I'd like some feedback on the sprint manifolds the The Fiero Store has in there line-up of new parts.

IMHO, these headers look good with the heat coated paint, but are they the good "performers" for the money?? OK, I know that there's not much HP as most folks desire for these 2.8L engines, but are they worth while?? I suppose they beat the stock manifolds without a question.

But 600 $ & adding the cross-over pipe and a decent exhaust would develop, what, 5-10hp??

Any good comments??

Thanks,

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fierogt28

Can only speak from using headers on my 3800SC ---they do cost $$$ as you say. Got rid of them, then I ported the stock manifolds , other than being cooler back there, its pulling the same amount of pony`s. I`m mid way on a 3.2 stroker ---if trueleo offers a very good package I may go with them, if not I`ll port/weld the stock manifolds. I think alot of folks on the forum do this & claim the same gains....

quote Originally posted by 3800superfast: Can only speak from using headers on my 3800SC ---they do cost $$$ as you say. Got rid of them, then I ported the stock manifolds , other than being cooler back there, its pulling the same amount of pony`s. I`m mid way on a 3.2 stroker ---if trueleo offers a very good package I may go with them, if not I`ll port/weld the stock manifolds. I think alot of folks on the forum do this & claim the same gains....

Well, I did do some read-ups and heard lots of speculation on porting those stock manifolds. But should the TFS manifolds (by shape and design) be very well less resrictive than those crappy stock ones??

I just thought more flow = more power. In my knowledge when the fiero was build GM just stuck on a manifold due to cost.

Basically, I just thought that power gains from aftermarket headers would be better, much better than having to do this work that GM never finished.

I'm interested, but these fiero store manifolds only improve the performance affect by 5hp, well i'll completly put my intentions on other aspects of the motor.

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fierogt28

Aftermarket headers don't make much (if any) more power than ported stock until you've done some work elsewhere on the engine, i.e., intake, cam, port & polish, etc.

The term "headers" refer to a set of tuned exehust tubes, and the increas in perfomance with tuned headers can not be denied. Unfortunetly, real headers are not avalible for the Fiero.

The "sprint" headers are not headers......at all.

headers by themselves dont help much over ported manifolds.
but, as you increase intake flow, you must increase exhaust flow.

i ported the stock manifolds myself.this is good for about 5 to 10 hp depending on who you listen to .it will make sense when you take off a stock manifold and look inside.2 of the three ports have over 30%of their openings blocked by leftover metal.takes a while to remove it by hand with a die grinder ,but its free horse power . i dont think a set of headers will gain much over this cheap mod.

quote Originally posted by wftb: i dont think a set of headers will gain much over this cheap mod.

There are probably true headers available for the truck application of 2.8 liter V-6’s. And I’m sure that those who have run them would disagree.
Simple ported manifolds will help with restricted flow, but cannot compare to the scavenging effect of true tuned headers.

I do agree with cleaning out the ports in the stock manifolds. It’s a cheap and easy way to gain a bit of extra hp.

Shortie headers
http://www.westcoastfiero.com/headers/2_8_short.html
Long tube headers
http://www.westcoastfiero.com/headers/2_8_long_tube.html
Ported manifolds
http://www.westcoastfiero.com/headers/2_8_manifold.html

They are offered.. You just have to be willing to pay for them.

Chase.

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One of the problems with the stock manifolds is that they are prone to cracking. Although porting stock manifolds will make some power, you will get bigger gains from sprints or some kind of shorty header.

The stock header stinks as much as the the stock intake manifold. Real headers will be availabe soon from us at 'tureleo.com'. WIth a good intake the 2.8 really comes alive add to that better headers and you wont believe its the same engine. From day one thatengine has been hurting big time in both departments. The sprint units are better than the stock ones by a bunch but they are costly and the collect design and other issues leave room for improvement.

quote Originally posted by Francis T: The stock header stinks as much as the the stock intake manifold. Real headers will be availabe soon from us at 'tureleo.com'. WIth a good intake the 2.8 really comes alive add to that better headers and you wont believe its the same engine. From day one thatengine has been hurting big time in both departments. The sprint units are better than the stock ones by a bunch but they are costly and the collect design and other issues leave room for improvement.

any idea how much your headers are going to cost?

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By:Custom2M4
in process-12" front brakes using '88 calipers and '88 vented brakes in rear
hybird rear suspension
3400 turbo in the works

First, please be assured that this is not a shot at the efforts of West coast Fiero

The long tube headers offered by them are by far the nicest ones currently for sale. But they are not true equal length tuned headers, and West coast never claims that they are. The set offered is essentially a tri-y header, where 6 primary tubes feed 2 secondary tubes. The 60 deg V-6 is ideally suited to that arrangement, but like all successful headers equal length is absolutely essential. By looking at them, neither the primaries nor the secondary tubes are equal.

are TOG headers for the 3800scII tuned? In the proces of buying some.......

The Sprint Manifolds are a good improvement.
They will not crack as easily as the stock manifolds.
They will produce slightly more power than the stock ported manifolds. *
If you order them, Be sure to phone in your order and get the PFF 10% discount.

I even used sprint manifolds on my 3.4L and they worked fine.
* = The trick to getting 10-12hp of gain is to use the sprint manifolds AND have the stock cross-over pipe reworked to remove the restriction.
Without the cross-over pipe being reworked, The sprints make the same power as ported stock manifolds.

Be careful using full headers on a stock engine. Although you will gain a little high end power, You will lose some of the low end torque.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Oreif:

The Sprint Manifolds are a good improvement.
They will not crack as easily as the stock manifolds.
They will produce slightly more power than the stock ported manifolds. *
If you order them, Be sure to phone in your order and get the PFF 10% discount.

I even used sprint manifolds on my 3.4L and they worked fine.
* = The trick to getting 10-12hp of gain is to use the sprint manifolds AND have the stock cross-over pipe reworked to remove the restriction.

Thanks Orief !!

Don't worry, I bought plenty of parts from the fiero store and will continue to do so.

I'm just glad that the fiero store manifolds from them don't crack easily as those stockers. Good pointer !!

Thanks,

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fierogt28

quote Originally posted by Francis T: The stock header stinks as much as the the stock intake manifold. Real headers will be availabe soon from us at 'tureleo.com'. WIth a good intake the 2.8 really comes alive add to that better headers and you wont believe its the same engine. From day one thatengine has been hurting big time in both departments. The sprint units are better than the stock ones by a bunch but they are costly and the collect design and other issues leave room for improvement.

As I said earlier, I recall that GM was on a strict budget for this car. I wonder if anyone here on PFF did two strait exhaust lines from each head? Even though there is / was not much space to have each exhaust line with a muffler and Cat. or the owner would modify it. I suppose this would "wake-up" this engine drasticly, if done. Sometimes folks tell me, to bad there's not more space !!

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fierogt28

quote Originally posted by Oreif: Be careful using full headers on a stock engine. Although you will gain a little high end power, You will lose some of the low end torque.

Headers can be designed for any engine, at any RPM range. But like all things in physics, you can’t get something for nothing. Headers designed for low-end torque will be less effective at high RPMs, and vise versa.

One very basic guideline is that long small diameter primary tubes will produce good low end, and shorter larger diameter primaries will do better high end.

In the 2,500 to 4,000 ranges, 1 3/8” x 34” primaries is roughly correct for a 2.8 liters stock engine. For a full race engine running always above 4,000 1 1/2” x 32 might be a better choices. Fitting true tuned headers into any car, let alone a transverse mid-engine is a MAJOR design challenge.

Stock manifolds are not designed for anything more than providing a path to the muffler. For cost reasons, they are as simple and inexpensive as possible. Staying in those parameters, anything will….”work just fine”.