2005 KJ Headers??

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:23 pm

Anyone know of any headers on the market made for the 4X4 2005 Liberty Renegade with the 3.7 liter engine? I was going to put a chip in, a K&N intake, and a throttle body spacer, but I have found that the intake and the throttle body spacer don't really do much of anything, especially not for the price they cost, and I can't find any real info on any performance gain from the chips either. I just bought a Flowmaster off road muffler and it should be here next week. It is the diamond plate one that has 1/8" thick steel plating. Anyway, I'd like to gain some hp and some mpg back after I lift it, and the best way to do that seems to be by adding headers. I just can't find any online. Any help?

_UnLiMiTeD_ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:30 pm

everyone says the headers are a waste of money for the price to performance ratio. Now the flowmaster muffler your talking about sounds like the new super 44 muffler. That is the muffler i have on mine, just not the offroad model because they did not carry it where i am. I love the sound and im sure you will too.

Also most chips out for the kj dont do anything so make sure you ask around before you purchase one

Inc · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:33 pm

_UnLiMiTeD_ wrote:

everyone says the headers are a waste of money for the price to performance ratio. Now the flowmaster muffler your talking about sounds like the new super 44 muffler. That is the muffler i have on mine, just not the offroad model because they did not carry it where i am. I love the sound and im sure you will too.

Also most chips out for the kj dont do anything so make sure you ask around before you purchase one

Cool, I can't wait to get my new muffler. It is definitely the same super 44 muffler only with the diamond plate. I am glad you like yours. Did you notice any mpg or performance gain? Just sound better? Thanks for the info.

Albert · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:36 pm

We are talking about a Jeep here. If you need performance and a Jeep you need a hemi GC. Otherwise any car will do better than a KJ in performance/cornering etc.

I don't mean to get anyone upset, but it is a heavy brick. No matter what you do to it performance wise, it's still a heavy brick.

Money spent on performance mods are better spent on a car.

Money spent on a Jeep should enhance it's Jeepness.

Just my opinion of course.

_UnLiMiTeD_ · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 5:39 pm

incubusmike wrote:

_UnLiMiTeD_ wrote:

everyone says the headers are a waste of money for the price to performance ratio. Now the flowmaster muffler your talking about sounds like the new super 44 muffler. That is the muffler i have on mine, just not the offroad model because they did not carry it where i am. I love the sound and im sure you will too.

Also most chips out for the kj dont do anything so make sure you ask around before you purchase one

Cool, I can't wait to get my new muffler. It is definitely the same super 44 muffler only with the diamond plate. I am glad you like yours. Did you notice any mpg or performance gain? Just sound better? Thanks for the info.

performance wise i dont really feel much, a letter bit better off the line. I also gained 2mpg with this muffler

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:57 pm

I understand our KJ isnt meant for performance but its always nice to have alittle extra power.

So far a Flow-Master and K&N drop in filter is all Ive done. Only other thing I would do is throttle body and maybe a flash by B&G chrysler but I do not have the $$ for that.

Inc · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2008 1:17 pm

Albert wrote:

We are talking about a Jeep here. If you need performance and a Jeep you need a hemi GC. Otherwise any car will do better than a KJ in performance/cornering etc.

I don't mean to get anyone upset, but it is a heavy brick. No matter what you do to it performance wise, it's still a heavy brick.

Money spent on performance mods are better spent on a car.

Money spent on a Jeep should enhance it's Jeepness.

Just my opinion of course.

If I wanted a street performance vehicle I would not be buying or driving a Jeep, even a Hemi GC. I'd drive a sportscar, but at the same time it is nice to have a more powerful vehicle in any situation. I don't want to turn my KJ into a racecar but I would like more horsepower and better gas mileage. Those are the reasons I am interested in chips, mufflers, and headers, and not because I want to smoke my tires and go 0-60 in 5 seconds.

BeepBeepJeepJeep · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2008 2:00 pm

incubusmike wrote:

Albert wrote:

We are talking about a Jeep here. If you need performance and a Jeep you need a hemi GC. Otherwise any car will do better than a KJ in performance/cornering etc.

I don't mean to get anyone upset, but it is a heavy brick. No matter what you do to it performance wise, it's still a heavy brick.

Money spent on performance mods are better spent on a car.

Money spent on a Jeep should enhance it's Jeepness.

Just my opinion of course.

If I wanted a street performance vehicle I would not be buying or driving a Jeep, even a Hemi GC. I'd drive a sportscar, but at the same time it is nice to have a more powerful vehicle in any situation. I don't want to turn my KJ into a racecar but I would like more horsepower and better gas mileage. Those are the reasons I am interested in chips, mufflers, and headers, and not because I want to smoke my tires and go 0-60 in 5 seconds.

Wouldn't we all

The problem is the cost of these upgrades always cost more than the benefit (in terms of mpg anyway)

Inc · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2008 2:11 pm

That's my point exactly, at least with a muffler or exhaust it sounds cool and there is usually a little boost in performance. I was just unsure of spending the $$ on a chip for really minimal gains. And I am definitely not spending the $$ on an intake or throttle body spacer.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 02, 2008 2:25 pm

Quote:

Wouldn't we all The problem is the cost of these upgrades always cost more than the benefit (in terms of mpg anyway)

HP isn't cheap,look at how much others are spending to make HP on vehicles like Mustangs.You need to add all the mods at once to see any gain in HP and the side effect of being more efficent(more mpg's). Adding just mpg's is even more costy then adding HP.If you think your going to gain 50hp and 5mpg just adiing a CAI kit your wrong,you need to add the headers and a total freeflowing exhaust,change the timing,and run full synthetics to gain power and mpg's like that.But with the added HP you will never see those added mpg's because you'll be into the gas more and actually drop the mpg's from having fun.My father was the same way,added a chip,CAI,and big straight pipes to his '01 SuperDuty,complained he got worse mileage then before,but when he gets on the highway all you see is a big puff of black smoke and he gone(at over 100mph),when I drive his SuperDuty I can get over 20mpg in city with it,but I to like to romp on the skinny pedal with 400hp at the rear wheels,so no wonder why he is getting worse mpg's.

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

Don't try to do any mods to get better mpg because the cost of the upgrades will buy a lot of gas. Doing mods also tends to cause lead foot. Just don't get on the skinny pedal as hard if you want to save gas. If you want to get more power to the ground, JBA makes headers for the '05, but only in very limited runs, so it may take you a year to get them if they don't have any already made. Don't wast your time with a chip. Get a B&G flash with aggressive timing and the torque management deleted. Throttle body spacers don't work either. Get a ported throttle body from The Fastman. You only need to get a good muffler, but a complete cat-back may help a tiny bit more. With the larger tires after lifting it, you will want 4.10 gears. There is only a shift correction kit for the 42RLE, but it will help a little. The torque converter is a piece of junk, so upgrading it will help. A good drop in air filter will actually help as much or more than a CAI unless you do something to get a lot more cool air to the cone filter. Also change your fluids out with good quality synthetic, and make sure you change your spark plugs every 25k-30k miles because they will be in pretty bad shape. That's about it unless you want to build the motor.

jerseykj · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:47 pm

I'm looking at getting these when i get the extra cash. And its your jeep, do what you want with it.
http://www.ajusa.com/details/index/204/ ... TY,%203.7L

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:58 pm

jerseykj wrote:

I'm looking at getting these when i get the extra cash. And its your jeep, do what you want with it.
http://www.ajusa.com/details/index/204/ ... TY,%203.7L

You can get those for cheaper at autoanything.com,about $40 cheaper,USAFCOP just got his from there.

Inc · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:35 pm

It sounds to me that the majority of the mods discussed here don't do enough to warrant the cost of purchase. I will end up changing my gears down the road. How much does that usually cost anyway? Other than the new muffler I just bought, I am not sure I'll do much, if any, other "performance" mods. I was just looking to see if mufflers, headers, CAI, throttle body spacers, and chips really gained that much HP or MPG, and they don't, like I thought. :wink:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:40 pm

incubusmike wrote:

It sounds to me that the majority of the mods discussed here don't do enough to warrant the cost of purchase. I will end up changing my gears down the road. How much does that usually cost anyway? Other than the new muffler I just bought, I am not sure I'll do much, if any, other "performance" mods. I was just looking to see if mufflers, headers, CAI, throttle body spacers, and chips really gained that much HP or MPG, and they don't, like I thought. :wink:

All those performance mods do make HP,just that's not the ned of the list needed,like I said HP ain't cheap in newer vehicles.All the mods you mentioned(besides the TBS) will make the engine run more efficient.

AS for a gear swap your looking at about $500 or so if you do the work yourself,$1000+ if you have someone else do the work.Also a good time to add and LSD's or lockers sine everything will be ripped out of the diffs anyway,if you choose.

Rush345 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:41 pm

I notice they don't even offer a set of headers for a 2002. When I first tried for headers and muffler the shop told me do bother with the headers they would cause problems withthe computer. So I just went with the muffler instead. But I did get a ScanGuage I and it shows MPG and buy whatching that I get better milage buy keeping my foot off the skinny pedal :twisted:

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:47 pm

Rush345 wrote:

I notice they don't even offer a set of headers for a 2002. When I first tried for headers and muffler the shop told me do bother with the headers they would cause problems withthe computer. So I just went with the muffler instead. But I did get a ScanGuage I and it shows MPG and buy whatching that I get better milage buy keeping my foot off the skinny pedal :twisted:

The reason they don't fit the '02 KJ's is that in '03 they changed the flanges on the manifolds,when JBA designed the headers it was not aware of this and used the later designed flanges.

Ceramic coated headers make a huge difference since the ceramic coatings lower the underhood temp and help draw out the exhuast gases better unlike the cast iron maniflods are rough and hinder smooth flow.Also the headers will not mess with the computer,they are smog legal,never seen any headers mess with the PCM of a vehicle unless it doesn't acount for the smog features(long tube header and some shorty's need O2 sensor bungs).The easier it is to get the air into a engine(CAI) and the faster you get it out(headers and free flow exhaust) makes your engine more efficiant,thus make more power.

Inc · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:50 pm

This is completely off topic but... I just fabricated and installed a new roof rack on my KJ and I welded a big piece of 12 gauge steel flat bar on the front for a wind guard/break. I usually get around 300 miles to the tank around town and I noticed today that I am at 287 miles for this tank and I have 1/4 of a tank left in my Jeep. Do you guys think it is just coincidence that I got better mileage this time around or do you think the wind break on top of the KJ helped at all? I don't really see why it would help honestly. I installed 2 gas can holders to it as well as holders for an axe, shovel and hi lift jack. I know those will only hurt my mileage. Just kind of curious.

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

tjkj2002 wrote:

Rush345 wrote:

I notice they don't even offer a set of headers for a 2002. When I first tried for headers and muffler the shop told me do bother with the headers they would cause problems withthe computer. So I just went with the muffler instead. But I did get a ScanGuage I and it shows MPG and buy whatching that I get better milage buy keeping my foot off the skinny pedal :twisted:

The reason they don't fit the '02 KJ's is that in '03 they changed the flanges on the manifolds,when JBA designed the headers it was not aware of this and used the later designed flanges.

Ceramic coated headers make a huge difference since the ceramic coatings lower the underhood temp and help draw out the exhuast gases better unlike the cast iron maniflods are rough and hinder smooth flow.Also the headers will not mess with the computer,they are smog legal,never seen any headers mess with the PCM of a vehicle unless it doesn't acount for the smog features(long tube header and some shorty's need O2 sensor bungs).The easier it is to get the air into a engine(CAI) and the faster you get it out(headers and free flow exhaust) makes your engine more efficiant,thus make more power.

That's why I have a set of them just sitting in my garage that I bought a couple years ago. It's going to be a custom job to make them fit my '02, and no one will touch it until I have 8 years or 80k miles on my cats. I'm at 6 years 8 months and 70k right now. The 206 cams will be going into the ported heads at the same time.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:05 pm

KY Liberty wrote:

tjkj2002 wrote:

Rush345 wrote:

I notice they don't even offer a set of headers for a 2002. When I first tried for headers and muffler the shop told me do bother with the headers they would cause problems withthe computer. So I just went with the muffler instead. But I did get a ScanGuage I and it shows MPG and buy whatching that I get better milage buy keeping my foot off the skinny pedal :twisted:

The reason they don't fit the '02 KJ's is that in '03 they changed the flanges on the manifolds,when JBA designed the headers it was not aware of this and used the later designed flanges.

Ceramic coated headers make a huge difference since the ceramic coatings lower the underhood temp and help draw out the exhuast gases better unlike the cast iron maniflods are rough and hinder smooth flow.Also the headers will not mess with the computer,they are smog legal,never seen any headers mess with the PCM of a vehicle unless it doesn't acount for the smog features(long tube header and some shorty's need O2 sensor bungs).The easier it is to get the air into a engine(CAI) and the faster you get it out(headers and free flow exhaust) makes your engine more efficiant,thus make more power.

That's why I have a set of them just sitting in my garage that I bought a couple years ago. It's going to be a custom job to make them fit my '02, and no one will touch it until I have 8 years or 80k miles on my cats. I'm at 6 years 8 months and 70k right now. The 206 cams will be going into the ported heads at the same time.

It's pricy but why not just get a Y-pipe from a '03KJ,comes with new cat's(delets the big one).

2005 KJ Headers??

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