Questioning the worth of long tubes

[smokin'Red35th]

Ok, is bolting on long tubes worth the trouble and the money when paired with a hi-flo H-Pipe? i know it can be a PITA to install and they can be expensive. Also, is there a clearance problem for anyone who lowers their car 1.5" up front?
This question stems from people telling me that 98 and older model's exhaust manifolds suck, but 99+ are much improved and make switching out headers almost pointless. Is there any truth to this statement? I see an awful lot of stangers with long tubes so there has to be a reason for this. just trying to clear this up.

Also, is there any advantage to changing the exhaust from behind the mufflers? I have flow 40s and will be doing h-pipe and possibly headers, but can i leave the cat-back portion the same and not loose any hp? If not, why are aftermarket cat-backs so much better? isnt it just a bent tube?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Jake795]

the aftermarket cat back systems are 2.5" tubing instead of the stock 2.25"

I would also like to know of any problems with long tubes on lowered stangs

 

[01mgvert]

My intakes mods cost $620. With these, u/d pullies ($150) and a Diablo Predator ($400), I gained 24 rwhp. The total cost was $1170, which amounts to $49 per horse. I then added Hooker headers ($700) and an o/r x-pipe ($135), and gained an additional 23 rwhp. The total cost was $835, which amounts to $36 per horse. Because of the difficulty of installation, however, I had to pay for labor. This makes the cost per horse much more expensive.

 

[damacman]

The only people that will tell you that L/Ts aren't worth the effort are the ones that don't have them. Do a search on this forum for dyno charts, you'll see what I'm talking about. The install isn't that bad, you just need a weekend, lots of patience, and a wide selection of ratchets, sockets, extensions, universals, and wrenches. Oh yeah, and lots of gojo because you'll get filthy . . .

 

[damacman]

btw, the bassani exhaust on my car has more ground clearance than did the stock set up.

 

[stangman]

ground clearance is not a problem at all with my car & it's dropped 1 1/2 in. as far as power, yes it's worth it. i gained 18 rwhp on a mustang dyno with mine & it would have been well over 20 rwhp on a dynojet

 

[Aaron 4.6]

I'm picking up my car tomorrow from a LT header install. The headers, X-pipe, and tune were worth about 30 rwhp.

 

[stangman]

I'm picking up my car tomorrow from a LT header install. The headers, X-pipe, and tune were worth about 30 rwhp.

very nice


i need a tune