Sorry for the delay while I was away, but here are the pics we shot today of the Cattman Performance VQ30DE header system. I'll let the picture pretty much speak for itself, but will note that the quality of welding and craftsmanship is outstanding, my Kiwi mates did well.



Also note the one-piece primaries and equal length secondaries. This illustrates why the system has to be designed as a whole, including the y-pipe. All the flanges are extra thick, the flex is strong and lined. The sound made by the equal length tubing is like music - the classic deep warble, instead of a harsh buzz - unlike any y-pipe I've ever heard.

Price is $750. All gaskets and hardware needed are an extra $20. These are on the shelf, ready to ship and will fit ALL 1995-2001 VQ30DE engines (fitment on 1999-2001 CA/NLEV emissions cars require re-location of 2 rear O2 sensors). Note that it breaks down into 4 pieces and the shipping rates aren't that bad. We do include installation instructions, but not for the fainthearted or inexperienced.

The following dyno chart compares the headers with a stock y-pipe on a rather tired 97 SE with 100k+ miles. Note that the tested headers were not ceramic coated, and this will have a significant effect on heat retention and tubing wall friction (which will likely be good for a couple more horsepower).



Although peak horsepower increased by 16.5hp and peak torque by 15.8 ft/lbs, this does not describe how the power curve was extended by 500+ rpm instead of falling off a cliff. The Cattman headers added 17-18.6 more hp from 4800-6000 rpm and 16-18.5 more ft/lbs of torque from 4700-5600 rpm.

[BTW, have to say, the photographer did well on this. If anyone wants a more detailed image, feel free to contact me directly, I have a version you could use for a poster (and a shot without the gaskets).]

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

Very nice, can I get an email

 

These look exactly the prestige headers from New Zealand, just fully chromed. Did you pay to develop these as you said, or just buy and recoat? I am not trying to flame, its just that these are alot of money and the prestige have already been tested.

 

Looks tasty!!! Nice numbers on the dyno....750+....I'll pass.

 

Thanks for updating us. Beautiful looking.

Think Nomad in FL is gonna dyno the set he got (with ceramic coating) to give you a better set of numbers to quote.

 

Beautiful! I think these may really benefit my VI/JWT ECU set up.

 

Nice.

 

Looks the same to me to as well. 750bucks..........hmmm.......nah NX wet kit sounds better.

Maybe I am wrong to..but if I remember last time I emailed cattman he responded that he was in new zealand....

 

Nice looking headers!

Coupla questions though:

- Was the baseline vehicle dyno run done with a stock OEM Y pipe with pre-cats or a Cattman Y pipe? I think what everyone wants to know is what are the gains of the headers over an aftermarket Y pipe alone. If only 17hp and 16tq doesn't look like you get much over a Y pipe alone.

-Does the curved part of the Y pipe that mates to the rear collector hang any lower than stock pipes?

 

Why are people asking questions that are clearly answered in his post. Read the post again slowly and your minds will be made up. They sure do look hot though!

 

Nice pics...I think 96sleeper has a good question and I'm eager to know what the answer is. For $750 though...its not for me...at least not yet

 

$750 and we still need to buy separate hardware, get real man. Gains almost the same as a y-pipe, I guess we'll wait of the ceramic coated dyno run. Those are almost identical to the ones from new zealand with very minimal differences. The flex section is smaller, actually that's all I see that's different...

 

Very nice looking. What diameter is the collector?

 

Yep, these are the headers from New Zealand that Emax02 installed on his I30 a few years back. From what I remember, his 5 speed I30 only made something like 178fwhp with an intake, headers, UDP, and catback. He could have possibly dynoed on a low reading machine, but I do know his 2002 is making strong power on the same machine. Someone should get Emax02 in here to get his opinions on these headers since he ran them for a while. I think his low dyno numbers scared a lot of people away from these headers. The $750 price from Cattman really isn't bad because these headers don't come heatcoated and I know Emax spent a ton of time just trying to get these things imported. I believe he paid something like $600 to get the headers here. Since Cattman is offering the headers with coating and he's doing all the "leg work" to get these things in the States, $750 is pretty reasonable. I'll be curious to see what an independant dyno will show now that we've seen Cattman's numbers and we know Emax's numbers.


Dave

 

Those look pretty hot. They look a little different than the prestige ones. Mainly the flex section looks different. Its just too bad that we could not see a dyno with just the Y-pipe and then the Y-pipe with the headers so see just how much of a difference they make.

 

Brian-

When you get a chance, ask your mechanic about how he did the rear header install. Everything else is cake.


Dave

 

they look very nice man. I'm just wondering how much would it be to install those things. Maybe If I decide to buy them I can drive to Tucson and have your mechanic install them for me. Can I get a discount on installation

 

I am glad someone else showed a pic so I would not have to

 

Very nice man. It’s nice to see someone selling the whole setup.

 

one question is there going to be any fitment issues with that piece near the bottom of the header that connects into the y pipe section that is rolled in something of a cirular position?

 

that's nice looking header, sure looks better then comptech header.
i can't wait to see some dyno.

 

You mean other than what's already been posted?

 

comptech doesnt even make headers for us

 

ops... don't read the thread carefully.
wait... the dyno is for headers that were not ceramic coated.

i have seen budget y pipe gain as much as that...hm...
nismo14, i am comparing the craftmanship of both header.

 

does look like pretty much the same thing

 

I would love to have the headers, and hope to one day. The biggest obstacle for me is of course price, and while I understand this kinda stuff will be worth the price, its going to take some hardcore saving to acquire such a jewel !

Good Job Cattman !

P.S. Piggy Bank is slowly filling up , will be in touch !

 

I must point out that the headers we're selling are not chromed, they are ceramic coated by HPC New Zealand, which is a very different thing - chrome is merely cosmetic, but ceramic coatings make power.

I am familiar with the set you have pictured, and assure you that there are a number of differences. Most prominant of which is that these clearly make power and the results from the set you pictured were ambiguous. The dyno results we got speak for themselves, and I expect those results to be at the low end of the scale given that the tested version was not ceramic coated and it was done on a tired engine.

But to be accurate, I've never claimed to have developed these from the ground up (although the expense and effort required to set this arrangement up and act upon it would definitely rival a development investment). To the contrary, I've made it clear that this design is well proven and has been available in Australia for some time. After fitting and testing a set on a US-spec Maxima, I made a number of changes in the design and materials specifications, so what we're selling here is unique to Cattman Performance.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

We measured agains the stock Y-pipe because its the only consistent baseline since there is variability between the power and flow characterisitics of aftermarket y-pipes.

I'm not sure if its lower or not, but it doesn't present any clearance issues on my car.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

Not to argue that you should invest in the headers, but why put a wet nitrous kit on a car with a long-runner intake plenum that cannot possible distribute the supplemental fuel evenly to all six cylinders?

BCC

 

No, I can tell you from experience, there are no fitment issues there.

BCC

 

doesnt just a Y pipe give you the same gains..i think it does. the dyno shows a stock max then stock max w/header system. Should have been a max w/Y pipe then max w/header system.

 

I'm sorry, but you're incorrect. I've tested many y-pipes. The gains are substantially more than a y-pipe under similar cirsumstances.

BCC

 

Sure, they can be installed down here. The customers I send to my mechanic receive a very reasonable shop rate.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

Thanks for the support, but I have to make clear that these may be similar in configuration, but they are not the same headers that Emax02 installed. I was quite familiar with that process; I know that product and I know this product and to dismiss these as being the same is simply incorrect.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

What I think he was trying to say is if it's only gaining ~18HP over stock, then it doesn't warrant buying it if someone already has a y-pipe. They might see a gain of 4 or so HP over the y-pipe setup, N/A at least, and is that really worth $700?? F/I maximas might have more of a use for them.

 

I don't consider 4hp to be substantial, or worth the $570 extra. These would be good for anyone without a y-pipe and with money to spend. I guess we just have to realize that we won't have headers that improve much on anything we have out already...

 

Well, this is a valid point and everyone has their own threshold of how much they're willing to pay for the next horsepower; doing the math, these are obviously not cheap ones. This investment will be most attractive to someone just starting out and for those who have already built their cars and are intent on capturing the last available horsepower.

Rather than thinking in terms of actual horsepower, I think of proportional change, which is far more consistent from car to car. In that sense, I think the headers will typically make 40-50% more power than a y-pipe, all other things being equal. That might be as low as 4-5 hp on a car with few other mods and a below average engine, but it will be substantially higher on a car with substantial modifications and a relatively strong engine.

Keep in mind that there are better things to do with the old Y-pipe than turning it into a lamp. The Y-pipes we've been selling for the last 2-3 years practically last forever, and there are lots of newbies who are more than happy to pay $250 for one.

Brian C Catts
Cattman Performance

 

At least products are out there. Someone with a Y can always buy these and sell the Y to decrease the header costs.

I'm just glad the option is out there. I guess someone will dyno with them here as a 2nd confirmation.

 

I'm all for more aftermarket parts...

 

Some dyno comparisons from Cattman's Header/Y-pipe



To a y-pipe on a 5 speed maxima with about 100k miles as well.

The above chart produced these results. Quoted from motorvate.ca.
A PEEK gain of about 18 HP (from 160 to 178)

An AVERAGE gain of 19 HP from 4,000 to 6,500 RPM (this in more important than peek, as you will see with the Torque chart below)

A 31 HP gain at 6,000 - 6,200 RPM



Sorry its a bit large, and mind you its not really a fair comparison since it is not the same car. Nevertheless it seems the y-pipe header combo has a more consistent gain in the lower to mid-range rpm range. I am just hear to prove that yes a y-pipe does produce gains of about 18 hp peak to peak. I have heard people say that a y-pipe on its own cannot produce 18 hp peak to peak. I am sorry if i anger people in the process of showing this but i believe it to be true. Credit gos to Cattman and The Web Admin of www.motorvate.ca.