All headers seem to suck

Every1 has a diff opinion and i liked my LT's on my GT

I love my bbk long tubes, I had bbk shorties also on my old car liked those, but the long tubes sound throatier, car flies!

I've had the same set of BBK L/Ts for several years, the only thing I hated about them is installing the header bolts so I bought some ARP stainless header studs

Aftrbrnr said:

I notice when people talk about headers, they tend to focus on the downsides. Here's what I've heard about the types:

Unequal-length shorties: Sometimes they don't even make a difference. I've heard stories of guys installing them and not getting any gains at all.

Equal-length shorties: A bit difficult install, some loss of torque on mostly stock engines.

Long-Tubes: Even when application type is 100% correct (i.e. LT built for Fox-body AOD car) fitment seems to always be a problem and they never seem to fit. Only for cars that have a fairly modified engine.

I'm considering the unequal-lengths for now, but the hearing stories of no gains make me kind of wary.

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The comments you've heard about meager power gains are because guys install these headers on stock motors expecting an increase in power, but don't get one. Well....duh. The motor came from the factory with shorty unequal headers, albeit not great ones, so improving the performance of the headers without improving anything else like heads, intake, etc....will not yield the same gains as if you were choking off nice flowing heads with the stock headers.

The only truly E-A-S-Y to install headers are unequal length shorties. Equal length shorty headers and long tubes will always be more difficult to install, but that is the nature of headers in general.

If you want an easy power gain, but don't want to do anything else, headers are not the way to go. You can accomplish more with a 65mm throttle body or underdrive pullies for less effort.

If you are planning on future horsepower upgrades, than you are going to want better exhaust....including headers.

Just KNOW what you want to do with the car. You want it 95% stock with a couple bolt ons? Or, do you plan on taking the car further. Too many people buy parts without any clear finish in mind, and end up making purchase mistakes they wish they hadn't.

I have equal length shorties on right now, and the passenger side was a nightmare to install, but I'll be thankful to have them on the car when I get a set of new heads on my 5.0 soon.

jtfairlane said:

The comments you've heard about meager power gains are because guys install these headers on stock motors expecting an increase in power, but don't get one. Well....duh. The motor came from the factory with shorty unequal headers, albeit not great ones, so improving the performance of the headers without improving anything else like heads, intake, etc....will not yield the same gains as if you were choking off nice flowing heads with the stock headers.

The only truly E-A-S-Y to install headers are unequal length shorties. Equal length shorty headers and long tubes will always be more difficult to install, but that is the nature of headers in general.

If you want an easy power gain, but don't want to do anything else, headers are not the way to go. You can accomplish more with a 65mm throttle body or underdrive pullies for less effort.

If you are planning on future horsepower upgrades, than you are going to want better exhaust....including headers.

Just KNOW what you want to do with the car. You want it 95% stock with a couple bolt ons? Or, do you plan on taking the car further. Too many people buy parts without any clear finish in mind, and end up making purchase mistakes they wish they hadn't.

I have equal length shorties on right now, and the passenger side was a nightmare to install, but I'll be thankful to have them on the car when I get a set of new heads on my 5.0 soon.

Click to expand...

same here MACs

IMO swapping headers on a BONE STOCK engine does nothing as stated above.

and i like to believe that there would actually be a torque loss on stock engines also.
the stock headers are better suited for the stock engine, smaller primaries, lets the exhaust gases achieve better velocity going down the exhaust alot faster, if the exhaust gets out faster, the less the engine has to push it out.

swapping to a bigger diameter primary actually hurts torque, the exhaust gases cannot fill the pipes at low rpm and get that velocity that it could before, it starts to move around and tumble on itself and slowing the flow.

this of it this way. take a small marble, make two long tubes that zig-zag down, make one tube small that hugs up on the marble close. make the other say an inch tube. take 2 marbles, on over each tube, drop them at the same time, which marble would get to the bottom first? the one with the tube hugging it close, the one with the bigger tube would hit and bang around on the sides slowing it down. this is what the air is doing going through the exhaust. get a tube that hugs the exhaust gas tight it cant bang around like the marbles would.

BUT headers may net you a few HP in the top end, when the engine makes more exhaust to effieciently use the extra volume in the headers where the stock headers would normally choke it and become a restriction.

stock exhaust actually is the best way to go on a stock engine, get rid of the cats and get a nice sounding muffler. and run it until you get a cylinder head that flows more and stuff like that.

but if your plan to get that stuff later on i'd just grab the headers now, will make the car a little louder and if you dont notice a gain now so what, at least you wont be choking the engine later on with new upgrades.