will be useless, so I am having that deleted with the tune.

I didn't see any reason to cut a hole in the lower part of the header and weld a bung into it for it to not be doing anything.

 

[Airborne]

Yes that is a large amount of info! I appreciate it. Thanks sent.

I would love to hear what sort of power increase you get out of these headers. Personally, I haven't heard good things about OTT headers, & the after sales service. Hopefully Im misinformed.

I have a Borla cat-back, & thinking I should do something about that flat bit in the exhaust. I think someone explained how the design is actually non-restrictive... Not sure though.

Airdoc will eventually come off to make room a Volant CAI system.

Contacted the ported TB people, they didn't accept my request to allow a couple extra days for shipping because I live abroad. Even though i said id pay the full amount in advance, & they'd just refund me when its there.

I'm not looking to eliminate all back pressure though, it would kill the torque. I do a lot of sand dune trails.

Good luck with your upgrades. My only request though is that you bring back some real before & after results. Dyno, 0-60, anything other than how it feels. Keep in mind that mileage reading may vary before & after.

PCM mail order tune will always get you better results.. Datalogs back and forth are the way to go. I suggest you do that instead.


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I heard that about the OTTP guys too. Thats why I called and actually talked to Josh. I asked specifically about the durability of his headers and he said that he has had only 2 with an issue. Both were very very minor and fixed with all expenses paid to do it. I thought that was a pretty good guarantee. The fact that he was willing to admit that he had 2 with a problem vs lying and saying all were 100% perfect says a lot.
I haven't met a single company with 100% success rate with any product. That's why warranty info means so much to me. If they back it lifetime no questions asked then it might be worth a shot in my book. I heard a few bad things from the cobalt forums and that was mainly about shipping, but nothing with the colorado/canyon guys. I am curious what you had heard exactly so I can keep a look out.

As far as the ported throttle body I would be willing to help any way I could. (I just got back from Afghanistan and understand that logistics for being in a country that far from the states is difficult)

I am going to do 0-60 times tomorrow. I have kept track of mpg ever since I bought it. Skipped MAYBE 3 fill ups.
As far as getting a dyno done, that's not something I'm very interested in. Like I said this is all to see if I "need" an alpha or not.

James suggested getting an HPtuners type reader for data logging to help with zeroing in on the tune. Having said that he sent a questionaire similiar to the PCM of NC guys. Then I had another 45 min phone call with him to go over other variables etc. I realize with out a dyno and real time data logging a mail order tune will only get you on paper.. A complete zeroed tune will really only get you maybe 5 extra hp and maybe a few ft/lbs tops. All I am looking for is close, because there will be no love loss if this all doesn't work out. A few hp loss isn't going to help or hurt my desicion on whether or not I get an Alpha which is the main goal with all this to see if it's really needed or not. The added cost to get an HPtuner and the time to piss around with the "tune" that either will or won't ever make me happy vs just getting a real 300 hp vehicle.

Then again the NOS is still a thought for me as towing is huge for me here with all the mountains we have. If after the NOS I'm still a no go, its alpha all the way. I will easily just take the NOS system from the I5 and bolt on to the Alpha:horns:. Then we would be talking real hp!!!! :cheers:

If I'm wrong with all this oh well I gave the I5 a good shot.

 

[Airborne]

hey i also heard changing your blinker fluid helps increase horse power, im not 100% sure though.:wink:

Good call bro!!! I haven't changed my blinker fluid in like 86,000 miles. I have put a bunch of racing stickers and all over my truck though. I heard its like 2-5 hp each one. So ya I'm like 700 hp at the wheels now. :shifty:

 

[cgalpha08]

What about performance cam shafts or crank shafts, forged pistons, upgraded valves?
I have no idea i they even make this for the version of the 5.3 in the Alpha

The way I see it if you want to get serious power you need serious modifications, (more than a super charger and headers) if you know what you are doing i don't see why you can't easily get north of 600 hp out of the 5.3 but that costs $$$$
I also feel like once you deviate too far from stock you will need to pay greater attention to maintenance, especially if you aren't N/A anymore.

I think the Alpha is plenty powerful, 300Hp, I consistently cruise north of 70 on the freeway and still have power to overtake. Take offs from red lights are pretty good too.
Heck if you have 300Hp with the 4:1 your golden

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

What about performance cam shafts or crank shafts, forged pistons, upgraded valves?
I have no idea i they even make this for the version of the 5.3 in the Alpha

The way I see it if you want to get serious power you need serious modifications, (more than a super charger and headers) if you know what you are doing i don't see why you can't easily get north of 600 hp out of the 5.3 but that costs $$$$
I also feel like once you deviate too far from stock you will need to pay greater attention to maintenance, especially if you aren't N/A anymore.

I think the Alpha is plenty powerful, 300Hp, I consistently cruise north of 70 on the freeway and still have power to overtake. Take offs from red lights are pretty good too.
Heck if you have 300Hp with the 4:1 your golden

you're Z06 heads and a Z06 camshaft away from 400 hp. The 5.3 has a lot of potential.... enough that I could easily sell the motor that's in my H3, and have change left over after buying a VVT DOD 6.2

 

[cgalpha08]

you're Z06 heads and a Z06 camshaft away from 400 hp. The 5.3 has a lot of potential.... enough that I could easily sell the motor that's in my H3, and have change left over after buying a VVT DOD 6.2

Hmmm you have me tempted now!! Haha

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[MaxPF]

That's why I bought HP tuners pro. It has inputs for wideband On sensors. Which is required to correct drivablity, power enrichment (wide the fu×k open throttle), ect

I have EFI Live, which does the same thing. Hook up a wideband O2 sensor and run it in Black Box logging mode. Drive it around for a while, then use the log file to re-tune. Piece of cake.

 

[jakesz28]

EFI live Would Be Good to. I think some support is out for tuner cats yet. But that is dying. They have a way to tune as you drive with online edits. Which would be cool support for certain platforms.

 

[humvee]

I am curious what you had heard exactly so I can keep a look out.

As far as the ported throttle body I would be willing to help any way I could. (I just got back from Afghanistan and understand that logistics for being in a country that far from the states is difficult)

To be honest I can't really remember, pretty sure its Chinese whispers.

Thanks for offering to help, i might just take you up on that. Freight Logistics are good here, apart from the high prices, I have no complaints.
James never got back to me about the throttle body request... Perhaps they don't like making money.

I know I often Bash Qatar, might have given you guys the wrong impression.. Here, they do have emissions regulations, skyscrapers, luxury hotels, DHL, FedEx, streets, pavements etc.. Also the 2022 world cup hosts.. BUT, they make so much money from Oil & Gas, they dont focus on the services sector as much, so its not as developed as the US, or Dubai for example..

but its not Afghanistan in any way

When will you install your OTT headers?


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[Airborne]

Thanks for offering to help, i might just take you up on that. Freight Logistics are good here, apart from the high prices, I have no complaints.
James never got back to me about the throttle body request... Perhaps they don't like making money.

When will you install your OTT headers?


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I was planning on putting them on as soon as I got them. Then I came across this:

http://rukse.com/coatings-application-polished-aluminum.php

I am really really debating on doing this. If I end up sticking with the I5 then I want the header to last forever. This should make it do that. Also a huge plus they coat the inside!!! So it scavanges much better than just the stainless steel, which is still a HUGE improvement over the cast iron and precat. It also keeps the engine temps down quite a bit.
I started looking into how to keep engine bay temps down as well as protect the other components as removing the stock manifold also deletes the heat shield. Yes maybe overthinking a little but rather do it right the first time.

I had heard of people wrapping their headers or even the pipes on motorcycles with heat wrap material then ran into this.
http://www.centuryperformance.com/exhaust-header-heat-wraps-do-not-use.html
The Jet-hot gives some impressive numbers.
From Ruske's site
"Rukse Polished Aluminum ceramic coating or (also called header coating, jet coat, or hot coat)"
So it looks to be the same to me as "jet-hot". Any way I called and talked to Ruske for a good 30 mins on my options. I decided the polished aluminum ceramic coat was the best for me The rep said that as far as performance increase that helped the most, vs the other options, beyond just adding an aftermarket header.
Out the door $275 and 5 day turn around time. Plus they are local, so no shipping.

I don't know, thoughts???:huh:

Soooooo to answer that. I'm looking 10 days out. Which is going to drive me crazy. If I get the headers and they look really good then I might be tempted to just throw them on!

Thanks for offering to help, i might just take you up on that. Freight Logistics are good here, apart from the high prices, I have no complaints.
James never got back to me about the throttle body request... Perhaps they don't like making money.

As far as the ptb James is hard to get ahold of. Email is the best. I will send him one tonight letting him know you are trying to get ahold of him. Like I said I will help with that however you need. Is your H3 your only vehicle over there?

 

[humvee]

I was planning on putting them on as soon as I got them. Then I came across this:
http://rukse.com/coatings-application-polished-aluminum.php
Is your H3 your only vehicle over there?

I've heard a lot about polishing headers, you can also remove the top off your engine and polish the inside of the manifold. They do that to Toyota landcruisers here, massive airflow improvement! But in any case, Aluminum headers are the best, they don't corrode... They do crack though, and I'm not sure ceramic coating helps with that.

The H3 is my only ride, meaning I'd have to receive a ported TB, replace it, then ship it back.
Anyhow, I've got work coming up and wont be able to work on the truck much. So I think I'll put this on hold for now.

We're on version 5 of the tune now... I have to say Kelly is doing a great job.. Gets better with every tune... Most of the improvement is below 85mph though, struggles to reach and pass the 90mph mark. I think she's done all she could do, now we try different octane levels.

Drove amrg's alpha earlier today... Verdict! I'd sell mine in a heartbeat if the opportunity presents itself.. There truly is no replacement for displacement!!!

 

[humvee]

My friend was in the States on vacation, I asked him to grab the Orion header on his way back. Installing it now. Going with the professional install on this one.

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