Long tube headers

[Peezer123]

So I want to put some long tubes on my 05’ Tahoe 2wd 5.3. I want the best performance and sound I don’t want to have something obnoxiously loud with little power gained . Also when I put them on will I need to have it tuned or no ? Thanks in advance!!

 

[kwOH]

Kooks & I don’t think you HAVE to get a tune but probably should

 

[Rocket Man]

American Racing Headers FTW. Tune depends on if you want to make the most advantage of the power gain and whether you want to get rid of the cats.

 

[iamdub]

My opinion is that the exhaust is going through a metal tube and it doesn't care who made it or how much it cost. What I have seen is the difference between the brands is the quality of the materials used, the craftsmanship and the fitment. But, when comparing a $300 set of headers to a $1300 set, if the inner diameter of the tubes and the bends and general shape is the same, I don't see how one would perform better over the other.

As far as sound, they should have the same affect on sound if they are both the same material and thickness.

Kooks and American Racing are known to be the best fitting and made with the best quality of materials. Personally, I'm likely to go with a $300 set of Speed Engineering headers because I can modify them for fit if need-be. They seem to have their fitment issues sorted out, though. Your engine mounts just have to be in good shape. Although they are stainless, they're probably not the same grade as what the more expensive brands use but rust isn't a concern where I live. I'd like to have them coated for temperature and sound containment which, in my opinion, would make them better than the premium brands and still be cheaper overall.

A tune is not absolutely necessary, but it will certainly optimize the gains from the headers. This applies to any of the other functional mods (muffler, intake, etc.).

 

[kwOH]

My opinion is that the exhaust is going through a metal tube and it doesn't care who made it or how much it cost. What I have seen is the difference between the brands is the quality of the materials used, the craftsmanship and the fitment. But, when comparing a $300 set of headers to a $1300 set, if the inner diameter of the tubes and the bends and general shape is the same, I don't see how one would perform better over the other.

As far as sound, they should have the same affect on sound if they are both the same material and thickness.

Kooks and American Racing are known to be the best fitting and made with the best quality of materials. Personally, I'm likely to go with a $300 set of Speed Engineering headers because I can modify them for fit if need-be. They seem to have their fitment issues sorted out, though. Your engine mounts just have to be in good shape. Although they are stainless, they're probably not the same grade as what the more expensive brands use but rust isn't a concern where I live. I'd like to have them coated for temperature and sound containment which, in my opinion, would make them better than the premium brands and still be cheaper overall.

A tune is not absolutely necessary, but it will certainly optimize the gains from the headers. This applies to any of the other functional mods (muffler, intake, etc.).

The bends may not effect the amount of flow but the efficiency of the flow. Think of it as a foot race, if you run straight and then around a corner to the finish line but another guy has to run around a corner then straight then around another corner, might still end up in the same place but not at the same time. I’ve seen the reviews comparing Kooks to in particular American Racing, on LS based engines and thats what has been said, fitment is almost 100% every time with Kooks, and the bends are far less complex. Also has a lot to do with if your going with a catted y or an off-road y, if your going with an off road y, then run which ever.

 

[Rocket Man]

If you're 4wd be aware the Speed Engineering might or might not work for you. 2wd is no problem. Just ask @Tonyrodz ; he had to remove his front drive shaft and even then he had problems. For my Denali, I wouldn't have even attempted a cheap set. No way would they have worked. My AR's were built specifically for my truck and fit like a glove, with 2 midpipes all the way to the muffler just like stock. Very easy install, and when I needed to replace my trans everything from the muffler to the headers themselves came apart and went back in easily. Just something else to consider. Sometimes more money is well worth it.

 

[Tonyrodz]

If you're 4wd be aware the Speed Engineering might or might not work for you. 2wd is no problem. Just ask @Tonyrodz ; he had to remove his front drive shaft and even then he had problems. For my Denali, I wouldn't have even attempted a cheap set. No way would they have worked. My AR's were built specifically for my truck and fit like a glove, with 2 midpipes all the way to the muffler just like stock. Very easy install, and when I needed to replace my trans everything from the muffler to the headers themselves came apart and went back in easily. Just something else to consider. Sometimes more money is well worth it.

Yup. Better to spend the money if you have it, for the right quality parts. Doesn't pay to cheap out if you don't have to.

 

[zraffz]

The primary tube length, diameter and collector diameter are the biggest determining factors with the order being primary tube diameter, collector diameter and then primary tube length (this is what "tuned" primaries means).

I have read that a merge spike in the collector helps for scattering too.


As far as a $300 vs $1,000 set of headers, it's probably a slightly better fit; thicker flanges on the heads and perhaps thicker tubing. I've always bought cheap headers until I needed a set of LSx swap headers for my S10 - HUGE difference in quality but I can't speak for performance!

 

[iamdub]

The bends may not effect the amount of flow but the efficiency of the flow. Think of it as a foot race, if you run straight and then around a corner to the finish line but another guy has to run around a corner then straight then around another corner, might still end up in the same place but not at the same time. I’ve seen the reviews comparing Kooks to in particular American Racing, on LS based engines and thats what has been said, fitment is almost 100% every time with Kooks, and the bends are far less complex. Also has a lot to do with if your going with a catted y or an off-road y, if your going with an off road y, then run which ever.

Yes, that's pretty much what I said. I've never compared the bends of the Kooks or AR or SE headers side-by-side. But they can't be all THAT different when looking at the basics: long tube primaries of X diameter, meeting at a collector located in generally the same location. That's as deep as I was going with it since I'm not a header reviewer. If the premium brands have less bends and better fitment, well, they damned well should at their prices. I understand there are possible fitment issues and maybe less performance gain from the cheaper brands. But, some minor tweaking for clearance (if even necessary) and maybe leaving a couple of HP on the table isn't worth the extra $800-$1,000 to me. They're all still a great improvement over stock manifolds.

I'm not bashing the premium brands for their cost. You get what you pay for. My budget usually requires me to do more grunt work than simply paying more, but I'd still end up with essentially the same result.

 

[Rocket Man]

Yes, that's pretty much what I said. I've never compared the bends of the Kooks or AR or SE headers side-by-side. But they can't be all THAT different when looking at the basics: long tube primaries of X diameter, meeting at a collector located in generally the same location. That's as deep as I was going with it since I'm not a header reviewer. If the premium brands have less bends and better fitment, well, they damned well should at their prices. I understand there are possible fitment issues and maybe less performance gain from the cheaper brands. But, some minor tweaking for clearance (if even necessary) and maybe leaving a couple of HP on the table isn't worth the extra $800-$1,000 to me. They're all still a great improvement over stock manifolds.

I'm not bashing the premium brands for their cost. You get what you pay for. My budget usually requires me to do more grunt work than simply paying more, but I'd still end up with essentially the same result.

I'm saying the cheap ones would be nearly impossible to make work on my truck, it's not that there's just some minor tweaking that would be needed. Like I said, if you're 2wd you have more options but if you look at mine, for instance, you'd see why those SE would not work. Not unless you want to go uncatted, and even then you'd be forever just trying to get a set of midpipes bent up. Sure the headers themselves would bolt up but good luck on the rest of it. Unless you've actually installed a set of headers on one of our trucks, especially a 4wd one, your opinion is pretty unbased. Go take a look at Tonyrodz's build thread where he tried installing the SE. He still doesn't have 4wd and probably never will unless he replaces those headers. Apologies if I offended you but I believe the OP should know all the facts before he gets into a situation where it gets ugly.