1. Dont need a lift whether you do longtubes or shorties you will still have to get under the car. Just buy a jack and some stands you will need them for other things.
2. What smell? Ive always noticed a smell WITH the cats on...but yes you can run them lots of people do.
3. I lost alot more doing the true duals, but ive never hit my headers on anything.

 

Dr. Mudge had SLP's. I have them on my car now. Ai does have a car listed that put down over 400rwhp with Mac's on a stock shortblock LT1. I'd probably just go with whatever set i could get the cheapest. I'd check the for sale section. I got my set for $300 coated and shipped to my door.

 

Anyone know about ground clearance for LT on a lowered Camaro? I got a set of Hooker LT but have heard varying responses about ground clearance. My car is lowered 2" and I want to put them on once I move out of Cali in 2 months. Marylands alot nicer than cali.

 

You are gonna have some major trouble more than likely. My buddy has hooker LT's on his 97. He put on some 2" drop springs and only had 1.5 inches of clearance from the header to the ground. Needless to say he yanked the lowering springs off and i have them on my car. I'm running SLP's and with the 2" drop springs i have 3.5 inches of ground clearence.

 

Ah, sorry about the mix up there - at least I was right about the 400rwhp with MAC's part

 

1. Doubt it. I have heard of people doing them through the top but they go in much easier from the bottom. I have access to a lift but have still put on 3 sets while the car was on jack stands. Its not that difficult.

2. Unless you spend some money on a quality system you will probably have to get a custom y pipe made with cats. That is what I am going to do.

3. All thress sets I have put on have been Pacesetters and they have no issues with ground clearance whatsoever on a stock ride height car.

 

MAC's all the way......great gains and the best plug access available.

 

I'd say go with the RK Sports. They're almost exactly patterned after one of the most highly regarded mids out there (Arizona Speed and Marine). Yeah, plug access isn't the greatest, but once you learn how to get to each, doing a plug change is a snap. The power they give and can support will in the long run take you farther than the Mac's.

This is coming from someone who has MAC's on the purple car and ASM's on the black car, so I kinda know what I'm saying for a comparison. And admittedly, the Macs definintely make the plug change easier.

 

I loved my Hooker LT with offroad (mufflex) Y pipe..! It was GREAT!! But my car is lowered by eibach springs and it was very difficult to drive the car.. I hit my headers everytime, and I get SLP shorties with stock pipe and I hate it

 

Regarding the plug access of the RK sports, Is just the 5 and 6 plug that are difficult. Hopefully you dont have to unbolt a header. Does the cut down SLP socket do the trick.
I have been lokking at the sports again. The price seem very reasonable when you compare to the SLP with install kit, there a saving of $300 - $400 dollars.

 

The 5 and 6 plugs are difficult, but if you can get under the car on a creeper or something and basically wrap your arms around the K-Member you can get a hand on each side of the plugs and it's a snap from there. Numbers 1, 3, 2, and 4 are all easily top accessable, and 5, 7, 6, 8 you need to be under the car. No header or Y-Pipe unbolting necessary. On the #8, 5, and 7 plugs a spark plug socket and 3/4" wrench (box end) is probably the easiest way to go about it.

 

Are there any differences between the Arizona speed headers and the RK sport headers. Is it safe to say they are 100% identicle.

 

I'd say they are pretty close. RK sports look like a good value but they do have a few design flaws in my opinion. 1. They have a slip fit primary, i don't like those because they can leak. 2. I don't like the style of collectors and gaskets they run. SLP's have donut gasket style collectors and don't have slip fit primaries. So i'd personally factor that into the purchase.

 

SLP 1-3/4" with a BMR k-member is the way to go. But you'll have to have the headers modified to fit. Mine interferred on the drivers side where the flange connects to the y-pipe, but a local exhaust shop was able to easily relocate it a bit further away.

 

Do the RK's use the run of the mill muffler clamp for that #1 primary or somthing different. If I did get these I would trash their gaskets and get the best most trouble free available.