RoadsterSport MAX TORQUE 4-2-1 Standard Length MX5 Stainless Steel Header - BRIGHT SILVER CERAMIC FINISH

DESCRIPTION

YES, confirmed fit both ND1 and ND2

It was believed to be said originally by Enzo Ferrari, and repeated later by Carroll Shelby, that Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. The reason is quite simple, TORQUE is what helps you leap out of tight turns and pushes you away from stoplights, etc. In autocross and track events any advantage at the start of the slower sections is advantage you carry to the end of each section, and torque is what you actually feel pushing you back in the seat. With that in mind, our headers here use a 4-2-1 layout which puts less emphasis on peak hp at top of rpms that you rarely use, and more emphasis on max low and mid range TORQUE that you can use every day, and for victory on race weekends. With the new generation Miata the factory went 4-2-1 on header layout for the first time, this is a much higher flowing version of the same 4-2-1 layout to give you the biggest torque curve possible in a standard length header.

Limited Edition Ceramic Coated. Our regular version is polished stainless, which will bronze and blue in response to the heat of use. As a result, got some requests to do bright silver ceramic coating over the polished stainless, which improves long term appearance and performance (about 3% better dyno results with the ceramic coating). Fits both LHD and RHD, manual and automatic.

Saves over 4 lbs compared to the factory header.
Stock header weight: 13.15 lbs
Max Torque header weight: 9.05 lbs!
Primary tube diameter: 1.6"
Outlet diameter: 2.5"

HEAR it now from the tailpipe on the dyno! This full throttle with camera right at the tailpipe so this massively exaggerates the volume but gives you good feel for the character and tone at full throttle. You are hearing ALL THREE of the following here: RoadsterSport Max Power Header, plus the RoadsterSport Midpipe and RoadsterSport SuperQ Muffler. The midpipe and muffler obviously not included with the header, sold separate on this site.

Now take a ride in our ND with RoadsterSport Max Power Header, RoadsterSport Midpipe and RoadsterSport SuperQ Muffler (Header Version)!

Now details on our header and why you want it. For the FIRST TIME Mazda went with 4-2-1 factory header layout to make that fat midrange that makes the ND so quick. Many magazines get 0-60 in stock form at about 6 seconds flat, which is obviously not about the mere 155 hp that the factory rates this motor at the crank. We tested ND headers in 4-1 layout as we have done in the past on NC generation, and 4-2-1 layout and quickly understood the factory thinking...this motor is about TORQUE, and this motor wants a 4-2-1 layout to maximize what this Skyactiv motor is designed to do.

Thus, first thing to know about the Skyactiv 2.0 motor is that a highflow 4-2-1 makes the midrange as beefy as you can get it. Sadly, most folks only think HP and do not understand torque, but it is the really wide TORQUE curve of ND that makes it so quick compared to prior Miatas, and our humble opinion is that it is best to play to that strong point, give the ND skyactiv motor what it wants!

The ND will run okay with the header if you skip the tune but it is a VERY complex motor and tune and you do NOT get all the gains if you skip the tune.

We strongly recommend the RoadsterSport SuperQ Header version muffler with this header because it was designed to handle the sound level of the header and our standard midpipe, most other mufflers will be too loud for most folks with this header change.

Quality header construction starts with mandrel bent 304 stainless steel TIG welded construction, making this the best ND header with LIFETIME warranty! Beware the choices that are just straight pipe and sharp 90 degree bends because that's what's easy, they won't last and they won't give max performance in return for the trouble of installing them.

Our outlet is 2.5 inches. For best performance customers should match our header with our RoadsterSport midpipe and RoadsterSport SuperQ exhaust (special header version STRONGLY recommended) so they are running 2.5 inches of flow all the way. We are told some customers have bolted this header in place of the factory header to the factory midpipe but since we don't do it that way we cannot say how well that small diameter factory midpipe would seal against our bigger 2.5 inch outlet flange. And using factory midpipe would mean an engine code unless you move second sensor after midpipe converter like our RoadsterSport midpipe provides plug and play).

Note that at the outlet of our ND header we have the pipe extend beyond the flange and that is very deliberate! That built in 'fire ring' both centers and holds the gasket and extends just a bit into the mouth of the flared entrance of the midpipe to help prevent leaks and extend the life of the gasket, which is why the Mazda factory ND header is precisely the same with same outlet lip for the same reason. Think about what that fire ring lip does, it shields and protects the gasket from a lot of heat, which is why Mazda did it as you can see here with this picture of factory ND header (far right side of picture). We found some other brands didn't copy this lip from the factory header but the best leak prevention strategy is to copy Mazda on that built in fire ring lip feature because the result is much less heat stress on the gasket so that the outlet gasket seals better and lasts longer.

Factory first O2 sensor is in the OEM header and stays in our header without use of extension cords. Factory second sensor in the midpipe should be moved after the factory midpipe converter to avoid an engine code (our RoadsterSport midpipe provides bung in that location for this reason). That second sensor reaches its new location without use of extension cords. Bottom line is full plug and play install.

CARB NOTICE: Not CARB approved (and therefore legal in California for off road use only). Note that there are states in addition to California that now follow the California model and require CARB compliance, please check the rules of your state before ordering, in some states this setup is legal only for race cars and may never be used on public highway. Sorry, we will not ship these to residents of California.

INSTRUCTIONS....see our installation discussion in the Instructions Section. Complete factory service manual install page with torque specs is below. Note there is ONE gasket included to mate with our RoadsterSport midpipe. We assume most customers will do it right and install our RoadsterSport midpipe at the same time for best torque results and because it avoids engine codes with O2 locations before and after the midpipe converter that you can reach without use of extension cords. If you are that guy that will not replace the factory midpipe then just know you are going to use again the factory ring gasket from the stock header which matches the factory midpipe flange, and you will need to weld up some O2 bungs before and after stock midpipe converter to avoid engine codes, and you will be choking some of the gains at peak rpm because stock midpipe diameter is a bit too small for max performance. Stock gasket at the motor to header flange is stack of stainless plates, not crush gaskets, and can be used over and over without issue.