DIY: DC Sports 1996-97 Acura Integra Type R JDM 4-1 Header Install
Applicable Years: 92-00 Honda Civic, 90-01 Acura Integra
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Estimated Time: 1.5hrs
Parts Needed:
• DC JDM Type R Header part # AHC6612
• Jack
• Jack stands
• Adjustable wrench
• Metric socket and wrench set
• Anti-seize compound
Removal and Installation:
Find a solid flat area and park your car in gear with the e-brake on. Jack up the front of the car and support it with jack stands in the recommended locations (NEVER USE ONLY A JACK TO SUPPORT THE CAR WHILE WORKING UNDER IT!).
Remove the engine oil dipstick.
Take off the heat shield by removing the 4 12mm bolts that connect it to the exhaust manifold.
Remove the oxygen sensor from the secondary pipe using an adjustable wrench. Zip-tie it out of the way so that it won’t get damaged since you will be reusing it.
Remove the 2 spring loaded bolts that connects the secondary pipe to the catalytic converter using a 12mm open face wrench and 14mm socket.
Remove the 2 nuts that secure the secondary pipe to the support bracket.
Remove the 3 17mm bolts that join the secondary pipe to the exhaust manifold and lower it out of the way (careful not to bang into your 02 sensor if you have it close by).
Remove the 2 12mm nuts and 7 12mm bolts that fasten the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head.
Carefully remove the exhaust manifold off of the studs and lower it out of the way (be sure not to damage the exhaust manifold gasket since you can reuse it if it is in good condition).
Clean and reuse the original exhaust manifold gasket (if in good shape) and slide it onto the 2 cylinder head studs.
Carefully install the new one piece DC Sports header from underneath the car. Slide the mounting bracket over the 2 cylinder head studs and into the 2 support bracket studs (you may need to loosen or remove the 2 bolts that hold the support bracket to the block to have a little play when installing the new header).
Install and tighten down the 2 12mm nuts and 7 12mm header bolts. Tighten then in an alternating pattern starting with the inside bolts and working out to the two nuts on the ends.
Install the 2 nuts on the support bracket and tighten (if you had to loosen or remove the support bracket bolts install or tighten them).
Install the oxygen sensor into the new header (you may want to spray the threads with some anti-seize compound making sure you don’t spray into the sensor).
Install the oil dipstick.
You’ll notice that the JDM Type R header does not match up correctly with the stock catalytic converter (it is about an inch longer and has a larger collector 2.5”).
For now line it up and join the header and cat with some metal wire and make an appointment at your local muffler shop.
Wipe the header clean with a mild detergent and water. Leaving comtaminents on the header such as grease, oil, or fingerprints will leave permanent stains.
Lower the car, start the engine and check for exhaust leaks at the cylinder head.
I already had 2.5” piping after the stock cat so I decided to get a magnaflow high-flow (2.5”) cat to replace the stock one which is only bottleneck the system.
After you’ve been driving approx. 500 miles re-check the header system bolts and nuts and tighten as needed.
The DC Sports Type R header is know to be the best “bang-for-the-buck” because of its cost and performance gains. The DC header doesn’t have internal welds as the OEM ITR model does, allowing air to flow smoother. The only disadvantage I’ve read about the JDM DC header is in regards to its clearance. I personally don’t think it hangs too low and have only scraped it once hitting a large bump on the highway. The clearance may be a problem when in an integra or 5th gen civic chassis, but on my 6th gen it’s not that bad (see the pic below).
Overall I am happy with the results from this header/exhaust upgrade. It was fairly easy to install. The only problem I ran into was that I had to bend the support bracket on the header a bit to get it to clear the oil pan while putting it over the two head studs.
Performance wise there is a noticeable gain after 4,000 rpms all the way to redline. It seemed to smooth out the power curve making the secondary butterflies not as noticeable but I can now feel and hear when vtec engages (4,400k rpms). If you are to get this DC header I would recommend getting a high-flow 2.5” catalytic converter and 2.5” piping to get the full advantages from this upgrade.
Big thanks to AEM for their support on this project. For more information on their products visit www.aempower.com .
Other helpful images:
Applicable Years: 92-00 Honda Civic, 90-01 Acura Integra
Difficulty: 2 out of 5
Estimated Time: 1.5hrs
Parts Needed:
• DC JDM Type R Header part # AHC6612
• Jack
• Jack stands
• Adjustable wrench
• Metric socket and wrench set
• Anti-seize compound
Removal and Installation:
Find a solid flat area and park your car in gear with the e-brake on. Jack up the front of the car and support it with jack stands in the recommended locations (NEVER USE ONLY A JACK TO SUPPORT THE CAR WHILE WORKING UNDER IT!).
Remove the engine oil dipstick.
Take off the heat shield by removing the 4 12mm bolts that connect it to the exhaust manifold.
Remove the oxygen sensor from the secondary pipe using an adjustable wrench. Zip-tie it out of the way so that it won’t get damaged since you will be reusing it.
Remove the 2 spring loaded bolts that connects the secondary pipe to the catalytic converter using a 12mm open face wrench and 14mm socket.
Remove the 2 nuts that secure the secondary pipe to the support bracket.
Remove the 3 17mm bolts that join the secondary pipe to the exhaust manifold and lower it out of the way (careful not to bang into your 02 sensor if you have it close by).
Remove the 2 12mm nuts and 7 12mm bolts that fasten the exhaust manifold to the cylinder head.
Carefully remove the exhaust manifold off of the studs and lower it out of the way (be sure not to damage the exhaust manifold gasket since you can reuse it if it is in good condition).
Clean and reuse the original exhaust manifold gasket (if in good shape) and slide it onto the 2 cylinder head studs.
Carefully install the new one piece DC Sports header from underneath the car. Slide the mounting bracket over the 2 cylinder head studs and into the 2 support bracket studs (you may need to loosen or remove the 2 bolts that hold the support bracket to the block to have a little play when installing the new header).
Install and tighten down the 2 12mm nuts and 7 12mm header bolts. Tighten then in an alternating pattern starting with the inside bolts and working out to the two nuts on the ends.
Install the 2 nuts on the support bracket and tighten (if you had to loosen or remove the support bracket bolts install or tighten them).
Install the oxygen sensor into the new header (you may want to spray the threads with some anti-seize compound making sure you don’t spray into the sensor).
Install the oil dipstick.
You’ll notice that the JDM Type R header does not match up correctly with the stock catalytic converter (it is about an inch longer and has a larger collector 2.5”).
For now line it up and join the header and cat with some metal wire and make an appointment at your local muffler shop.
Wipe the header clean with a mild detergent and water. Leaving comtaminents on the header such as grease, oil, or fingerprints will leave permanent stains.
Lower the car, start the engine and check for exhaust leaks at the cylinder head.
I already had 2.5” piping after the stock cat so I decided to get a magnaflow high-flow (2.5”) cat to replace the stock one which is only bottleneck the system.
After you’ve been driving approx. 500 miles re-check the header system bolts and nuts and tighten as needed.
The DC Sports Type R header is know to be the best “bang-for-the-buck” because of its cost and performance gains. The DC header doesn’t have internal welds as the OEM ITR model does, allowing air to flow smoother. The only disadvantage I’ve read about the JDM DC header is in regards to its clearance. I personally don’t think it hangs too low and have only scraped it once hitting a large bump on the highway. The clearance may be a problem when in an integra or 5th gen civic chassis, but on my 6th gen it’s not that bad (see the pic below).
Overall I am happy with the results from this header/exhaust upgrade. It was fairly easy to install. The only problem I ran into was that I had to bend the support bracket on the header a bit to get it to clear the oil pan while putting it over the two head studs.
Performance wise there is a noticeable gain after 4,000 rpms all the way to redline. It seemed to smooth out the power curve making the secondary butterflies not as noticeable but I can now feel and hear when vtec engages (4,400k rpms). If you are to get this DC header I would recommend getting a high-flow 2.5” catalytic converter and 2.5” piping to get the full advantages from this upgrade.
Big thanks to AEM for their support on this project. For more information on their products visit www.aempower.com .
Other helpful images:
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