I have a 95 Z28. I live in IN,so no emissions. I am looking to get some headers in the near future and have ?'s. I want mids/long tubes. I have read and searched but cant get a full answer and search button wont finish and show results right now. I would just like to know the gains i would expect from both types. i also read that pacesetter mids are actually the same as shorties but called mids. True? i would like to know which have best plug access, etc. Also, i know ceramic coating keeps temps down, but would the painted headers finish really be bad after a few years? Any other advantages/disadvantages of each would also be appreciated.
ANY info will help. Thanks.

Cody H.

 

i would go with the pacesetter LTs. they are fairly inexpensive and come coated.you can get a set w/ an ORY for like $560. what ever you get get them COATED. you will most likely see better gains from the LTs, especially since you dont have to worry about emmisions. get the set of race style headers w/no emmision hookups and get the egr blockoff plates.

 

what are the average gains of mids and the average gains of longtubes?

 

I believe typical gain is about 20-25 at the wheels with long tubes. I should be getting some at the beginning of October, and will probably dyno soon afterwards.

 

Going from stock to LTs and true dual exhaust over the axles netted me 3 tenths and about 5mph in the 1/8 mile on a stock motor at the time with almost identical weather both trips out, which were just 2 weeks apart.

 

i have mid tubes pacesetters and they are mid length, not shorties. i wanted them because i heard a lot of people complain about the long tubes hiting speed bumps with a lowerd camaro.

 

thanks for the responses. i was leaning toward the pacesetters because from what ive read they have good quality, fitment, and price. But do all cheaper longtubes tend to have fitment problems along with low clearance???? I dont want to spend the money on kooks because in a year or so i might be able to trade up for an 00' LS1 or something.

 

Most of the time, you get what you pay for. While a low price may net you a bad fit up, you will always lose a little with longtubes when it comes to ground clearance. Some are better than others. I have never scraped mine and I have Jet hot long tubes. My fit up wasn't exactly perfect either. It still took a little "lovin'" to get it all to fit up properly.
I can change plugs in about an hour. 6 and 8 have to be done from down below and I have to remove the starter. I tried without removing the starter and ended up dropping a plug and it fell into the collector where the 4 tubes merge. I got it out, but that is another story.....

 

I have pacesetter LTs and they fit great on my 97 Z28, no rubbing or anything.
The plugs are 100X easier to get to, #8 is one of the easiest to get to now. The only difficult one is #5, but even that one isnt too bad. With stock ride height it is pretty difficult to bottom them out on somthing unless you are careless. In the 20K miles Ive put on them since I installed them, Ive hit them maybe twice, on unusualy large speed bumps. The only thing I would suggest is not get the pacesetter off road y pipe, the fitment isnt that great and rubs on the torque arm. Get duals, thats the way to go, and will net you the best sound and gains.
Your also gonna want to get an over the valve cover wire set to keep them from getting fried.

 

im installing new plugs and wires today, but wont be able to get the headers ordered for another few months. I really dont like the looks of OTVC wires, but are they really a must. I have heard so many good things, but if i get mids/longtubes, can they be left in stock locations and not have any probs??????

 

No OTVC are not a must, however there is greater at burning plug wires in stock location with headers. If you want the stock locations just make sure you have the wires well secured and away from the pipes.

The really nice thing about OTVC wires is the ease of removing and replacing them.

 

I have mine in the stock locations in both my LT4 truck and '95 TA and haven't had any probs, just make sure they are secured nicely as close to the block/heads and ran to the front of the motor just like the factory ones were.

 

Get Pacesetter long tubes. Best bang for your buck. And get them coated.

Pretty much all the headers other than Kooks will eventually loose their finish.

Mine from the top ( Under the hood ) look great still, 3 years on them. Frum the bottom though, the ceramic coating is flaking off the collectors and about 6 iches up the primaries now. But hey, cheap headers do that. If you want the best you can get, buy Kooks Stainless headers.

And you will notice a nice gain from them. They DO make more power across the board than shorties do, but thats because most shorties are bolted up to stock style/diameter Y pipes. A good set of shorties or mids will still make nice power.

 

What causes the header's coating to come off in a few years time? Also, how long to painted finishes last, because if they all dont look that decent in a few years, but still perform well, then is the only advantage of a ceramic coating is looks better longer and lower temps then?

 

I've got nickel colored ceramic plated headers on the truck, been on for a little over 4 years and 50k miles, they are no longer shinney, and haven't been after the first year of use, they are a very dull gray...but thats better than being bare.
I've had painted headers too, the paint lasts about a week then they turned white...they were black painted.
I've got the Kooks SS on the TA, they are tucked so tight in there you can't see them anyway, and they will discolor in a few thousand miles too, they will not stay pretty like they are new....so I say get the ceramic plated ones for much cheaper and at least they won't be bare and flaking off like paint will for many years to come and they will keep out some under hood heat.