I had mine on for a little while now so i figured i would share my experience with them.

First of all, I am impressed with the quality of the piece based on price, having much better fit and finish than anticipated. The black paint will burn off after a very short time or a brief and spirited run. But I knew this beforehand so i am not crushed. the sound is noticeable only to the most trained ears that it's not just a catback or muffler that i have.

The performance isn't mind-blowing, but combined with the 2.25" custom exhaust i had fabbed up afterwards it definitelypulls alot harder (and louder) than i ever thought it could.I may have only gained 5-10 horsepower from the whole system, which may not seem that great buti hear Honda's don't respond exceptionally to bolt-ons, but that shows how good of a job they did in designing the vehicle.I can definitely feel a little more torque in the midrange for that added little punch to quick lane changes and passing maneuvers, which is very welcome in the 1.6L.

Install took me a while, only because of a few rustedmanifold bolts and a stripped stud. the header didn't fit my D16Y7 very well, which required other exhaust mods to get a matching system but if your in the market for a catback or a custom exhaust this is the time to get a header as well. I hear people say that a 2 piece header is easier to install and remove but for me it was a bit of a pain to match the parts up while lying in the dirt in my backyard, but when is doing work in that ewnvironment ever easy. It would make it easier to drop the oil pan cuz you wouldn't have to remove the header from the engine, only the mid-pipe, so i guess it has it's merrits in that regard.

This is my first review so i may have missed some things, but the bottom line is that Hedman's is defintiely an option to anyone looking for a performance header without a hefty pricetag. It is nothing but great in my opinion, but I have limited experience in the sport compact world so i may be have a narrow point of view in this regard. Just don't pass up this header as a viable option, price or not, when hunting for that extra edge on the street.

 

I have a 98 LX sedan, will these headers fit? From what I've heard because my cat is shoved right into the headers I have to buy headers for an EX then I would also by a free-flow cat. Will that work?

 

Yes that would. The catalytic convertor is built into the manifold for the D16Y7 folks, but you can put a universal high flow cat, high flow Ex cat or OEM cat from an EX on their after the mid-pipe and get some O2 sensor extensions so that you can hook everything back up. I opted to not put a cat back on, due to money problems more than anything else. I bought all of this exhaust stuff to replace alot of the stock stuff that had rusted out.
It ended up being cheaper, but came with alot of headaches. as long as you know and can plan for whats about to come, it will be very easy for you.

I wish i had done some research prior to doing what i did, but i am pleased with the results overall and in no way am i trying to stop you from doing this as well, i think you should go for it. give those little cavalier, sunfire and other ricer bastards a wake up call.