For a stock setup will equal length headers be better than non? also can you still get your hands in there to change the sparkplugs specially with equal length?
As an equal length equiped Mustang owner I will go on record as saying don't go equal length. While it is true the equal length headers make "more" power, the difference is in the area of 2-5 hp peak.
In comparison to the non-equal length consider this however, they are a pain in the ass to install, or reinstall if need be.
For a stocker, dont go bigger than 1 1/2 diameter. Bigger will cause a loss of low end torque. Equal length are harder to work around, but do make more power. torque improvement is better with equals,and thats what you feel the most.
i've also heard that equal length headers are hard to install and make spark plugs hard to change...... thats y i went with the BBK shorty non equal lengths.... and i love em. super easy to put in, and its just as easy to change plugs as it is in stock form
Buy a set of BBK unequals, 1 set of Mr. Gasket ultra seal exhaust gaskets, and 1 set of stage 8 locking header bolts. You will be set, and you won't even miss the 3 extra horsepower! I had a set of Mac equal lengths and they were a major pain to install. Not really because of their size except for the fact that they hit on my steering shaft and I had to take them back out and ding them to fit. You can imagine all the different directions those single flanges went by the time I got done dinging the headers down by the collectors. I had to do all kinds of jacking, and squeezing, and prying, just to get all the bolts to go in. One other thing I know that could really help a lot of people is that on the mac's and the bbk's the flange on the bottom by the collector is only skip welded in about four places. These welds will crack as you try to tighten the mid-pipe up to them, and then the flange will bend down as you tighten the nuts on the studs and keep you from getting a real good seal. I took mine into work and had the flange welded solid all the way around the collector on the bottom side of the flange. No more cracking! Oh yeah get the stage 8 locking bolts from Summit or elsewhere with the Ford racing part #! They are 1" long bolts and they are the perfect length. 3/4" is too short.
ya definetly get the locking bolts and good gaskets.... i am forever retorquing my header bolts.... and i've blown out 2 gaskets already just in one summer...... i am going to get the locking bolts and better gaskets this winter when i build up my new motor
I had the equal length BBK's on my 89 Gt and they were no harder to install but plug changes were a little more challenging but not unbearable. Im sure they work great with the right combination but in my case I noticed more loss of low end than I did power gain on the top end. My combo was a 93 cobra longblock with the stock GT40's ported, E303 w/1.72 rr's, 5 speed and 4.10's. I would say on a motor anywhere near stock you probably cant got wrong with a decent set of unequal length shorties. The equal lengths shure do look cool though
on a dyno i posted a while back on equal length vs shorties, the shorties made more lowend up to about 2800 and made a little more topend from 5000+. only about 2 hp more in both the low end and topend. in the midrange it actually fell back about 2-3 hp so on average it made the same.