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Back to the Build:
Hotshot produced an all-304 stainless Gen 5 header for our car. Stainless is more durable and retains heat better, giving it the potential to produces slightly more power. The Gen V header features mandrel bent heavy walled tubing, 3/8 inch thick CNC machined flanges, and a stainless steel flex joint. We did not opt for the newer more powerful Gen 6 header because of fears that it would increase our power too much, beyond the 16:1 power to weight ratio that the car was limited to at the time it was running in SE-R Cup.
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| John Spangler, the owner of Hotshot Performance himself, was working on MY car! |
Hotshot Custom Exhaust System
Speaking of quality versus quantity in my anti-made-in-China rant, there’s one thing Hotshot provided that those other companies couldn’t – versatility to accommodate their customers for any product that needed changes. Located domestically in my own backyard in Irwindale, California, I went directly to their shop where John Spangler, Hotshots owner and fabricator, was able to fabricate a custom exhaust system for my racecar. This system was pieced together using lightweight, thin-walled 2.5″ 304 stainless mandrel bends, cut, formed and TIG welded together. We opted for a short under car system exiting with a turndown before the rear axle to save weight over a longer full exhaust system. Personally we don’t feel that the common race car side exit exhaust is the best way to go as the heat of the exhaust may affect tire temps for that one wheel. Hotshot also provided me with genuine Nissan flange gaskets – everything I needed for installation.
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Magnaflow Muffler
And what about bling, you may ask? As if Hotshots stainless headers weren’t bling enough, this system was coupled with a polished 6″ Wide Open Performance round race series muffler from Magnaflow. There was bling all over the place.
Magnaflow was my choice for a muffler because of the horsepower advantage, and for its distinct throaty roar it produced. Unlike other tin can rattlers, this stainless steel muffler had a straight through perforated core that made it sound as bad ass as the exhaust performed. In terms of performance advantage, the straight through design also kept backpressure low while preserving scavenging enhancing velocity. Finished off with stainless weld beads, here was the perfect competition exhaust system.
