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EP3 Civic Gets More Ponies With Jackson Racing’s 4-Into-1 Race Header
In the case of a new Honda Civic Si (EP3), this owner wanted to enhance high-rpm power. The K20 engine with the new i-VTEC 2-liter powerplant has considerably more torque available in the lower part of the power band in comparison to the older B- and H-series VTEC engines. While the EP3 used here is primarily a street-driven machine, the owner plans on taking the car to the weekend dragstrip on occasion.
The K-series engines differ in many ways and one of them is that the exhaust manifold is on the rear of the engine, facing the firewall. The first step in removing the exhaust manifold is to unbolt the heat shield in order to gain access to the nuts that secure the manifold to the cylinder head. Four 12mm bolts must be removed.
Jackson Racing, known for its potent supercharger kits for vehicles such as the Ford Focus, Honda Civic and Mazda Miata, sent HCI its ultra-hot racing header. This header is an absolute work of art in terms of craftsmanship and finish, but does it perform as well as it looks? We were determined to find out.
Jackson Racing pulled out all the stops in the research and development area. The company brought in Jardine Performance, which specializes in performance motorcycle exhaust systems and manufactures exhaust systems for Honda Racing’s Superbike Team. Jardine fabricated the header from brushed T-304 stainless steel and it’s TIG-welded by hand. The flanges are thick to prevent warping from heat, which results in power losses. The flanges are all CNC-machined for precision fit.
Jackson’s EP3 header is designed to delete the catalytic converter since it’s a race-only system and may not be legal in some states for street use. Jackson supplies a mid-pipe that replaces the catalytic converter and has a pair of bungs for the two O2 sensors, as the EP3 uses the OBD-II emission control system.
The lower section of the manifold that connects to the catalytic converter must be removed, but not before removing the spring bolts and a pair of O2 sensors.
The Jackson Racing EP3 race header comes with all the necessary hardware, gaskets and instructions to get the job done. All you need is a hydraulic lift and some air tools. The install is fairly straightforward, but we did encounter a little trouble when we tried to reuse the OEM spring bolts. The holes in the flanges had to be enlarged slightly to accommodate the new bolts. Other than that, everything went along flawlessly.
