it wasn't intentional. it happened over a period of time. running it hard up hills isn't good for your car (i guess); for long periods of time. the header had dislodged itself (unintentionally) from the A-Pipe. So, if you think about it, it's like running it straight from the Header. i will say, without any Exhaust system, it's less restrictive, and there is some power gain. At least it felt like it, or maybe the louder the car, the more power it "feelx" like it has. lolx.