Let me start by saying that I ordered my set of headers 3 days after SIKKY released that they would be selling headers. When I called I spoke to someone at the company and I placed my order with him and he took my credit card information and said "I am putting a 500 dollar deposit on your card", I agreed and he said I should have my headers in about 3 weeks to a month. I agreed to those terms and I asked him so how many sets of headers have been ordered so far?...He replied "you are one of the first". So I told him after I gave him my credit card information that I would like the headers to be shipped to a different address than my billing address. I told him I wanted them sent to Elite Auto-sport and gave him there exact address, needless to say I was put on hold immediately for about 5-10 minutes. He came back and he said "OK you want these shipped to Elite Auto-sport?", I replied yes, he kind of chuckled and that was pretty much the end of our conversation. This conversation took place about early to mid may if I recall..

I then called SIKKY around the 15th of June...I was told that all 50 headers are being ceramic coated as we speak. I then asked when they will be ready and I got the answer of "they will be done at the coating place this week and we will start to ship them the week after...

Now it is July 6th or so if I recall correctly and I call SIKKY. I ask where are my headers and they say that the ceramic coating place fell behind with the forth of July holiday. They tell me that they don't know when they will be done. Now discouraged after seeing that it is about 9-10 weeks from when i placed my order and I was told that it will 3-4 weeks when I ordered them is out the door. At this point all 50 headers were supposed to be coated, because I was told all 50 headers were there.

So SIKKY now releases a statement on here stating that they have a problem waiting for the coaters and that they will done around the 23rd of July. I call the next week to find out where my headers are and they ask for my name and I told them and they said "OH your the one that is having them sent to Elite Auto-sport right?". I replied yes and I was put on hold for about 10 minutes and someone else came on the phone I believe his name was Rich, and he said I don't know when they will be done but when they are we will ship them and then pretty much said nothing else and hung up.

People start to receive their headers around mid August. I wait a few days and call and they tell me that you did not make the cut of the first 25, I bit my tongue and said OK. (even though I was told that I was one of the first to order a set) I then asked when will the next batch ship and he said next week.

So i have been in contact with SIKKY all last week and they tell me that the other 25 headers are at the ceramic coating place now and will done soon. They then say "OH your the one that's having Elite Auto-sport install the headers right?". I said yes that is correct, SIKKY then tells me that if you want the headers we can "HOOK YOU UP" if you want. We know a shop in Maryland to do it called JE Imports. I stated no I am having Elite install them, he says well if you call JE they can install them by the end of the week. I said well how can they install them if I don't have them. The person on the phone states well they have sets sitting there waiting for people to call so they can install them. So I said well why do they just have sets sitting there if other people are waiting for theirs? He replied with they ordered multiple sets, so I then said well cant you get them to send me a set of headers if there "just sitting there" and they can have my set once they others are done? He said well I know JE won't ship them to you because they don't do any shipping. So then I asked if you guys can ship them because you guys are in the same building and he said no not really their not near us anymore. He said well I don't know you will have to talk to my boss Rich, but Rich isn't here. I said well can you have him call me tomorrow. So I leave my name and number and he says I will have him call you tomorrow, of course no call the next day or the day after. I then call and ask for Rich and the guy that answered said he's not here. Then he says well who's calling..so I tell him and he says hold on. Rich then gets on the phone (weird I thought he wasn't there) and says how can I help you? I said I am wondering where my headers are and he gives me some bullshit excuse again. He then says if your in a hurry to get these put on we can have a shop in our area put them on for you (JE Imports again). I said no Elite is putting mine on, I then ask him if he can talk to JE and see if I can get a set of there headers and then they can have my set when there done....he replies let me see what I can do and I will call you tomorrow, so I went along with it. But he then stated if I can't do anything you may want to call JE and see if you can buy a set from them.

In the meantime I look up JE on the internet and find out that JE is in the same building as SIKKY like I knew before(same address). I call them and talk to someone there and pretend I'm from New Jersey so that there is no correlation in case SIKKY told them not to take an order form me. So I am talking to the kid there and he told me I can buy either just headers or buy them and have them installed there. I asked the price for the headers and he said 1345. Then I asked "well if I wanted them installed how much for it all?", and he said about 1750. I then said well I have 3 other buddies that may be interested in headers they drive F's also, do you have enough if we want to do this? He chuckled and replied yes we have many sets of headers here.

So Rich calls me back 2 days later and says I can't get JE to give you a set of headers because they only have 2 sets left and their not going to give them up. So I then told him that his company is terrible and they have been jerking me around since I placed my order in mid May and that I want my money back and Andy at Elite is just going to build me a better set of headers. He replies with well we will see and when you do get them on, I would love to see them and do a back to back dyno with our headers and Andy's. I said well that's fine but I'm not driving from PA to MN (1100 miles each way) and then driving from PA to MD (about 400 miles each way). He said well it would be worth it and I would be willing to not charge you for a set of our headers to try. I then said well why do you think I wanted to order a set and do a back to back dyno like I have stated on this forum before? I then said well why dont you send me a set of headers when there ready and I can give you a credit card to hold them so Andy can dyno them. He said no because then you can't return them because they will be dinged up and scratched from installing and uninstalling them from the car. I said well what do you recommend?, he said come out here and we can have a 3rd party put them on and dyno them. I said no offense if I were to even agree, I would want either Elite or JE putting them on since they have done it before multiple times, but that would not be fair because my honest opinion(and mine only) is that JE and SIKKY are the same company pretty much (one being a manufacture and the other being an install shop) so I think that JE inflates the dyno to read higher so they cover SIKKY'S ass. He said well we would install ours here and dyno them and then install Andy's headers again and have JE do all the dyno work. I said well thats not fair because you can make the numbers look better for you...

SO now that im done ranting and pissed off because SIKKY is a terrible company to get a hold of on the phone, they are also not trustworthy. I am honestly so pissed at them right now I don't even want to type anymore. Not to mention people on this forum that had their headers installed already had fitment issues and leaks and poor quality right out the gate, plus the people that did not have JE install them also are stating that they did not see the numbers they were promised.

i knew it ;o)

all the big result are from JE (sikky)


if you want my 2 cent the real gain from those headers are exactly around 20-25hp max

and i am welling to pay someone to come here in canada at sea level on a mustang dyno ... 1 pull no headers second pull with headers

i am 100% sure the result will be around 20-25 hp max;)

if the result is way over like sikky say i pay the headers to the winner
+ installation

Andy at Elite will smoke these guys any day!!!!

Thats some crazy story and crap from Sikky(JE)...Sikky fully ignored sending the Headers to Elite for you...They surely didn't want Andy to see the poor quality and the realistic Dyno results from them... I knew all along that Sikky's Header's dyno plot were inflated...Also everyone who has gotten 40whp from them all got them installed at JE/Sikky...Eric didn't u say u had to modify something to make yours fit? Also everyone who said Sikky's Header made more power then Elites are dumb as Elite's made 30whp on a Dynamics...Can't compare dyno plots as Dynamics reads much lower then Dynopack/Dynojet...After hearing all this BS about Sikky I've made up my decision here and go for Elite's Headers instead.

very good choice isf-88...im driving my car out to Andy's in less than 3 weeks

Andy and his engineer have some very good ideas going for them

yes i modified the dip stick that come with the headers..........

we try on every way but alway the same result the dip are a little bit to small (IF YOU TRY TO HOOK THE BRACKET ON THE BLOCK)

we put the dip where is suppose to go everything is find except we need to hook on the block but .... the bracket was not weld at the good place...

so we cut it(bracket) and just weld a litthe bit upper on the stick.

really not a big issue but .....

that is horrible service
i vote elite
plus he takes good pics of progress:)
shame sikky shame on u

I couldn't give a crap as I have no loyalty to any specific person or company but in all fairness I have had not a single issue with sikky and I didn't use JE as my install shop either.

I had been following the header progress with Jaslapp1 (guinea pig for the headers) from the very beginning. Based on the kind of results I had seen with the IS350 I was very skeptical about this modification on a Lexus. Finally after months and months and months had gone by Jaslapp1 finally gives me the dyno results (in private) and I was like no way in hell that is possible!!!! I know you can inflate numbers by a few on a dyno, but 50+ was just too much to fudge.

The skeptical person I am kept in my mind that ok, I would still be happy if they gave me at least 25 more peak whp similar to what the PTS JoeZ exhaust yielded. As the headers were just about done with the developmental phase I decided to directly contact SIKKY. Being that I live about an hour and half away, I worked out a deal with SIKKY to test these headers prior to them being finalized for production in order to work out any small details and to verify the results that Jaslapp1 achieved. I was going to be the "independent party" and dyno these headers on BOTH their Dynapack and the Dynojet where I usually go for testing. I did the same thing for the JoeZ intake and the PTS JoeZ exhaust.

Needless to say, SIKKY/JE had ZERO doubt that I would make any less power on the Dynojet than on their Dynopack. I did some more research and talked to other shops in the area and told them that SIKKY and JE were doing the work. Not one single shop had anything bad to say about them, but were full of compliments, which was quite reassuring so I finalized the deal and took my car up to them for the big installation.

I was at the shop for 8 hours while they did the dyno testing, installation and test drive. At all times they allowed me to watch the progress and take any pictures I wanted, but being how the headers sit up in the engine bay it really is damn near impossible to get quality pictures with them installed hence the lack of photos from the SIKKY folks. After a long hot day we make our final dyno runs where we found gains of 42.5 peak whp and 21.4 ft/lbs peak tq. WOW!!! LINK TO MY DYNAPACK RESULTS (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/5545277-post99.html)

I drove the car around and racked up a few hundred miles and then went back to the Dynojet to get my second set of results. They Dynojet operator was even more skeptical than me, but we proceeded. Results were +39.50 peak whp and +34.57 ft/lbs peak tq! The dyno operator (Dan at MachV) (http://www.machv.com/) was shocked and I was very relieved to see similar gains as to what were achieved on the dynapack at JE. If any of you want to get your facts straight give Dan a call at MachV. They are in no way shape or form associated with JE/SIKKY.
LINK TO MY DYNOJET RESULTS (http://www.clublexus.com/forums/5575514-post124.html)

So anyway, I've had the headers on my car now since June and I have not had one single problem with fitment, power or CELs. I can't speak for JE about how they treated 08MRISF, but I can tell you that in my own personal experiences with them that they have been very accommodating, honest and will certainly do business with again in the future. I have yet to hear about one installation or quality problem for any of the cars that JE/SIKKY did the header installations on and that tells me that for all the rest it's just a lack of experience by the installer and paranoia/OCD of the owner.

Thats some crazy story and crap from Sikky(JE)...Sikky fully ignored sending the Headers to Elite for you...They surely didn't want Andy to see the poor quality and the realistic Dyno results from them... I knew all along that Sikky's Header's dyno plot were inflated...Also everyone who has gotten 40whp from them all got them installed at JE/Sikky...Eric didn't u say u had to modify something to make yours fit? Also everyone who said Sikky's Header made more power then Elites are dumb as Elite's made 30whp on a Dynamics...Can't compare dyno plots as Dynamics reads much lower then Dynopack/Dynojet...After hearing all this BS about Sikky I've made up my decision here and go for Elite's Headers instead.

I wouldnt take any of the dyno numbers from the factory and compare them. Remember Elites Dyno Dynamics seems to read ridiculously high. I wont say there inflated until there both tested back to back. Customer service seems to be a very huge issue with Sikky though...

I couldn't give a crap as I have no loyalty to any specific person or company but in all fairness I have had not a single issue with sikky and I didn't use JE as my install shop either.

Have you been able to dyno your car yet?

I couldn't give a crap as I have no loyalty to any specific person or company but in all fairness I have had not a single issue with sikky and I didn't use JE as my install shop either.

What were the gains with your headers?

I dont know what dynojet results I haven't seen yet, but I corrected Cayman's numbers for temperature and pressure.. and the gain was 28.81whp. Not 39.5 and not 42.5 like on the dynapack. I'd like the temp and pressure readings from the dynapack runs.

I dont know what dynojet results I haven't seen yet, but I corrected Cayman's numbers for temperature and pressure.. and the gain was 28.81whp. Not 39.5 and not 42.5 like on the dynapack. I'd like the temp and pressure readings from the dynapack runs.

What!? How can you correct my already corrected numbers!? SAE was used on my runs which as you know already accounts for temp and pressure. :confused::confused:

Have you been able to dyno your car yet?

What were the gains with your headers?

I am going to the track tomorrow night to see if my times/trap speeds have changed.

I also have an appointment tomorrow for a dyno run. I Will be using a MAHA LPS 3000 dyno to do my run which calculates drivetrain losses on the coast down phase. These are the dynos Audi ,Volkswagen, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes etc use as their factory dynos. Putting many stock cars on there has shown it to be within a few HP of manufacturer claims. One thing about the maha dyno I like is that there is nothing for the operator to change, no guessing drivetrain losses or entering correction factors, it does it all on its own.

Its going to be 90+ degrees and I have an hour long drive to get there, maybe i should get there an hour early to let the car cool or should I just toss it on there anyway? They do have two 50,000 CFM fans that blow air over the car during the run to keep it cooler. Also we only have 91 octane here so that's what I will be running for the tests.

It's just a shame SIKKY could not come through and i could dyno both sets of headers and be done with this comparison....but NO they have to screw people around and lie to them

It's just a shame SIKKY could not come through and i could dyno both sets of headers and be done with this comparison....but NO they have to screw people around and lie to them

Why don't you put yourself in SIKKY's shoes for a moment. Why would they want to send their final production header to a competitor who is still in the R&D phase of their own headers!? Of course this would be a different story if the Elite headers were finalized but they are not. Just seems like the obvious to me and looking back maybe you should have just had the headers sent to your house first. Just a thought.

Very professionally put. Appreciate the incite and polite response.

Why don't you put yourself in SIKKY's shoes for a moment. Why would they want to send their final production header to a competitor who is still in the R&D phase of their own headers!? Of course this would be a different story if the Elite headers were finalized but they are not. Just seems like the obvious to me and looking back maybe you should have just had the headers sent to your house first. Just a thought.

at the time they were finished. they just had to do road testing then suspended making any further sets till they finish my sc kit.

plus what is wrong with looking at competitors products...why not test them and make a better performing one? (just my 2 cents) NOT speaking for Elite

Caymandive does make a good point but I have to disagree on one of the points. IMO it would make no difference if Elite's Headers were finalized because like what Splat stated that the Headers were finalized at that time and they were dyno'd and tested. Only thing that wasn't finished was ceramic coating them which won't make any difference in hp gains during their short tests. It will only make a difference during long drives in terms of providing less heat. Also somewhere on this forum I remember reading that Sikky agreed to do back to back testings with Elite. In the end bad customer service is one thing but on top of that for Sikky not being 100% honest just made things even worse. Lexusguy just get your deposit back and move on.

I got my deposit back and I am driving my car out to Elite in less than 3 weeks!!

well aside from my quality issues, this may neither be here nor there. but its something i have been suspicious of.

when i first put down a deposit at the end of may, my credit card had to be canceled. as it went, i made the deposit, all was fine and ok. until the next day, when i get a call from visa security asking me about some random charge for around $700 from something called 51globalconsumer. i denied knowing anything about this charge and they denied it and canceled my card because it had been compromised.

it could be a massive coincidence, but the deposit sikky rang through was the only charge i made to my visa in about a weeks time, and this fraudulent charge surfaced the next day. so i was visaless for about a week until i got a new one in the mail.

im not pointing fingers, but i have been suspicious from the moment this happened, it could have just been coincidence but i just thought i should share...

at the time they were finished. they just had to do road testing then suspended making any further sets till they finish my sc kit.

By the very definition if they are still "testing" then they aren't done yet are they? Unless you and I can buy a set right now they still have time to make changes.
plus what is wrong with looking at competitors products...why not test them and make a better performing one? (just my 2 cents) NOT speaking for Elite
If you spend hours and hours building something would you send it off to a competitor to make something better? I doubt it and if you say you do its BS. Can Elite buy a set if they wish? sure. but its rather blatant to want to have someone send it directly there. I'm sure nissan didnt ask porsche to deliver the 911 turbos to the nissan factory for testing against the GTR.

Do people get competitors products to evaluate sure. Does a manufacturer willingly need to send it to them? No.

well aside from my quality issues, this may neither be here nor there. but its something i have been suspicious of.

when i first put down a deposit at the end of may, my credit card had to be canceled. as it went, i made the deposit, all was fine and ok. until the next day, when i get a call from visa security asking me about some random charge for around $700 from something called 51globalconsumer. i denied knowing anything about this charge and they denied it and canceled my card because it had been compromised.

it could be a massive coincidence, but the deposit sikky rang through was the only charge i made to my visa in about a weeks time, and this fraudulent charge surfaced the next day. so i was visaless for about a week until i got a new one in the mail.

im not pointing fingers, but i have been suspicious from the moment this happened, it could have just been coincidence but i just thought i should share...

This is interesting, I had a fraudulent charge on my card too that cause caught by my CC company to vogue wigs for 200 bucks. but that was weeks later and I use my card every day.

By the very definition if they are still "testing" then they aren't done yet are they? Unless you and I can buy a set right now they still have time to make changes.

If you spend hours and hours building something would you send it off to a competitor to make something better? I doubt it and if you say you do its BS. Can Elite buy a set if they wish? sure. but its rather blatant to want to have someone send it directly there. I'm sure nissan didnt ask porsche to deliver the 911 turbos to the nissan factory for testing against the GTR.

Do people get competitors products to evaluate sure. Does a manufacturer willingly need to send it to them? No.

yes im sure you can call them and order a set, just bc they dont advertise doesnt mean they dont sell or make them. I have a set. Also sikky agreed to do testing and elite was going to have a third party do the testing on two different is-f's.

they spent more then hours to have some choppy welds and spotty fitment. Elite posted pictures the whole way and has kept everyone updated. And at the time both company's were still in the testing phase so whats your point?

yes im sure you can call them and order a set, just bc they dont advertise doesnt mean they dont sell or make them. I have a set. Also sikky agreed to do testing and elite was going to have a third party do the testing on two different is-f's.

they spent more then hours to have some choppy welds and spotty fitment. Elite posted pictures the whole way and has kept everyone updated. And at the time both company's were still in the testing phase so whats your point?

Well you are all complaining about sikky and one of the complaints you have is that nobody make the advertised power for sikky's headers except on their dyno but nobody has show what the Elite ones can do either. Caymandiver is THE ONLY person here that has 3rd party results and IMO thats the only reliable source of information. Furthermore I read the thread and nowhere did andy agree to have it done by a third party it was sikky that brought it up and other members but not one post confirming it. Unless it came from the horses mouth everything is hearsay.

Like I said I have nothing against Elite, I look forward to their work on the supercharger. (How about some cams too? :D) I just dont like to see companies bashed for having the common sense not to willingly and knowingly give their product over to a competitor.

[QUOTE=infinus;24572]Can Elite buy a set if they wish? sure.

No way would SIKKY send them a set..i would guarantee it!!

Well you are all complaining about sikky and one of the complaints you have is that nobody make the advertised power for sikky's headers except on their dyno but nobody has show what the Elite ones can do either. Caymandiver is THE ONLY person here that has 3rd party results and IMO thats the only reliable source of information. Furthermore I read the thread and nowhere did andy agree to have it done by a third party it was sikky that brought it up and other members but not one post confirming it. Unless it came from the horses mouth everything is hearsay.

Like I said I have nothing against Elite, I look forward to their work on the supercharger. (How about some cams too? :D) I just dont like to see companies bashed for having the common sense not to willingly and knowingly give their product over to a competitor.


Now here u sound very defensive about Sikky. Anyhow of coz others including myself would complaint about the hp gains which others made and we didn't...We depend on those dyno plots and we take notes and advice and make our answers from for choosing the right mod. Also no $hit noone else has dynoplots for Elite's header as there not even published yet...Also everyone including myself would of bought Sikky's due to the 400 dollar price difference. Now I don't want to sound like the bad guy and I'm not bashing on Sikky in anyway with their products and KUDOS to their success but all it took was some honesty if they didn't want to send the header directly to Elite. They should of been straight up with Lexusguy instead of all this sneakyness phonecalls and bs excuses they kept making with him. It also goes wrong on Lexusguy's side too as he should of just got the headers sent to him then send it down to Elite if he really wants to see back to back results.

[QUOTE=infinus;24572]Can Elite buy a set if they wish? sure.

No way would SIKKY send them a set..i would guarantee it!!

I mean secretly without blatantly saying Hey its Elite send it to us.

Now I don't want to sound like the bad guy and I'm not bashing on Sikky in anyway with their products and KUDOS to their success but all it took was some honesty if they didn't want to send the header directly to Elite. They should of been straight up with Lexusguy instead of all this sneakyness phonecalls and bs excuses they kept making with him. It also goes wrong on Lexusguy's side too as he should of just got the headers sent to him then send it down to Elite if he really wants to see back to back results.

Now this part I can agree with. There are always 3 sides to the story :)

As far as what 08MRISF/Lexusguy said before the thread was closed on CL I'm just here to tell my side of the story, your the one doing the bashing. You could have gone about this in a whole lot smarter way but you didn't and now it is what it is. I'm not being uptight I'm just presenting the information from my perspective just like you have done with yours. :) Best of luck to you and I hope you end up happy with whatever routes you take. In the end its about making yourself happy not other people :)

[quote=LeXuSgUy;24577]

I mean secretly without blatantly saying Hey its Elite send it to us.

There is nothing wrong with being upfront about it on Elite's end. Im pretty sure i dont see a patent for the Sikky Headers. Either way... Not selling to a certain person just because they are that certain person and you dont like them usually dosnt go well in the eyes of the public :rolleyes:

What do you consider 3rd party dyno? The people who have done individual dynos(3rd party IMO) are still not getting near the projected Hp increase.

Nothing against sikky... But aftermarket for the ISF is a small market that should be handled with care. Between the Quality issues and lack of customer service, i would say that there heading down the wrong road with the F community.

I fully agree and another thing about quality issues IMO that for others to say nothing was wrong with it was absurd. There are a handful of ppl here that have the headers already. 3 of them which were installed by JE/Sikky which probabely didn't really get to take a full 100% examination on the headers before they installed it. Then 4 others that bought the Header seperately. 3 members out of the 4 had quality issues. PIRATE1 had his with dipstick welded in wrong place and he said the quality was not nice, doublexi had bad raised welds and gaskets would not align properly and Bullterrier said the quality was so so which the flanges could of been machined better and he has a "dent" in his header and also said things had to be modified prior to install. Now assuming the dent came from shipping but to me that's some bad packaging and handling from Sikky's side. Ok now that's not just a coincidence from 3 members to all have quality/fitment issues. That's an actual problem with the Header itself. Now I know nothing is perfect but for that kind of money that's unacceptable. At first I was going to buy Sikky Header due to the price being a little bit cheaper but now if they don't fix those issues I'd rather spend a bit more for something that was perfected. Now I can't really say Elite's would be perfected yet as noone has them yet but time will tell.

I had my headers installed at Zen Motors in Atlanta. We didn't have any problems with the install what so ever... No exhaust leaks and it was a perfect fitment.

Sikky was great with me and very helpful whenever I called. The only downside I would say is their VM box was always full when I wanted to leave a message. This is understandable because they probably were getting bombarded with calls from people wanting to know where their headers are at.

Thats great you didn't have a problem with the headers. Seems like the verdict with the quality and fitment issues would be 50/50. You might get a good one or a bad one but if that's the case Sikky really needs to check their finished batches of Headers throughly before sending them out. Myself will not risk spending 1500+ on a item and later find out I got a bad one...Hopefully Sikky will resolve this issue and maybe I might try out their header.

Why has Sikky not posted to this thread:confused: This has turned into a he said - she said, with no word from the manufacturer and a site sponsor. This seems odd to me.

Lou

Why has Sikky not posted to this thread:confused: This has turned into a he said - she said, with no word from the manufacturer and a site sponsor. This seems odd to me.

Lou


I was suspicious and thinking this too...This is quite a matter to them and they haven't posted nor replied to this issue...This could ruin Sikky's reputation.

I was suspicious and thinking this too...This is quite a matter to them and they haven't posted nor replied to this issue...This could ruin Sikky's reputation.

I have seen this several times before and not to take any side in this as Sikky may be assuming people will just tear up everything they have to say and battling back and forth via posts usually go no where. I find the BS revolving around Elite to be insane and not sure how Sikky ever thought they would get themselves out of that one is beyond me. They just kept digging their hole deeper and deeper. If there is a quality issue with their product, if this doesn't give them a kick in the pants to get it corrected, I don't know what will. If they purposely misled the public as to their products performance, shame on them and they have a much bigger issue than just a few quality tweaks. If it is the latter, it is hard for me to comprehend how they thought the truth would never come out. People dyno their cars all the time so if they falsely stated the gains, it would be so short lived that it just doesn't make sense that they would do that. I know there are a few other issues here but this just seems very strange.

Has anyone contacted Sikky with their issues? If so what steps did they take to resolve the problem?

It seems there are posts about quality issue complaints, but nothing about them contacting the manufacturer and what they did to resolve the issue.

If they are trying to fix the problem that is great and is what I would expect from them. If not this is going to be a large hassle and will definitely ruin their reputation.

I hope Sikky knows about it and they probabely somewhat do know but IMO how can they fix it now? They already made 50+ headers and probabely sold most of them so I don't think they be taking back say estimate of 30-40% of them that have quality/fitment issues. All they could do now is make the next new batches better with no flaws. This is why I usually never rush into aftermarket parts that first come out unless the company was big and known and well reputative. No offense to SIKKY but I've never heard of them til these Headers came out. Anyhow the first generation makes of aftermarket parts usually have all the flaws in them. This is why alot of aftermarket parts comes out with different versions like version 1,2,3 etc...they always end up making them better. To me Sikky's Header seemed rushed into production. R&D was only 4-5 months? Any modding company can make a header but perfecting it could take years.

I called over to Sikky and inquired about the headers last week. I found them to be nothing but helpful and professional. This week I had my headers installed at JE who showed the same level of customer service. I'm not trying to get tangled up anything, I would just like to say that I was extremely impressed with both companies, the product, and the service.

In addition, I actually received a call a few days after the install to check on my satisfaction with the product. I cannot be happier.

ennigmasoul...you mean you found the ONE company to be helpful....also do you have any dyno results?

Please do not misunderstand me, I said both lol. After following the thread regarding the headers very closely and reviewing the work the 4 members of this forum put in, I opted not to spend my money to get the dyno's. I figured I could put it towards my next upgrade >.<

Very good choice...what is next for you?

I've been researching direct intakes. Currently I am looking at K&N, SRT, and the Joe Z options. I would like advice on this but will make a new thread as to not divert this one. From there it's on to exhausts.

So right now You just have headers on a stock f?...Just curous did it get louder when You put the headers on?

Very much so, a good crisp sound. Idle is nice and aggressive and you hear more of the bite much earlier (around 2k rpm's) but still have the kick once the intake fully opens.

I called over to Sikky and inquired about the headers last week. I found them to be nothing but helpful and professional. This week I had my headers installed at JE who showed the same level of customer service. I'm not trying to get tangled up anything, I would just like to say that I was extremely impressed with both companies, the product, and the service.

In addition, I actually received a call a few days after the install to check on my satisfaction with the product. I cannot be happier.


IMO of course Sikky and JE would be very helpful to you as you directly bought the Header and got it installed from them. Did you even get to fully examine the header quality itself? Assuming you went there and brought your car in and Sikky/JE installing it right at the spot. They probabely let you take a quick glance at the Header itself then installing it immediately without letting you fully examine it. This probabely happened to everyone else who got the Header installed by JE so technically they can't really say anything about the header quality itself. The thing is I have not yet seen any others with the Header show close up pictures of the ports and flanges besides doublexi. Only other pics I have seen of the Header are just the outside piping and ppl saying it's good quality... At least they called and asked if everything was ok after. Anyhow congrats on your Header.


Here is a link of an example of how a top quality header should look like. Header is made by J's racing Japan for S2000. They show close up shots of the welds, ports, flanges etc. This company has been around for a long time and has racing history. They took 2+ years of R&D to perfect this header. I had this header before on my s2000.


http://www.jsracing.co.jp/js3/index.asp?xMODE=SHOP&xSW=3&xBLAND=1&xSHASHU=4&xPARENT=41&xNO=XA-S1&xKEYWORD=

Here is a link of an example of how a top quality header should look like. Header is made by J's racing Japan for S2000. They show close up shots of the welds, ports, flanges etc. This company has been around for a long time and has racing history. They took 2+ years of R&D to perfect this header. I had this header before on my s2000.


http://www.jsracing.co.jp/js3/index.asp?xMODE=SHOP&xSW=3&xBLAND=1&xSHASHU=4&xPARENT=41&xNO=XA-S1&xKEYWORD=


If you ask me those J racing headers look like crap aside from the nice polished look with no ceramic coating. Look at how they are piece mealed together compared to the SIKKY ones, which are mandrel bent all the way through to the collector.


SIKKY
http://www.sikky.com/images/main/1273600988Pic2.jpg

If you ask me those J racing headers look like crap aside from the nice polished look with no ceramic coating. Look at how they are piece mealed together compared to the SIKKY ones, which are mandrel bent all the way through to the collector.

first, they are a step header, 4-2-1. second, the header flange is machined flat. third, the inlets have a smooth lip with no sharp edges. fouth, if you ask me (or many others) the sikky passenger side header looks like crap, and the driver side header looks weird as $&@%.

ISF-88, I actually stayed at JE the entire time during installation, all 6 hours of it lol (to satisfy my curiosity). I had hands on with the headers prior to installation and they took the time to walk me through the installation for as much as I wanted to watch. I am not sure what's happened in your situation but please stop putting a spin on what I am saying.

Simply put: I received a quality product with quality service.

ISF-88, I actually stayed at JE the entire time during installation, all 6 hours of it lol (to satisfy my curiosity). I had hands on with the headers prior to installation and they took the time to walk me through the installation for as much as I wanted to watch. I am not sure what's happened in your situation but please stop putting a spin on what I am saying.

Simply put: I received a quality product with quality service.

if you handled the headers and think everything is just awesome you need to get your eyes checked.

haha +1 doublexl

If you ask me those J racing headers look like crap aside from the nice polished look with no ceramic coating. Look at how they are piece mealed together compared to the SIKKY ones, which are mandrel bent all the way through to the collector.


SIKKY
http://www.sikky.com/images/main/1273600988Pic2.jpg


Yes doublexi your correct they are a step header design which is why they aren't mandrel bent all the way through to the connector, they are a 4-2-1 header and they are made from a high quality lightweight SUS304 stainless steel...Caymandiver they aren't ceramic coated because it's made out of stainless steel. Ceramic coated headers aren't made of stainless steel they are made of mild steel. Alot of high end headers are made of stainless steel over ceramic coated due to durability. Also all headers starts off looking like that with all the welds...but with the J's header you can see that the flanges are machined flat and the ports are complete smooth circles. With SIKKY's the ports are so uneven and it seems like they just welded the flanges around the ports without machining the ports properly and the ceramic coating hides all the flaws and welds making it superb looking. Basically ceramic coating can make any shit quality header look like a million bux. Also if u think J's racing is crap obviously you have not seen and handled many other high quality headers in your life time...Your the first person I've ever heard saying J's racing is crap while thousands of car modders use them. Try googling them and you won't even find one bad word about them...J's Racing is a international Racing team and not just some tuning shop. Their success in the Racing world back up there parts.


Here is a link of 20+ different Header companies from low to high quality for the S2000.

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=634406

Count how many are ceramic coated? IMO alot of high end manufactures don't make ceramic coated headers because for one the durability, 2nd if you want both SS and CC it's gonna cost you which most customers won't pay, 3rd a header is like a work of art to them and ceramic coating will just hide all their hard work and craftmanship as most high end headers are each welded and pieced together by hand. Ceramic coated Headers have their advantages and disadvantages. Advantages is it's a tad lighter, reduces engine bay heat and keeps the heat in the header which will give better exhaust flow but that's an easy fix with the stainless steel header as racers usually wrap them which does the same thing with holding in the heat. Disadvantages is most cheap ceramic coated headers are made of mild steel which makes it prone to rust and can crack easier at the welds. Once the ceramic coating chips and flakes off corrosion and rust will happen so they don't last as long. So if you live in a rainy/snowing winter city you'd be better off with a good quality 304 stainless steel header as 304 stainless steel is rust proof and would last you a lifetime. 304 stainless steel would cost alot more but IMO it's worth the money. It would be good if the header was made of stainless steel then ceramic coated but that would cost you way more then $1300. For looks I prefer a header with just polished stainless steel over ceramic coated as it gives it more of a raw look over the ceramic bling factor look. Also a stainless steel header will change color to a blue tinge look when it heats up.

Here are two same headers, 1st pic is the oem Polished Stainless steel look vs 2nd pic custom ceramic coated look. Which looks better? I think the ceramic looks cheese but you be the judge.

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7564/jsracingsplh4a2851da36f.jpg
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/931/38504696195058cee2e2b.jpg


Here again are shots of the poor machining on the flanges/ports on the Sikky Header. In all seriousness honestly all you guys think and say this is good quality???

doublexi's Header

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2236/77293209.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/28/21644692.jpg

PIRATE1's Header

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/1543/headers20120jpg.jpg


Here are shots of nicely machined flanges and ports.

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2056/ssheader15.jpg
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/912/epcp080917zexhaustmanif.jpg


See the difference now? Hopefully to those who think SIKKY's header was nice quality could see the quality issues with the flanges/ports...

One more thing about the quality of SIKKY header is FYI SIKKY Header is made of mild steel Ceramic coated and uses a stainless steel vband flange. So beware once it rusts it's game over unless your willing to pay the hefty labor costs of pulling off your header every 1-2 years to get them re ceramic coated then installing them back.

Doublexl, for a guy who started the thread "ETA (http://www.lexusfforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3101)" back in early July with the below and then later said you may wait until next year I'm not sure what to think.:confused: Then when you got the headers, you started hacking them up without even trying them out first, when everyone else had no fitment or power issues. WTF dude!?

7/8/10
"i dont know if im as curious as others, but to put it bluntly.... where the f@#$ are my headers?

the "they should be ready in 3 weeks" was up almost 3 weeks ago. i'd like to get them on my car before it f@#$ing snows this year.

SIKKY!?"

8/28/10
"i have no idea where the nearest dyno to me would be. that would involve a lot of driving and i do not yet know when i will be putting them on. its almost september, my car gets tucked away at the start of october..... might wait till next year."

LeXusguy, you are straight up bitter because you expected SIKKY to send your headers to a competitor before the competitor has finalized his design. Come on man really!? I do however kinda side with you though that SIKKY shouldn't have (if he really did) give you the run around like you stated. If that's true then shame on them, but for you and Doublexl to continue bashing SIKKY is just unprofessional, uncalled for and in my honest opinion adds ZERO credibility to you.

We have a few companies who are now starting to make some parts for the IS-F and I'm baffled as to why we are not embracing and encouraging these companies instead of all the constant bickering going on here. There is nothing wrong with competition as long as it's fair, but I do see a problem with the way you two have been on attack.

Doublexl, for a guy who started the thread "ETA (http://www.lexusfforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3101)" back in early July with the below and then later said you may wait until next year I'm not sure what to think.:confused: Then when you got the headers, you started hacking them up without even trying them out first, when everyone else had no fitment or power issues. WTF dude!?

7/8/10
"i dont know if im as curious as others, but to put it bluntly.... where the f@#$ are my headers?

the "they should be ready in 3 weeks" was up almost 3 weeks ago. i'd like to get them on my car before it f@# snows this year.

SIKKY!?"

8/28/10
"i have no idea where the nearest dyno to me would be. that would involve a lot of driving and i do not yet know when i will be putting them on. its almost september, my car gets tucked away at the start of october..... might wait till next year."

LeXusguy, you are straight up bitter because you expected SIKKY to send your headers to a competitor before the competitor has finalized his design. Come on man really!? I do however kinda side with you though that SIKKY shouldn't have (if he really did) give you the run around like you stated. If that's true then shame on them, but for you and Doublexl to continue bashing SIKKY is just unprofessional, uncalled for and in my honest opinion adds ZERO credibility to you.

We have a few companies who are now starting to make some parts for the IS-F and I'm baffled as to why we are not embracing and encouraging these companies instead of all the constant bickering going on here. There is nothing wrong with competition as long as it's fair, but I do see a problem with the way you two have been on attack.

i decided not to get a lift yet, mainly because my tv of old blew up and i went and spent 3800 on a new one so i dont want to spend another 3k for a lift. im not going to let some shop i dont trust install my headers, there are no shops around here that are very reputable. im not going to pay what would likely be just short of 1000 for an install i can do. i dont have enough header wrap, by the time i get the rest of it and finish the wrapping them it will be the end of next week. next weekend i have a course all weekend taking up most of my time, the next weekend after that is the middle of september, i only insured my car until october this year because i dont drive it in the winter. whats the point in putting headers on for about 2 weeks then having to tuck it away. and assuming they even fit (alignment wise for the exhaust) and if the dipstick even fits that might have to be modified too. so who knows how much down time would be needed if things need to be changed, then i could be without car for the rest of the driving season anyways. when i made this thread i had absolutely no idea that i would have to modify the headers straight out of the box, now that i have handled them no way in hell would i install them as they come from sikky. i wasnt going to wrap them, but my friend who owns a performance company (small just around here) said he wraps all headers he installs for a variety of reasons, so i thought what the heck why not. i will encourage more companies to make parts for the ISF as long as they are QUALITY pieces.

Andy's design is and was finalized at the time that SIKKY released there headers...Andy put his headers on hold because he was busy coming up with a kit for a SUPERCHARGER for our cars, that's why Andys have not been released yet...but they were dyno tested and results posted.....I was given the run around as stated and if ANY of this was false don't you think SIKKY would have commented on this thread?????....ENOUGH SAID

Mods. IMHO, what has to be said has been said. This thread has turned ugly and, again IMHO, should be closed.

Lou

Mods. IMHO, what has to be said has been said. This thread has turned ugly and, again IMHO, should be closed.

Lou


Yes this has turned ugly but IMO to SIKKY that has not addressed to this matter is also unprofessional. They are a Vendor on here and there is no way they wouldn't know about this matter. Also to everyone that has success with the Header congrats to all of you but in honesty if a few members have problems with fitment/quality issues and are not gaining the hp that everyone else dyno'd on JE's dynopack don't u think that's a problem? Just put yourselves in their shoes that are having the problems with the header. Also on top of that what makes it even more fishy is SIKKY not replying to this thread...1550 views 6 pages 60 replies and not even one reply from SIKKY...

i decided not to get a lift yet, mainly because my tv of old blew up and i went and spent 3800 on a new one so i dont want to spend another 3k for a lift. im not going to let some shop i dont trust install my headers, there are no shops around here that are very reputable. im not going to pay what would likely be just short of 1000 for an install i can do. i dont have enough header wrap, by the time i get the rest of it and finish the wrapping them it will be the end of next week. next weekend i have a course all weekend taking up most of my time, the next weekend after that is the middle of september, i only insured my car until october this year because i dont drive it in the winter. whats the point in putting headers on for about 2 weeks then having to tuck it away. and assuming they even fit (alignment wise for the exhaust) and if the dipstick even fits that might have to be modified too. so who knows how much down time would be needed if things need to be changed, then i could be without car for the rest of the driving season anyways. when i made this thread i had absolutely no idea that i would have to modify the headers straight out of the box, now that i have handled them no way in hell would i install them as they come from sikky. i wasnt going to wrap them, but my friend who owns a performance company (small just around here) said he wraps all headers he installs for a variety of reasons, so i thought what the heck why not. i will encourage more companies to make parts for the ISF as long as they are QUALITY pieces.



doublexi I advise you not to use header wrap as SIKKy's header is made of ceramic coated mild steel and will rust and corrode faster. Also mild steel is not as sturdy as stainless steel where the wrap can damage your Header.

so SIKKYS headers are not even stainless?

doublexi I advise you not to use header wrap as SIKKy's header is made of ceramic coated mild steel and will rust and corrode faster. Also mild steel is not as sturdy as stainless steel where the wrap can damage your Header.

this is news to me.... about the non-stainless that is....where did you find this info

hahah... WOW!!!! doublexl, take a magnet to them... If they are 304 tubes they will not be magnetic, mild steel and 409(lower grade) stainless are magnetic. Headers should NEVER!!!!!! EVER EVER EVER be made of mild or 409... Well at least if you want them to last.

P.S. Our are 100% 304 stainless, TIG welded, and CNC Flanges...

hahah... WOW!!!! doublexl, take a magnet to them... If they are 304 tubes they will not be magnetic, mild steel and 409(lower grade) stainless are magnetic. Headers should NEVER!!!!!! EVER EVER EVER be made of mild or 409... Well at least if you want them to last.

P.S. Our are 100% 304 stainless, TIG welded, and CNC Flanges...

i did this even before you said it. the magnets stick on everything except the new dipstick.....

same as chineese stuff:rolleyes: but from sikky

i did this even before you said it. the magnets stick on everything except the new dipstick.....

Looks like the dipstick it stainless!!!

Looks like the dipstick it stainless!!!

For a vendor you sure come across as really immature and unprofessional.

hahah... WOW!!!! doublexl, take a magnet to them... If they are 304 tubes they will not be magnetic, mild steel and 409(lower grade) stainless are magnetic. Headers should NEVER!!!!!! EVER EVER EVER be made of mild or 409... Well at least if you want them to last.

P.S. Our are 100% 304 stainless, TIG welded, and CNC Flanges...

Thats funny because the stock headers are also mild steel and guess what they aren't even ceramic coated and I'm sure they would last the life of the car. ;)

but your payin 1400 dollars for an UPGRADE that should last....this just puts the icing on the cake for me

Everyone read post #55 about ceramic coated mild steel headers...I wrote an article of the differences somewhat.


Here's a link on how I found out what material SIKKY's header is made of. Scroll down the page and see what the application section...


http://www.redlinemotive.com/store/sikky/sikky-headers.asp

this is news to me.... about the non-stainless that is....where did you find this info


read post #55 and about advantages and disadvantages on Ceramic coated mild steel headers vs 304 stainless steel.

This is where I found the info. Scroll down to see applications...I spent alot of hours of research to find out what material they are made of.

http://www.redlinemotive.com/store/sikky/sikky-headers.asp


Thats funny because the stock headers are also mild steel and guess what they aren't even ceramic coated and I'm sure they would last the life of the car. ;)


That's not the point Caymandiver as your spending mad money for an item that would rust in 1-2 years...This is why most high end manufactures make their headers out of 304 SS over Ceramic coated mild steel...IMO your paying overpriced for SIKKY Headers where other Ceramic coated mild steel headers cost 1/3 or less of it's price... I'm pretty sure the oem headers are made of a higher grade steel then just mild steel. Well looks like I gotta spend hours of research again to find out what they are made of lol...Also Ceramic coated mild steel headers will eventually crack over time if not re ceramic coated when it rusts and that's going to be a hefty cost for labor on un and re installing them...They also can't take extreme high heat like over 1500+ degrees as well as 304 SS would.. Anyhow I'm glad I did my research before purchasing Headers and sorry but I hate to say this looks like SIKKY just made a huge profit off you guys...

So you are implying the factory exhaust won't last more than two years? Not only is that rediculous, but here we have ceramic coating on top of mild steel for even more protection. Also, the price you pay is performance for the dollar. I'll let you know in two years how they are holding up.:rolleyes:

read post #55 and about advantages and disadvantages on Ceramic coated mild steel headers vs 304 stainless steel.

This is where I found the info. Scroll down to see applications...I spent alot of hours of research to find out what material they are made of.

http://www.redlinemotive.com/store/sikky/sikky-headers.asp





That's not the point Caymandiver as your spending mad money for an item that would rust in 1-2 years...This is why most high end manufactures make their headers out of 304 SS over Ceramic coated mild steel...IMO your paying overpriced for SIKKY Headers where other Ceramic coated mild steel headers cost 1/3 or less of it's price... I'm pretty sure the oem headers are made of a higher grade steel then just mild steel. Well looks like I gotta spend hours of research again to find out what they are made of again lol...Also Ceramic coated mild steel headers will eventually crack over time if not re ceramic coated when it rusts and that's going to be a hefty cost for labor on un and re installing them...They also can't take extreme high heat as well as 304 SS would.

So you are implying the factory exhaust won't last more than two years? Not only is that rediculous, but here we have ceramic coating on top of mild steel for even more protection. Also, the price you pay is performance for the dollar. I'll let you know in two years how they are holding up.:rolleyes:


Did u read my post carefully? I said I'm pretty sure the OEM exhaust manifolds are made of higher grade steel then low grade mild steel..Yes you are right about you do pay for performance on Ceramic coated Headers due to holding in the heat for better exhaust flow but that's what Header wrap is for on stainless steel. This is why most racing teams wrap stainless steel headers to get that performance...Downfall on Ceramic coating is it chips and flakes over time... also good luck to you and let us know how much per few yrs your labor and repair bill costs for re coating them;)

K I just researched our oem whole exhaust system from exhaust manifold to back is made of "stainless steel"...doesn't say what the grade was but it's made of ss..


OEM entire exhaust system specs:

The stainless steel exhaust system starts with tubular exhaust manifolds and integrated catalysts. Next come dual 2.4-inch diameter front pipes that are joined before a pre-muffler and 2.7-inch single center pipe, after which the system splits into two 2.1-inch pipes and enters dual 16.8-liter mufflers.

K I just found out our oem whole exhaust system from exhaust manifold to back is made of "stainless steel"...doesn't say what the grade was but it's made of ss..


OEM entire exhaust system specs:

The stainless steel exhaust system starts with tubular exhaust manifolds and integrated catalysts. Next come dual 2.4-inch diameter front pipes that are joined before a pre-muffler and 2.7-inch single center pipe, after which the system splits into two 2.1-inch pipes and enters dual 16.8-liter mufflers.

Throw a magnet on the OEM and see what happens. Also guys better watch what you post without getting your facts together first. You are on the verge of "slander" with little to no understanding of your actions. The post about the "possible" credit card issues comes to mind along with all the other shit that's been posted targeting "SIKKY". These venders pay to be here and are real companies that depend on products and service to make a living to support their families. GROW UP!


ps. Where are the forum moderators!? This site has gone to shit lately and I'm on the verge of deleting every post I ever made and taking my support elsewhere.

Throw a magnet on the OEM and see what happens. Also guys better watch what you post without getting your facts together first. You are on the verge of "slander" with little to no understanding of your actions. The post about the "possible" credit card issues comes to mind along with all the other shit that's been posted targeting "SIKKY". These venders pay to be here and are real companies that depend on products and service to make a living to support their families. GROW UP!


ps. Where are the forum moderators!? This site has gone to shit lately and I'm on the verge of deleting every post I ever made and taking my support elsewhere.


I'm not trying to bash here Caymandiver I'm just trying to help for you and others to choose wisely on mods... as I did all my research before posting anything and I will try and find a magnet and try to see if the cats stick but I can barely get under my car as my car is quite low to the ground. Also if the exhaust system is made of 304L SS then it won't stick but I don't know if other grades of SS are magnetic or not...Hopefully someone can check...Don't you have your oem manifolds laying around somewhere? Try sticking a magnet to it and see what happens.

I'm not trying to bash here Caymandiver I'm just trying to help for you and others to choose wisely on mods... as I did all my research before posting anything and I will try and find a magnet and try to see if the cats stick but I can barely get under my car as my car is quite low to the ground. Also if the exhaust system is made of 304L SS then it won't stick but I don't know if other grades of SS are magnetic or not...Hopefully someone can check...Don't you have your oem manifolds laying around somewhere? Try sticking a magnet to it and see what happens.

I already did the magnet trick on the stock manifold and it's very magnetic. Which is why I posted my previous.

I already did the magnet trick on the stock manifold and it's very magnetic. Which is why I posted my previous.



K i just researched this and stainless steel can be magnetic depends on this:


As for whether they are magnetic, the answer is that it depends. There are several families of stainless steels with different physical properties. A basic stainless steel has a 'ferritic' structure and is magnetic. These are formed from the addition of chromium and can be hardened through the addition of carbon (making them 'martensitic') and are often used in cutlery. However, the most common stainless steels are 'austenitic' - these have a higher chromium content and nickel is also added. It is the nickel which modifies the physical structure of the steel and makes it non-magnetic.


I just placed a magnet on my primary cat and it stuck but the magnetic force was not strong...So I would believe it's made of SS and has a bit of these materials as stated above in it. Chromium and nickel compounds in stainless steel prevents corossion and rust.

Ok I just did another research on OEM exhaust manifolds. Here is what I got.


In most production engines, the manifold is an assembly designed to collect the exhaust gas from two or more cylinders into one pipe. Manifolds are often made of "Cast Iron" in stock production cars, and may have material-saving design features such as to use the least metal, to occupy the least space necessary, or have the lowest production cost. These design restrictions often result in a design that is cost effective but that does not do the most efficient job of venting the gases from the engine. Inefficiencies generally occur due to the nature of the combustion engine and its cylinders. Since cylinders fire at different times, exhaust leaves them at different times, and pressure waves from gas emerging from one cylinder might not be completely vacated through the exhaust system when another comes. This creates a back pressure and restriction in the engine's exhaust system that can restrict the engine's true performance possibilities.


There's no way production cars would use lower grade mild steel for their exhaust manifold as it would not last the lifetime of the car. To even think Lexus would use low grade mild steel for our oem manifolds? Now that's ridicilous... Either the ISF's oem manifolds are made of cast iron or some grade of stainless steel.

Either the ISF's oem manifolds are made of cast iron or some grade of stainless steel.

Don't know what material the tubing is, but I can tell you it's not cast iron.

Lou

Don't know what material the tubing is, but I can tell you it's not cast iron.

Lou

By the looks of those it looks stainless steel to me as in the 2nd pic you can see the color change of a tinge blue in some parts of the header. Only stainless steel would change color like that vs other types of steel. Also I showed a friend of mine just now that works at a automotive machine shop and he says they are stainless steel.

The post about the "possible" credit card issues comes to mind along with all the other shit that's been posted targeting "SIKKY".

i believe i said i wasn't pointing fingers, but was very suspicious. i dont use my card that often and that was the first time i had used it in approximately a week, i could check statements and give exact days. it would be an extremely huge and unfortunate coincidence if that was the case. but hey, i could see it. "oh hey this guy is from canada, thousands of miles away, idiot gave us his cc number on the phone". doesnt sound too far fetched. but having said that again, im not pointing fingers because there is no conclusive evidence.

as for the magnet trick. i have my stock exhaust in the room beside me, it is all magnetic. if its stainless steel it could just be a lower grade that is magnetic, 409 stainless like andy had said. its less magnetic then the sikky headers however, which pull very strong on the magnet.

btw: joez exhaust. 304 stainless, completely non magnetic.... just checked.

As I researched before all stainless steel is magnetic as it depends how much nickel compound is in it for it to make it non magnetic. As you can see in this pic the oem headers are surely stainless as you can see the color change on some areas. Only stainless steel would change color like this as other types of steel doesn't.


http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/254/right20side20exhaust20m.jpg

from what i gather, 304 would not be magnetic, as it contains nickel. that is why the joez is not magnetic, as it is high quality stainless. the stock exhaust could be 409 stainless, which does not contain nickel, that would make it magnetic.

Wow 2100 views, 9 pages and 86 replies and not even one reply from SIKKY...Shame on them!

well i hope people just understand that we are trying to educate the community about SIKKY!!!

I'm not trying to bash here Caymandiver I'm just trying to help for you and others to choose wisely on mods... as I did all my research before posting anything and I will try and find a magnet and try to see if the cats stick but I can barely get under my car as my car is quite low to the ground. Also if the exhaust system is made of 304L SS then it won't stick but I don't know if other grades of SS are magnetic or not...Hopefully someone can check...Don't you have your oem manifolds laying around somewhere? Try sticking a magnet to it and see what happens.

The JoeZ exhaust is made of 304 SUS stainless steel.

Looks like the dipstick it stainless!!!

Andy when do you anticipate the release of your header?

The JoeZ exhaust is made of 304 SUS stainless steel.


Ya we know that already. We were talking about the OEM entire exhaust system from the manifolds to the back. Already confirmed the entire OEM exhaust system is made of stainless steel.

The factory manifolds are 409 stainless.

Thread closed. Keep the posts towards making the ISF community stronger, not slanderous bickering.

Thanks