Header Question

Greetings!

I have a 96 Civic EX SOHC. Not too sure if it's a D16 Y8 or Y5.

It's my daily driver, and has some performance mods that were on the car when I bought it. My problem is, I want to know what the best part/value header I could buy to replace the stock exhaust manifold would be.

I see that there is quite a selection ranging in price from $90 to $600. I would like to get a decent header, but I do I really have to spend alot of $$ to get something that will last, and perhaps give me a little performance enhancement? (My manifold is cracked, otherwise I wouldn't bother it at all) I suppose anything is better than stock, especially a cracked manifold.

Also, which do I choose? Stainless, ceramic, 4-2-1, single piece? Whats a good brandname?

I'm a newbie that needs a little help from those in the know.

Thanks alot for your help! And I apologize if I haven't posted this in the right thread...

It sounds like you aren't looking for anything fancy so you may want to look for ceramic headers which are usually a little less expensive than stainless. A 4-2-1 two piece should be fine. A 4-2-1 one-piece is better and a 4-1 single is best but unless you really plan on modding up then the 4-2-1 will be fine and is the cheapest. Greddy, Comptech, Apexi, DC, Edlebrock... I can't think of any more but all are reputable brands.

Whatever you end up getting, remember that you get what you pay for so I suggest you stick to reputable brand names and don't try to skimp out on knock-off ebay crap as so many before you have. As far as performance goes don't expect too much, 5-10hp at most depending on what other breather mods may already be installed.

Hope this helps