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Old 01-06-2014, 01:12 PM   #1
Type2
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Default CNT performance Subaru STI Equal Length header

Does anyone have experience with these headers? They are extremely cheap. CNT seems to be "inspired" by other brands, and I'm curious what the inspiration is for these (Tomei? Agency Power?)

For $279 with free shipping it seems almost too good to pass up, which makes me very hesitant...

http://www.cntracing.com/CNT-perform.../hd-s11-02.htm
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Old 01-07-2014, 09:48 PM   #2
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Bump for anyone that has used CNT el headers
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Old 01-16-2014, 09:17 PM   #3
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Quote:
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Bump for anyone that has used CNT el headers
I don't have the headers but I do have the catback and it's made with a nice finish. Id hop on it
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Old 01-16-2014, 09:49 PM   #4
BigRob74
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i have their catless dp and its good quality and fit well. if you decide to pull the trigger, let us know
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Old 01-16-2014, 10:48 PM   #5
mcganz121
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wow I would have totally rocked this when I had my subie (s), I always stayed away from the knock off's with the flex joint

Tsudo/CNT seems to be pretty decent quality from my experience
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Old 01-21-2014, 05:58 PM   #6
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I am really tempted to do this mainly to lower EGT's and the price is so tempting. I received a PM from someone who owns these headers and it looks like these are Perrin style. Maybe not the best in terms of quality, and some power is left on the table compared to Tomei, Killer B and Invidia. But.... again... the price!
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Old 02-19-2014, 11:05 AM   #7
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Any other reviews on this? Curious to see what actual owners have to say...
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Old 02-19-2014, 11:29 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KitchenerWRX View Post
Any other reviews on this? Curious to see what actual owners have to say...
I PM'd the guy who initially PM'd me to see if it was ok to anonymously quote his messages to me, as I feel his review is very detailed and helpful. If he's not cool with that, I will just paraphrase him, but there is some updated info since my last post.
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Old 02-19-2014, 11:52 AM   #9
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Ok that would be great
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Old 02-19-2014, 07:52 PM   #10
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I'm the secretive PM guy...

The headers overall I think are pretty good for the money. There's some questionable welds and seams, but you get what you pay for. I think it's more of a function over form thing. The EGT bung on my set was pretty snotty, and actually had a small shard from the primary wall barely hanging on. Nothing some needlenose pliers couldn't handle. That was pretty disheartening but I went ahead installing them anyway.

The CNT rep I emailed said they were the 'perrin style' when I asked. I've never held a Perrin header in my hand so I couldn't give any real comparison.

Fit was OK. It's the first set of headers i've ever put on a Subaru so again, no other comparison unfortunately. I had to do a bit of stretching to get them on. It lined up with the stock up-pipe fine. The gaskets included are garbage. The header to up-pipe gasket actually blew out mid pull on the dyno. Replaced with a GS gasket, and it's been fine since.

I recently noticed a super small exhaust leak 'tick'. Sure enough one of the flanges was leaking at the head. I'm not sure if it's the flange that wasn't quite welded at the right angle or a leaky gasket. I'm still using the OEM head gaskets. My car runs fine, so I haven't had any urgency to fix it. I have plans to swap out headers soon, so that's a factor in my laziness as well.

I'm just a enthusiast that's fairly new to the Subaru world, so take that into consideration.

They have only been on my car for about 5-6k miles, but they are holding up fine so far. I would recommend them if you're looking for a decent budget header. Even if you have to tinker with them a bit to get them to an acceptable level, they're still worth the $270.

Feel free to ask anymore specific questions.
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Old 02-19-2014, 08:29 PM   #11
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GREAT first post! You have been lurking a bit :-)
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Old 02-19-2014, 10:08 PM   #12
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Op, did you wrap the header before you put it on ? Did you feel a difference inn spool/power ?
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Old 02-19-2014, 10:52 PM   #13
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I ordered these a few days ago & still waiting for a tracking number. It was about $300 with shipping from import image racing. I'll be ceramic coating them when they get here & installing them as soon as I can. I figured the gaskets would be cheap so I ordered grimmspeed 2x thick ones the same time I ordered the headers. I currently have DC Sports UEL headers for about 2.5 years and I've only had them wrapped & welded the slip joints. No issues or anything. I'll report with photos and videos once they're installed. Hopefully by next weekend.
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Old 02-20-2014, 08:18 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellchaser View Post
I ordered these a few days ago & still waiting for a tracking number. It was about $300 with shipping from import image racing. I'll be ceramic coating them when they get here & installing them as soon as I can. I figured the gaskets would be cheap so I ordered grimmspeed 2x thick ones the same time I ordered the headers. I currently have DC Sports UEL headers for about 2.5 years and I've only had them wrapped & welded the slip joints. No issues or anything. I'll report with photos and videos once they're installed. Hopefully by next weekend.
Definitely in for pics. And since I'm the OP, I can slightly deviate off topic... are you going to do the ceramic coating yourself, or send it off? Very curious about this. Thanks!
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Old 02-24-2014, 03:32 PM   #15
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So what ever ended happening..OP I wana know just as bad as you do..can you actually buy a decent set of Subaru EL headers for under 300???? Subscribed....

Last edited by subawoo77; 02-24-2014 at 03:38 PM.
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Old 02-24-2014, 04:09 PM   #16
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Just placed my order today. Great pricing from Erz
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Old 02-24-2014, 05:11 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carltonbadman View Post
Just placed my order today. Great pricing from Erz
I don't see them at ERZ. Do you have a link?
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Old 02-24-2014, 05:38 PM   #18
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They just came in the mail. Thanks to my wife for the teaser pics. They do in fact look similar to Perrin. Grimm speed 2x thick up pipe gasket & normal header gaskets

Coated & wrapped. **UPDATE**




Last edited by Hellchaser; 02-27-2014 at 10:22 AM.
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Old 02-24-2014, 05:39 PM   #19
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I also decided to wrap them since I've done it before with great results.

What I love about it is the fact that it's a one piece header

Last edited by Hellchaser; 02-24-2014 at 05:51 PM.
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Old 02-24-2014, 05:54 PM   #20
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Did you have them weld on a EGT bung? I'd really like to see some close up pics of the welds on the collector.

Have you thought about DIY Ceramic Coating???
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=876772
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Old 02-24-2014, 07:36 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Type2 View Post
I don't see them at ERZ. Do you have a link?
I just pmed them on here. Got my tracking number within 30 minutes of sending my paypal
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Old 02-24-2014, 08:06 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Type2 View Post
Did you have them weld on a EGT bung? I'd really like to see some close up pics of the welds on the collector. Have you thought about DIY Ceramic Coating??? http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=876772
I didn't have them do anything special, I just ordered it.
Yes I have thought of ceramic coating but for half the price I could just wrap it like how I've always done. I got a quote from a very reputable company that does ceramic coatings for $298 and I passed. I went cheap on headers for a reason. I didn't plan on paying the same price for a coating.

I'm working on pics now, just waiting for my wife to send them.
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Old 02-24-2014, 08:18 PM   #23
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Close up on the welds & they do seem pretty good for a cheap costing header:







This weld looks a bit weird but meh:

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Old 02-24-2014, 10:15 PM   #24
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Thanks for the pics! The welds aren't that great but then again it's $300! If I get my car back running these are going on. I have some DEI Titanium wrap from my UP and DP install and could use that. Although I've heard bad things about wrapping thin headers. I'll look into it. Hoping my engine isn't shot.
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Old 02-24-2014, 10:49 PM   #25
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are you going to run the header with no tune at all??
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