Advise taken...Header and Piping System

I have been advised against setting up a SAFC in my Honda. Why? The value for money issue.

The SAFC will set me back about USD400, the amount of time taken to configure the unit to best match my B16A engine and my driving style will run into the months. This will in fact cost me in fuel money and milage. I need to run the car for long periods just to get the most optimum setting on the SAFC.

Another alternative that I can apply is to take that USD400 and focus on improving the header, exhaust piping and adjustable cam pulleys. The results are instant, with improvement to the horse power and fuel efficiency. It is a direct tweak to the engine rather then to route it through the electronics. I am taking this advice seriously and am now looking around for the type of header that would be suited to the Honda.

I have a choice of a 4-2-1 or 4-1 configuration for the header. If fuel is my main focus then the 4-2-1 configuration is the one I will install. If I want better speed and race capabilities then the 4-1 configuration is the one I should go for. The 4-1 will cost me in terms of fuel but the power gain from it would warrant the lost on fuel.

The piping suggested was 2 or 3 inches depending on what I really want to focus on. A 3 inch coupled with a 4-1 header would blow my gas allowance through the roof but I can smoke a lot of people on the roads.

The adjustable cam pulleys give you the opportunity to tailor the valve timing to suit the particular engine or camshafts. Using adjustable cam pulleys I can tweak the low RPM. The rule of thumb is that for every degree of change on the adjustable cam pulleys means a change of 200 RPMs to the power band.

Having these three upgrades to the engine for my Honda would allow me the chance to smoke any turbo-charge car on the street. With the big VTEC of the Honda B16A there is no need for a turbo upgrade, all I need to do now is to make sure that the other components of my engine setup help push out extra horse power.