Headers Question

AmBo

Active Member
Feb 3, 2004
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What headers should be used on a non-blown GT. I don't plan on blowing my stang ANY time soon but am looking to free up some horses simply going all motor. My buddies said that headers may free up some horses.

Any inputs on long tube, shorties, etc...

What route would you go to free up horses? I'm getting an accufab tb/pl combo first then going to a steeda CAI. Is this a bad route?
 
This is what I'm looking into. I think I'm gonna get MAC Longtubes with SLP shorty Xpipe. I hear from friends that longtubes make the power on N/A applications. I already have weld in flowmasters and I think I might also get an Accufab tb/plenum and steeda intake. My question is, do we have to get the shorty X pipe to get longtubes or will a regular X suffice?
 
Exhaust manifolds are good place to look for more power except for 2 reasons:

1. Cost
2. Hassel and/or more cost of getting them installed.

If you've done the mid pipe X or H and cat back system then thats all you really need to do exhaust wise, unless you're after ever last horse out there. An eletric water pump will free up some power or maybe look at a NOS kit.

Research what blower you may be interested in as some mods will be detrimental to a blower and may have to be reversed later.
 
AmBo said:
What headers should be used on a non-blown GT. I don't plan on blowing my stang ANY time soon but am looking to free up some horses simply going all motor. My buddies said that headers may free up some horses.

Any inputs on long tube, shorties, etc...

What route would you go to free up horses? I'm getting an accufab tb/pl combo first then going to a steeda CAI. Is this a bad route?

I went with the BBK Tuned Length Shorty Headers. I noticed a little SOTP on the top end.
 
i'm going with BBK LT. Well, i have the LT already. Just need to get mid pipe(BBK O/R H or catted H). I've heard in the past BBK LT, BBK H, and American Thunder on 99 GT once on full throttle take off. It sounded nasty... my brain melted..
 
AmBo said:
Ok, I'm reading that shortys are direct bolt on and dont need any other modification. Now if you get LTs, what length mid pipe do you need?
listen , whatever you do , try not to get shorty headers , get the long tube headers. You'll be way better off
 
Newbie143 said:
listen , whatever you do , try not to get shorty headers , get the long tube headers. You'll be way better off

:stupid: amount of time it takes put them in, you gain ALMOST NOTHING to make it worth while. I used to think i'm going with BBK shorty. But after reading many many post, I went with LT. its expensive initially, but in the long run, you much better off with LT, unless you have strict emmission to worry about
 
I just finished installing all my exhuast stuff about two weeks ago.

the set up i went with was BBK Long tubes, matched catted H-pipe and Magnaflow cat back

all i can say is the power is amazing, the sound is awesome. I would give two thumbs way up to anyone looking for exhuast and a setup that is not loud at all at idle, but at wide open throttle is loud go with what i got. You will not be disapointed I garuntee

if your going to do headers do it right the first time and get long tubes. Don't bother with shorties or midlength headers
 
Well I would not do shorties. they will gain you hp up in the band but some actually cost you power low in the band so at the strip you see nothing. jba, bbk usually show hp on the dyno but no much at the track.

now with longtubes you run into tranny issues. you have to pull the passenger side header to remove the trans with BBK, MAC, SLP

hooker/flowtech alow for trans removal.

then you have midlength. Jba and bassani. they do produce power through the whole band just less than longtubes. JBA were way to expensive last time I checked and bassani were not cheap.

If I were staying NA I would either run hookers or midlenghts as the way my luck goes I would kill my clutch or trans like 5k after the install and have to pull the damn passenger header.

I think kooks may make headers as well but I have never researched them.
 
I went with a set of Kooks custom long tubes with the Jet-Hot Ceramic Coating for mine. They're hands down the "best of the best" (and I have the $1,300.00 bill of sale to prove it :().
ccoated.webp


My set up consists of a blown 4.6L with heavily ported heads and all other breathing mods, so it's worth it for me, but I wouldn't bother at all on a stock or even mild bolt-on car. For the few horse you gain, it's not worth the price tag or the headache of installing them. Just go with the mid-pipe and Cat-Back like others have stated unless you're absolute priority is to squeeze every little horsepower out of your combination and you've got a disposable income.
 

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