DC Sports 4-1 Header - 02-06 Acura RSX Type-S K20A2
Your RSX Type-S is screaming through the K-series rev range and you're wondering how much more power you're leaving on the table with that stock cast manifold. The factory manifold's doing its job but it's holding you back. The runners aren't equal length. The diameter's too small. Exhaust is fighting backpressure instead of flowing clean. DC Sports makes a 4-1 ceramic coated shorty header that changes that completely. T-409 stainless with mandrel bent equal length runners. Large diameter primaries. A race-style CNC machined collector. It's a shorty design so it works with your factory catalytic converter. You're getting better scavenging. You're getting lower backpressure. You're getting stronger mid-range torque and more top-end power. The throttle response gets sharper. The VTEC crossover's cleaner. And the ceramic coating reduces under hood temperatures so everything stays cooler during hard driving or track days. Available in polished stainless or ceramic coated. The ceramic's worth the upgrade if you're pushing the car hard.
Here's What The Factory Manifold's Doing To Your K20A2
The stock RSX manifold is cast iron and it's restrictive by design. It's not engineered for power. It's engineered to pass emissions and handle the K20A2's torque. The runners aren't equal length so exhaust from different cylinders gets to the collector at different times. That creates turbulence and backpressure. The engine's fighting to push exhaust out. You're losing power in the process. A proper header with equal length runners gets all the exhaust to the collector at the same time. Scavenging improves. The head breathes cleaner. The engine makes real power without working as hard.
Ceramic Coated Or Polished Stainless - Pick What You Want
You've got two finishes. The polished stainless looks clean in the engine bay and it fights corrosion. The ceramic coated header does all that and it adds thermal protection. Ceramic coating's rated to 1200°F and it's applied inside and out. The coating reduces radiant heat so the heat stays in the exhaust where it belongs instead of cooking your engine bay. You're sitting in summer traffic or you're on the track pushing the car and the engine bay gets brutally hot. Ceramic coating helps keep it down. The intake temps stay lower. The hoses and plastic bits around the engine don't get beat up as bad from radiant heat. We've seen people run ceramic on track cars because it makes a real difference in how much cooler things stay. Street driving. Polished stainless is fine. Track days or hard driving. Ceramic's worth the extra cost.
Shorty Header Design - Works With Your Factory Cat
This is a shorty header which means it bolts directly to your factory catalytic converter. You're not replacing your cat. You're not cutting anything. You're not doing custom fabrication. The shorty design keeps everything compact and compatible with your OEM setup. This is huge because it means you're keeping CARB compliance while getting real performance gains. A lot of headers force you to choose between power and emissions. This one gives you both. Bolt it on, keep your factory cat, stay street legal in all 50 states, and get a real power bump. That's the sweet spot right there.
Mandrel Bent And Built Right - Not Cheap Knockoffs
This header's T-409 stainless steel with thick 3/8" flanges and precision mandrel bent primaries. Mandrel bending means the pipe maintains its shape inside so exhaust flows smooth. No sharp bends creating turbulence. The CNC machined collector brings all four runners together cleanly. The welds are quality so you're not getting leaks or warping. You're bolting this on and it's staying on. You're not chasing exhaust ticks and leaks six months later. We've seen people buy cheap headers trying to save money and they start leaking at the welds. The flexi joints start cracking. The whole thing becomes a nightmare. Don't do that. The DC Sports header is built right.
Real Horsepower And Torque - Dyno Proven
You're getting noticeable mid-range torque gains and top-end power. How much depends on what else you've done to the car. Stock K20A2 with this header. You're looking at 12-15 hp and solid torque improvement. Car's already got an intake and ECU tune. You're still gaining power but the exact numbers depend on what you've already done. Either way you're getting a sharper throttle response. The VTEC crossover feels cleaner because the manifold's not fighting backpressure anymore. The engine pulls harder. You feel the difference driving. We've seen people put this header on expecting magic and be disappointed because they thought it was going to add 40 hp. It doesn't work that way. A header by itself is solid. Pair it with an intake and a tune and now you're really moving.
CARB Legal - Run It Anywhere
This header's CARB compliant under EO number D-370-14. You can run it in all 50 states. You're not going to fail smog. You're not going to get hassled at the dyno. You're buying a performance header that's actually legal. Because it's a shorty design that works with your factory catalytic converter you're keeping your emissions setup intact. The secondary O2 bung is in the factory location. The flange bolts up to your stock cat. Everything's compatible. You're doing a real upgrade that stays street legal and emissions friendly without sacrificing anything. We've seen people buy illegal headers and then they can't pass testing. Don't do that. Buy the legal part.
What You Get
- DC Sports 4-1 shorty header for K20A2 engine
- Fits 2002-2006 Acura RSX Type-S
- Equal length mandrel bent runners
- T-409 stainless steel construction
- CNC machined 4-1 collector
- Thick 3/8" flanges
- Shorty design - compatible with factory catalytic converter
- Available in polished stainless or ceramic coated
- Ceramic coating rated 1200°F (if ceramic option)
- CARB compliant - legal all 50 states
- Dyno proven horsepower and torque gains
Note: DC Sports 4-1 shorty header for 2002-2006 Acura RSX Type-S with K20A2 engine. Equal length mandrel bent runners. T-409 stainless steel with CNC machined collector. Shorty design bolts directly to factory catalytic converter (retains OEM cat). Available in polished stainless finish or ceramic coated finish (ceramic coating rated 1200°F, reduces radiant under hood heat). Direct bolt-on to stock catalytic converter and OEM components. Factory-location secondary O2 bung. CARB compliant EO# D-370-14 - legal all 50 states (emissions compliance retained with factory cat). Dyno proven 12-15+ hp and mid-range torque gains (varies with engine modifications). Sharper throttle response. Cleaner VTEC crossover. Better exhaust scavenging reduces backpressure. Works with stock or aftermarket cat-back exhaust systems. One header per order.