Do headers help much with stock turbos?

Does a name brand vs an e-bay cheap set make a big difference? Before you comment on the e-bay cheap set, I was looking into an e46 M3 and many people recommend the cheap e-bay headers since they are a lot better then the stock ones and don't cost much.

I think my car is a bit on the quiet side and was thinking of doing headers and straight pipes for when I go to the track. Would I need a flash for this or could I run it with the stock programing... I know a flash would give me HP but i just want to loose some weight from it and gain a bit of power.

 

Headers won't really change how the car sounds. Until you decide to break the 650-700ish whp mark, spend money on OTHER supporting mods.

 

I agree with Mike. Do a flash and exhaust first. Dont even consider headers until you change to larger turbos...

 

our cars dont have cast iron restrictive headers, they are actually pretty light and dont impose any restriction.

and the sound of these headers are muffled by having a turbo at the end of them unlike the bmw m3 you were talking about (unless its the brand new turbo model thats another story)

spend your money on exhaust flash, DV's and intercoolers those are what you will see the best performance from.

 

don't do them they wont do anything for you but dirty your hands putting them on. You need alot of Mods to make them help any performance at all

 

thanks for all your answers... its what I was looking for.

 

Yep, don't do anything with your headers except maybe port them a bit. Our stock headers are actually very good stock. IMO, Once you start making over 650-700 rwhp then you can start looking for some new headers. Up until that point aftermarket headers just don't give you much benifit unless you're looking to lighten your wallet lol.