I have long tube headers now and I'm wondering if I need to get a heated o2. We welded the o2 bung in way down the header at on the side of the collector. Some guys say "yes", some "no". With the scanner I use, the car seems to take long to get into closed loop if its sitting idling. As soon as I drive it, even the littlest bit, it will go into closed loop.

*Question, are there any real benefits of swapping to a heated o2 or not? THANKS!

 

Slipping out of closed loop afte ridling for a while can happen even with exhaust manfiolds. EGT is just not that high at idle so the sensor can go cold.

Long tube headers do compound the issue though. Is it worth it to swap to a heated O2? Depends on how long it's taking you to get to closed loop, as well as how quickly it falls out of closed loop at idle. I mean, you never 'need' to go to a heated O2, the stock type does work. And only you can assess if you can live with the time it takes the stocker to heat up and if that is costing you anything (gas mileage or engine wear from running rich in open loop, etc)

 

The 160*stat can have as much to do with open/closed loop as the 02 sensor especially if you have a speed density setup. It was designed to operate at 185*. You can invest $50-60 for a heated 02to be sure.