Is a header on a 2200 worth it? i have read that it will decrease my bottom end power and increase my top end which is really the opposite of what i need,.Can i have some feed back from those who have done this, i already have have a high flow cat and 2.25 piping back.
I really didn't notice anything when i did mine low end wise. I installed the pacesetter header then 2.5" SS all the way back into duals...
I also haven't really been able to get on her to see what she does top on wise yet either. I was fighting a high rpm miss fire last year and finally figured it out like the day before i put her away from storage, but due to my town being urban no places to get her up and gallop. But the 0-45 sprint i did with her felt real nice. I'd say go for it!
I like mine. the top end is a lot better.
one of my fav mods on my car..who cares about low end anyways..it only makes you spin tires..phil
I agree. Worth it, but skip it if you want a turbo. No sense in wasting money.
I'm not gonna lie. I felt little to no difference w/ my pacesetter, but getting rid of the rusted exhaust manifold for a ceramic coated piece of hotness was well worth the money. Engine bay looks 100X cleaner w/ it there.
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CAVETTE wrote:I'm not gonna lie. I felt little to no difference w/ my pacesetter, but getting rid of the rusted exhaust manifold for a ceramic coated piece of hotness was well worth the money. Engine bay looks 100X cleaner w/ it there.
I've done the header, high flow cat, 2 1/4" piping, and CAI and the difference to me seems negligible. From what I've read on here the head is the problem and I believe it. I think I would have been better spending money getting the head ported and polished, true 1.6 rockers, and oversize valves. An ecotec of the same 2.2L displacement is a lot stronger motor than the 2200 and has no problem doing it with a cast manifold and airbox. Not sure what the comprssion ratio is on the eco, but the glaring fundamental difference between the two is obviously the better flowing DOHC 4 valve per cylinder head compared to a pushrod 2 valve per cylinder head.
Cavette said it and I agree, it looks a lot better!!
Don't expect miracles from minor bolt-ons. If you want results, you need a good porting and polishing, and a decent cam grind. The P&P can be done by yourself with some research and practice, and the cam is about $150 to regrind. Add in the correct thickness headgasket (thinner) and the car will really step up.

fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.
i'm not expecting much, just to widen my power band with the basic bolt ons. I think i'm just going to buy a new head and cam, or is that a waste of money(probably new rods and rockers at that time too)? And it looks like I need to pull the engine to put the cam in??? if thats the case then i will be doing a lot more then just a cam if the engines out. I was also thinking of just buying the short block and head to match from JBP, but is $6000 grand worth it??
I didn't really notice much either, it does make under the hood look tons better. I might have a used one i could sell you cheap, email me at johnmbenham@verizon.net if your interested.
R H wrote:i'm not expecting much, just to widen my power band with the basic bolt ons. I think i'm just going to buy a new head and cam, or is that a waste of money(probably new rods and rockers at that time too)? And it looks like I need to pull the engine to put the cam in??? if thats the case then i will be doing a lot more then just a cam if the engines out. I was also thinking of just buying the short block and head to match from JBP, but is $6000 grand worth it??
Technically you can swap the cam without pulling the motor, but I wouldn't suggest it if you don't know what you're doing.
$6000 into an LN2 is a waste of $$$$ even in my opinion (so is pretty much everything from JBP though, for the 2200 at least).
.030" Cometic headgasket - $90
ARP headstuds - $110
port your own head - $20 in bits
gasket/seal set - $100
custom-length Crane pushrods - $100
296 Crane regrind - $180
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a good 30whp - $600

fortune cookie say:
better a delay than a disaster.