My knowledge is stale (did this about a year ago) but I will add my 2 cents. I had a cracked manifold at about 80k (warranty) and then another about 130k-140k (warranty expired).
I did a ton of research and came up with the Cajun/JBA solution as the favorite and life-time fix so I went with that. My preference would have been manifolds which would not crack but I did not get any solid reviews on anything but the Cajun setup.
They have different options for cats (normal, high flow, etc.), but from what I recall the pre-cats are removed as they are part of the manifold. This still leaves you with cats on the b-pipes though.
I did not want to attempt the installation but a poster here found a Nissan mechanic in my area who would do it (only charged $600). Although some bumps, he got it installed (took a full day).
On my Armada I have a JBA cat-back and it sounded incredible with the OEM manifolds (grunt, but not too loud). A muffler shop said the muffler was causing a rattle (I later found out it was not) so I got a FlowPro muffler.
The FlowPro with the OEM manifolds was nirvana for me. It was quiet under regular acceleration and came to life when you gunned it. There was also ZERO drone (I had a UQ resonator installed previously).
Ok, so now onto the headers. I did not know a lot but learned:
Here are my pros/cons:
Pros:
Cons:
As good as the product is, I honestly wish there was a "fixed" manifold instead. I had no desire to get headers but did not want to have to throw money again and again for cracked manifolds.
I am sensitive to sounds so the drone and air whooshing don't make me happy. But mine is not my daily anymore so I just deal with it.
In summary, as of a year ago Cajun was the only permanent solution. There may be other options but I am not aware. Just keep in mind the added volume before you switch.
I did a ton of research and came up with the Cajun/JBA solution as the favorite and life-time fix so I went with that. My preference would have been manifolds which would not crack but I did not get any solid reviews on anything but the Cajun setup.
They have different options for cats (normal, high flow, etc.), but from what I recall the pre-cats are removed as they are part of the manifold. This still leaves you with cats on the b-pipes though.
I did not want to attempt the installation but a poster here found a Nissan mechanic in my area who would do it (only charged $600). Although some bumps, he got it installed (took a full day).
On my Armada I have a JBA cat-back and it sounded incredible with the OEM manifolds (grunt, but not too loud). A muffler shop said the muffler was causing a rattle (I later found out it was not) so I got a FlowPro muffler.
The FlowPro with the OEM manifolds was nirvana for me. It was quiet under regular acceleration and came to life when you gunned it. There was also ZERO drone (I had a UQ resonator installed previously).
Ok, so now onto the headers. I did not know a lot but learned:
- They will be significantly louder than the manifolds.
- You will hear air rushing through the pipes while driving.
- You will smell exhaust strongly outside of the truck, more at startup.
- They require a tune (which is included in the package price). You do logging on you laptop and they send you tunes via email until they get it final.
- You will have to purchase Nissan gaskets.
Here are my pros/cons:
Pros:
- Cajun support was excellent and very quick to respond before and after the sale.
- The solution appears permanent (based upon other customers).
- Quality of the Cajun pipes appear very good.
- Slight increase in power.
- Supposed to pass sniff inspection (I am coming due so cannot guarantee though I sure hope so or I'm screwed; if you live in a state where they physically inspect for "CARB" approved components then you may not pass).
Cons:
- Much louder than OEM manifolds.
- Air "whooshing" sound through the pipes from inside the cabin. Sounds tinny and cheap but some people like it.
- Added drone to my setup.
- Exhaust smell.
- JBA pipes had "decent" quality, but slag(?) globs which probably make no difference but would have been a higher quality product if they took time to make it look nicer (this is not the fault of Cajun).
As good as the product is, I honestly wish there was a "fixed" manifold instead. I had no desire to get headers but did not want to have to throw money again and again for cracked manifolds.
I am sensitive to sounds so the drone and air whooshing don't make me happy. But mine is not my daily anymore so I just deal with it.
In summary, as of a year ago Cajun was the only permanent solution. There may be other options but I am not aware. Just keep in mind the added volume before you switch.
