4-2-1 or 4-1 header

try to find a sportbike magazine from the early nineties. there was a lot of discussions about 4-2-1 vs. 4-1 systems. 4-1 gives more top-end, 4-2-1 gives more mid-range. back in the days, all sportbike race pipes were 4-1. but as sportbikes became more and more capable of spinning up tires and had top-ends that fewer and fewer riders could use, 4-2-1's became popular. in roadracing, they help with drives out of corners. so now most race systems are 4-2-1 as well. akrapovic i believe is one of the few 4-1 pipes left (and they are usually credited with giving the best #'s).

for a vtec car, i'd go 4-1 because the midrange sucks to begin with. build on its strengths (but that's me).