Stainless Power headers bad fitment - is this safe??

[huracan]

My car just got the Stainless Power headers installed (part number SM15H3CATLG) and the shop said that the fitment is very bad, there is only a couple of millimeters space between the headers and the frame of the car, is this normal?

Sponsored

 

[huracan]

Forgot to mention, my car is of model year 2020 and euro spec (Sweden)

 

[bluebeastsrt]

Most header companies are hit or miss with fitment. So yea it’s pretty normal.

 

[huracan]

Most header companies are hit or miss with fitment. So yea it’s pretty normal.

Seems like it, but it is safe to drive like that or do I need to remove them?

 

[Jeff's FRC]

Stainless Power headers usually known to fit well. If you loosen both motor mounts, you can shift the engine from side to side slightly. Not sure how the Euro spec cars are, but it's commonplace to have to remove the passenger side A/C line bracket and stud.

 

[huracan]

Stainless Power headers usually known to fit well. If you loosen both motor mounts, you can shift the engine from side to side slightly. Not sure how the Euro spec cars are, but it's commonplace to have to remove the passenger side A/C line bracket and stud.

Thanks for the tips, told the shop and they will try it tomorrow!

 

[huracan]

The shop is not having any success in moving them.. Any expert who knows if that is normal to have it so close to the frame or is it dangerous / possible fire hazard?

 

[jrsimon27]

They will hit the frame from time to time and you will get false knock i would take them off it doesnt seem safe and i would try to get my money back. Maybe Euro cars are different.

 

[I Bleed Ford Blue]

I have clearance on mine, but I also have a 17 and it's a US spec car. I just found out recently that the stainless power brand is made in China, that could explain the poor fitment.

 

[Jeff's FRC]

Are they actually hitting the frame rail? All these aftermarket headers sit real close on the passenger side. Mine are probably 1/4”-3/8” away from the frame and it’s never hit or caused knock.

 

[huracan]

Are they actually hitting the frame rail? All these aftermarket headers sit real close on the passenger side. Mine are probably 1/4”-3/8” away from the frame and it’s never hit or caused knock.

I dont know.. I havent driven the car yet since the install, its still in the shop.. I have reached out to Stainless Works for a comment but they have not responded yet..

 

[NGOT8R]

That’s too close and the header primary will definitely hit the frame during engine torque-over. I suggest having the shop mark off the area where it would make contact with your frame, remove them, heat them up until red hot and then lay a piece of flat 1/4” thick plate across the primary tube and put it in a large vice and tighten it down to crush/dimple the primary tube and get at least 1/4” - 5/16” clearance from the frame. Here is what good clearance should look like.

 

[huracan]

That’s too close and the header primary will definitely hit the frame during engine torque-over. I suggest having the shop mark off the area where it would make contact with your frame, remove them, heat them up until red hot and then lay a piece of flat 1/4” thick plate across the primary tube and put it in a large vice and tighten it down to crush/dimple the primary tube and get at least 1/4” - 5/16” clearance from the frame. Here is what good clearance should look like.

Thanks for the pictures.. Yes that looks like a bit more clearance..

 

[NGOT8R]

If you’d like to save some coin, have the shop remove the headers and do the modification (crush/dimple them yourself) and then take them back to be reinstalled. If you do it carefully, it’ll look very neat and factory. I didn’t have to do this on mine, but did research it. There’s an article online which confirmed that crushing/dimpling the header primary tubes did not negatively affect performance.

 

[Cobra Jet]

With them being so close the inner frame rails is that you may experience a bit of noise/vibration when the engine is running. LT headers also get extremely hot and if anything is near them, you risk melting plastics/harnesses etc. and you also do not want any A/C lines being that close to a header. I recall seeing in other SW LT threads on here that folks had to tie up the A/C line away from the header.

The other issue is as said above, under load the engine wants to “twist” and with barely any space between the primaries and frame as seen in your images, there’s definitley going to be contact under load.

There’s quite a bit of under hood changes done to the Euro cars when they swap the driving positions from US spec to Euro spec. That has to be taken into consideration for any such header mods.

Did the part listing for those headers state they were compatible for the Euro S550’s?

I would reach out to the manufacturer by phone or email, tell them of the issue and send them the same pics:
https://stainlessworks.net/

Sponsored