White bro's E, HMF, FMF...which one do you recommend

[H400DAN2004]

hey guys. im wondering if the experienced can help me out here. i Am about to buy a slip on exhaust. and i Am thinking of the 3 i listed. white bros E, FMF power core 4, HMF ''i don't know what series to go with'' my guess is the sport....

now i really dont care about noise. i just want straight up performance. as long as it does not sound like a raspy honda civic. hehe. deep throughty tone would be nice.

as for the head pipe ''or header'' i have been reading up on doing the stock header mod. grinding the welds down. i found this while trying to find a muffler to pick from and while that thread is almost 3 years old i figured i would ask about it. is it worth it or do you feel its not worth it and if that is the case whats the best head pipe to go with.


as for other power mods i have ''but not installed yet'' AMR stage 3 cdi/rev box, uni and k&n filter ''i don't know which to use'', CFM aluminum air box kit, and i need to pick up a jet kit.

one other question. what is a SPARK ARRESTOR???? i dont get it. lol im sorry

as you can see im very new to this stuff. so i apologize for anything stupid or beaten i have asked. . but i do have a 700+HP evo8. haha i want to go fast now in the woods and not on the streets.

[honda400ex2003]

pro circuit t-4 for me, with the headers ground down. it is a great combo. lol. throw one more into the mix for you. alot of people will go with the hmf. not so many for the white bros e series since it is getting harder to find and is not made anymore. the fmfs are pretty good too but can get on teh loud side which is never good. you should def consider sound no matter where you are at. the fmf q should be at the top of everyones list now for helping with our riding areas and such. steve

[H400DAN2004]

thank you sir. i added the White Bro's E because i found a few old threads that people liked them and upon research i found a few used ones.

im sure there is better now though. i will look into the T-4 you mentioned

anyone else?

[racer 557]

before i sold my 06 400ex i had a LRD slip on it was not to loud yet not to quiet it had good throttle response and some snappy power IMO i race xc so it was good because it helped performance yet wasnt to loud to where i cant hear other people like my full HMF is on 450r i like the sound of HMF but LRD is just a tick quieter

[bkelley]

Not meaning to thread jack, just have a simple question. What are the benefits of grinding down the head pipe? Also, which part is ground down?

[H400DAN2004]

Originally posted by bkelley
Not meaning to thread jack, just have a simple question. What are the benefits of grinding down the head pipe? Also, which part is ground down?

here is the link i was reading on the head pipe

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=334885&highlight=best+header

[bkelley]

Right on, thanks.

[RCWells]

I'll be going with the HMF Ballance pro series myself, not sure if full HMF or FMF Powerbomb header and slip on HMF.

A spark arrestor is a metal screen that literally stops or "arrests" sparks before they can exit the can. Some riding areas require them (i.e. forests), others don't. Be sure to check your riding areas BEFORE riding to know whether it's required or not. Factory exhausts have them installed, aftermarket often have removable pieces like my HMF on my Rubicon.

[slightlybent47]

Originally posted by RCWells
I'll be going with the HMF Ballance pro series myself, not sure if full HMF or FMF Powerbomb header and slip on HMF.

A spark arrestor is a metal screen that literally stops or "arrests" sparks before they can exit the can. Some riding areas require them (i.e. forests), others don't. Be sure to check your riding areas BEFORE riding to know whether it's required or not. Factory exhausts have them installed, aftermarket often have removable pieces like my HMF on my Rubicon.


Thats a good point on the spark arrestor. I think that ticket is a pretty high one.

[H400DAN2004]

Originally posted by RCWells
I'll be going with the HMF Ballance pro series myself, not sure if full HMF or FMF Powerbomb header and slip on HMF.

A spark arrestor is a metal screen that literally stops or "arrests" sparks before they can exit the can. Some riding areas require them (i.e. forests), others don't. Be sure to check your riding areas BEFORE riding to know whether it's required or not. Factory exhausts have them installed, aftermarket often have removable pieces like my HMF on my Rubicon.

HMF makes so many different mufflers. which one is geared toward all power?

and your saying to mate this with a FMF head pipe? FMF makes a good head pipe? is there muffler slacking??

[RCWells]

This site actually has pretty good info on the HMF series pipes that are available. Not all these are available from HMF's site.

FMF makes a "Powerbomb" headpipe that is supposed to increase power, not sure if it's just a gimmick or not, but if anyone here can enlighten us as to it's potential, I'm open to info.

I personally will go with HMF can regardless and quite possibly full system from HMF. IF someone can convince me more power is made with the Powerbomb inline, then I'm certainly down for that.

???? Anyone????

[H400DAN2004]

im going to call HMF today and find out which one is geared toward all power.

i saw a curtis sparks system. but it does not seem they have a slip on.

anyone know who makes the most powerful head pipe? or should i stick with the stock one and grind the welds off

[Rootar]

the sparks x-6 full system is hands down the best exhaust anyone has ever made for a 400ex, you can grind you stock headpipes all day long and bolt on a sparks system finally and wonder why you didnt do it in the first place. (did this about 4 years back with my 400ex) the slip-on pipes arent worth messing with imo and ive had 4 different slipons and two x-6s there is a huge difference.

[RCWells]

So a little research shows the CS system is good. Perhaps that's the way to go then.

Do you have any links to information on the CS vs. others? I only found one shootout and it seemed to have been the best of the bunch, but would like to see other comparos if possible.

[honda400ex2003]

as far as i am concerned you should sit down and figure out where you ride the most. do you like top end, mid, low? this is the main factor in buying an exhaust. not just all out power. yeah great a Curtis is a great top end pipe. if you ride slow and like to wheelie and such favoring the low end power and torque a curtis is not the best choice. something with better back pressure would be better. as for head pipes this also changes your powerband and output, different bends different diameters, all make different adjustments to this. the stock pipe is a good pipe for low end since it is a bit smaller diameter mate this with a great low end pipe and you have a good combo for riding in the woods lets say. if you drag race alot, ride dunes stuff like that go with a curtis you will be happier with the top end power to keep you moving better in the sand or in the top of the rpms. each pipe is different so you have to look at the dyno runs to find out which suits you the best. for me the stock header and the t-4 made the best gains in the mid range and low end so i chose that since i ride alot of slow trails and occasionally open it up a bit. it is not overly loud at 95 dBs compared to something like a curtis sparks that is much much louder. this is also a consideration. so please do not make your purchase on all out power, do some reading and spend your money once and be happy you did instead of hating the exhaust for something it is not meant to do. Steve

[honda400ex2003]

heres an old shoot out from 2001 but it is a bit of a guideline and something to look at when choosing. look at the curves each one provides and where the power comes in and out. steve

http://www.ctracing.com/PD_ct%20photos/dirt_wheels_march_2001.htm

[H400DAN2004]

good point honda400ex2003. i am going to look into that. i mainly ride in the woods. some hard bumpy hilly terrain but then there is a few open spots i can really pin the throttle.

my guess is for me i would want a full system that gives me more low and mid rather then topend only. but for topend i would still like someone that gives me what i want down low and a little bit more uptop then the stock system. is that possible??

also them dyno charts. whats up with the big dips up top and then it picks back up again. ?

[honda400ex2003]

the setup you are looking for is a tough one, i ride about the same as you. i think you should stick with the stock header and get a slip on if you plan to leave the motor stock. if you plan to do a 440 or something a bit more extreme then def get the full. the stock header flows pretty good until you get up into more power. i am not really sure what the true term of the dip is but it is where the power starts to let off and even out i guess. i havent really thought about that. it is just how the 400 is i guess. most charts you see will do that on the 400 motors. they are just not huge top end machines unless they are built to be with an aggressive cam, full system, and higher compression. it sounds like you have some thinking to do and also dont forget to look into the lexx, motoworks, and some theres that are very nice exhausts for a bit less money and they are a bit quieter. Steve

[H400DAN2004]

Originally posted by honda400ex2003
the setup you are looking for is a tough one, i ride about the same as you. i think you should stick with the stock header and get a slip on if you plan to leave the motor stock. if you plan to do a 440 or something a bit more extreme then def get the full. the stock header flows pretty good until you get up into more power. i am not really sure what the true term of the dip is but it is where the power starts to let off and even out i guess. i havent really thought about that. it is just how the 400 is i guess. most charts you see will do that on the 400 motors. they are just not huge top end machines unless they are built to be with an aggressive cam, full system, and higher compression. it sounds like you have some thinking to do and also dont forget to look into the lexx, motoworks, and some theres that are very nice exhausts for a bit less money and they are a bit quieter. Steve

thanks steve. yea i am going to open my options a bit on more exhausts. this is almost as frustrating and modding a car. lol

[honda400ex2003]

yup welcome to the madness. there is a ton of stuff to getting your machine to perform the way you want it to, not just buying this cause it is the highest this or the best that. it has to flow together and become one not a bunch of different stuff working against each other. i have a machine that i would say is pretty nice, it keeps up with alot of machines and has beat plenty also. it is reliable and was not real expensive to build up. it isnt the fastest but it performs what i want it to do. that is all that matters. steve

[odog]

wb e series

[mitchconley]

i have a white bros. i dont like how it sounds but it does have decent power gains. my friend has an fmf and its got a nice low rumble to it. not a bad choice but i would go with the hmf if i were u

[Rootar]

the 400ex is naturally a torqy motor.... sparks x-6 system makes more power on the bottom than any slip-on system, ive personally had a x-6 and many other pipes on a stock 400ex, a 400ex with cam and 11:1piston and stock carb, a 416ex with 12:1 cam, port work and stock and fcr carb, and a 440ex 11;1 with cam and fcr carb the sparks worked GREAT in all of them and there was never a lack of bottom end and the more mods you do the more you will love the pipe.


get the sparks ;)

[honda400ex2003]

does anyone have a dyno chart of a machine with a sparks on it by chance, i was looking at the dirt wheels test and it doesnt have one. i am curious to see how it actually stacks up vs the rest at different intervals like the test. say 4000 rpms and max along with the dBs and weight. the sparks site doesnt have one, i thought they did. steve

[racer 557]

for woods i liked my LRD it was slip on but it had good low end to mid power it wa perfect threw woods