Shorty Headers

[Max Power]

The latest issue of Mustangs and Ford has one of their usual top 25 lists, and the latest one is top 25 low buck mods for performance.

In the headers section of the article, it stated pretty emphatically that shorty headers will get you no gain over manifolds, the dyno proves it. Only buy shorty headers if you want to look pretty, but don't buy em for horsepower.

Of course, this is contrary to everything I have ever heard, as well as to articles in the same magazine in the past. Anyone see this? Is there crap in my eyes?

Tell me those Hedman ceramic shortys sitting on my workbench will be a large imorovement over my stock manifolds, please...

Thoughts..Comments?

 

[mustangdave]

Every dyno test I've seen with them, they showed a gain.

 

[Shocwave04]

Re

I put JBA nickel plated shorty style headers on my 289 and if I remember correctly I gained about 15 HP... So IDK what M&F is talking about...

 

[Hack]

I would also expect a gain with shorty headers. Of course all the other parts of the exhaust must be set up to work with the headers. If you run shorties into a 0.25" single tailpipe, they won't help.

 

[Darkhorse845]

They showed a dyno?

 

[Max Power]

Nope, just a statement. Seemed odd, cuz past articles stated the opposite....

 

[302 coupe]

its weird how they can say not to waste money on shorties, yet they say its good to spend $300 on K-code manifolds(at least they have in the past). I don't read the mags anymore for reasons such as that, I won't pay money for inconsistent and inaccurate tech tips and info. The pictures are pretty though!

 

[Grant65]

There must not have been enough header manufacturers advertising this month...

 

[thehueypilot]

I read the same article and it is probably some what true if you compare them to the late model manifold of today vs the old stuff (cast manifolds) we are used to seeing. I am removing my 1.625 JBA, nickle plated headers and I am installing 1.75 CPR, ceramic coated, long tube headers. This was planned before I read that article. The heat released from the nickle coating is unbearable under the hood plus I need more breathing capability. I would think if you are not racing or do not have good flowing heads the 1.625 shortie headers would work just fine.

 

[CochinoFilipino]

i would think that you need to cosider the whole combo. just shorties on single exhaust c-code with stock intake might not make a noticable diference. I don't know, just speculating

 

[Max Power]

Well there was always that thought. Do want you want to the exhaust on a 2 barrel smog headed motor and it wont make much more power. But wouldn't that apply to long tubes as well? I mean, nothing on the exhaust side will help a motor like that.

Also, to make a blanket statement like that is irresponsible.

I have a 395 stroker with the Edelbrock RPM package, and the exhaust ports on the heads are a lot bigger than the ports in the factory manifolds. Just getting rid of reversion alone should add a lot of power.

 

[94CobraPace]

Shorties will gain more hp in the upper rpms. Long tubes gain more tq. I'd like to see the dyno sheets on the cast irom manifolds vs shorties vs long tubes on a mild street engine.

 

[DarkBuddha]

I read the same crap... I often hate that damn rag, but I subscribe nontheless, but one of the things that pisses me off the most is that they regularly make bs statements like this one, and they're the only rag that doesn't include any dyno info to corroborate. They talk with authority and then don't have any data or even real professional mechanical background to make such statements. You tell Hedman, JBA, Mac, Ford, and all the other companies that produce and use shorty headers that their products are basically worthless... yeah, right...

All the evidence I've seen, including dyno pulls published in Car Craft, Hot Rod, and PHR all indicate shorty headers will make power over stock manifolds. Dyno data is worth more to me than a slick magazine's pencil pushing hack writer.