now that I've installed the headers and there's no going back.
What are the pros and cons with chosing long tube, middies, shorties?

Thanks

Ross
98 SS

 

mo powa

 

shorties:

good ground clearance since they typically use the stock cats and ypipe. no fabrication needed typically. emissions legal even in CA.

least amount of hp gains, sometimes only 5-10hp. the design of the 01/02 manifolds is almost a tubular shorty style as it is, so the gains are minimal. slightly more with 98-00. the short tube lenght combined with tight packaging to connect the collector to the stock ypipe make for a much less efficient design.
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mids:

collector is farther away from the engine, which un-cramps the primaries allowing for better flow. however they are not far enough down to decrease clearance under the car. due to different collector location they require their own Ypipe, which usually allows for better flowing cats and Ypipe design. these headers are usually available with either offroad pipes or catted pipes.

they typically give decent result for hp, averaging 10-15hp, better than shorties, but typically not quite the gains that LTs give.

however these are not legal, technically in ANY state, due to moving the cats. but in states that only require sniff test they will pass. due to having a specific Ypipe they can affect ground clearance as well as interferance with the frame.
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longtubes:

long primaries allow best flow, and a scavaging affect to increase exhaust flow out of the cylinders. most unrestricted collectors, and typically best flowing Ypipes. most hp of any header, typical gains are 15-20rwhp on bolt on cars.

due to the collector being located under the floor pan, ground clearance issues can be a problem. also makes it more difficult to fit cats on the ypipe without haveing frame interferance. due to the o2 sensors being farther down on the collector you need to buy or fabricate sensor extensions for the wires. these are also technically illegal due to altering the location of the cats, but with the proper cats and tuning will pass emissions in a "sniff test only" state.

 

In terms of headers, bigger is better. IMO...

Shorties - hardly worth the money or effort.
Mid-length - justifiable, as they show noticeable gains.
Long-tubes - well worth it. They should be factory installed!

 

thanks for this information.

Thanks

Ross
98 SS

 

the research ive done on this site suggests that long tubes give more power in the lower rpms whereas the peak power gain is determined by primary diameter, not longtube vs. shorty design.

 

hmmm....

i think you have something mixed up. LTs tend to really shine in the topend, and sometimes rob power in the lower rpm. it seemed like i had alot less power below 2500rpm than i did before the headers.

and primary length plays an important role in power, as does primary size. both go hand in hand.
you arn't gonna get anywhere near the power if you had a set of 2" diameter primaries but still got the shorty style configuration.

it's a complex combination of factors and compromises

 

my heart still says the same thing, for some reason, most of the the treads that i searchs conclude otherwise