LT's or shorty headers

hotmustang331 said:

Midlenghts are not the same as LTs. The LTs gain power due to keeping the exhaust gasses seperate longer and preventing any turblence between each cylinders exhaust gasses for as long as possable. So thats the basic reason why LTs make the most power. Shortys really wont do much because their runners are a tad longer than stock and allow the exhaust gasses to stay seperate a little longer..equal length shortys are better than regular shortys as they help keep the exhaust gass pulses from interfering (sp) with eachother when the exhaust merges....again, even they dont match the HP of LTs. SO go LTs.

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Actually, I remember reading an old Super Ford exhaust issue a while while back that showed testing that documented as long as the header had at least 27" primary tubes, going any longer with them before they merged didn't make an difference for scavenging purposes.

Most mid-length headers still cover this length and that's why they're now starting to gain so much popularity. The reason that a lot of the companies still go with the full length header design is because it's easier to complete the rest of the exhaust system after it's cleared the engine bay and is running horizontal along the bottom of the car and it's not costing any power in doing so. A lot of mid-length designs still leave the collector up near the bottom of the firewall beyond the access of the engine bay and make it a real bear to route the rest of the exhaust. It's a b**ch to get to it from the to and a b**ch to get to it from the bottom.