cant compare pacesetter to kook, kooks are stainless and stepped to 1 7/8 and yes they make more power than anyone. If your car is just a regular bolt on car, and you dont car about quality and performance, or simply dont want to spend the money that the kooks cost, then stick to pacesetter and all the others, but in the long run you will regret it. I simply put the best i can afford on my car, and would never even waste my time with pace, and by the way AS&M is a shortie..thats like comparing apples and oranges...As&m is one of the best shorties, but these are longtubes..Not to mention the kook's header flange, where the header bolts to the head, is ported, to transition the airflow. The amount of air that the header can flow is important, but not nearly as important as the way the air flows through the header, and transistions smoothly...

 

I don't want them...I have Jet Hot long tubes. You should have no problem getting some cash out of them though.

 

I'm certainly no expert in headers, but when I did my research into them about a year ago, AS&M, FLP, and SLP seemed to me to be the best as far as performance/finish and MAC was the best as far as plug access goes. However, I can give my opinion of FLP headers--the finish is very good on them (I bought them after they started going through a new company for the coating) and like was mentioned earlier they do dull, but no faster than any other part that is polished on my engine--my finish has not started flaking yet so I guess I'm lucky. Plug access is not great, but there are ways to change them without having to pull the header off the head. As far as routing the plug wires goes, I bought a Taylor over the valve cover package and routed the wires as directed with the exception of using one bracket to hold the last two wires. I never burned a wire and after tightening the bolts about 7-8 times over the course of three months, I've never had to tighten them down again. All in all, I really do like the FLPs and would recommend them. One more bit I learned during my header hunt--I was advised from getting stainless headers (which is what I was going to get originally) because over time they oxidize.

 

what sort of gains, if any, do you suppose these Kooks stepped headers would give over a typical long tube header?

 

well i had to remove the header from the head, because i have afr heads, and they have angled plugs...kooks estimates 15-20 hp over longtubes..

 

15-20? damn! Someone needs to hop up on the dyno with before and after #'s from typical long tubes to the stepped ones.

 

How do you know the Kooks make more power than the others? No one has used them or done a back to back dyno run against hooker longtubes. They "should" make more power because they are larger diameter but as far as I know no one has proven this. I am interested to see if the "step" really helps in an application where the cam and headers are not tuned to one another.

 

deenasty: I would have to see a back to back dyno comparison before I believe a claim like that!
-b

 

How much did you pay for everything on the Kooks headers?

They are 1 3/4 primaries with 1 7/8 thickness? Or 1 7/8 primaries...

I don't want 1 7/8 because I need a motor powerful enough to harness that. I am talking Kooks 1 3/4 vs. Jet Hot 1 3/4

 

1 3/4" primaries that are 'stepped' to 1 7/8" at the collector, which means the primaries gradually increase in diameter.

 

ahhh I see...

And these headers are better with ground clearance then 1 3/4 Jet Hot LT's?

 

I dont' believe that the Kooks are any better powerwise than the standard LT's that you see. The 1 3/4" primary is already borderline too big for the LT1. Just to prove that point, go to www.advancedinduction.com and look at cars with identical setups, making over 400 rwhp The MAC headers (1 5/8") midlength headers make as much HP as the cars with LT's (1 3/4"). So how is a 1 7/8" going to be any better? All it is doing is robbing you of low end TQ with such a large primary. Compare Brian Santore's car with LT's to Eric Buss's car with Mac Mids. Erics car makes more HP and TQ with the same CAM and head job.

When I looked for headers, I SPECIFICALLY chose the 1 5/8" headers for the reasons mentioned above. The low end TQ is superior to a 1 3/4" header, without any significant HP loss up to 400 rwhp.

Dan

 

thats a great point stereoman.
I'm waiting till I see some good dyno numbers on these.
My car with edelbrock shorties has outperformed many long tube cars with similar mods.

These Kooks probably are better for maybe 10hp when you get in the 700-800 hp range but I'm curious to see some dyno numbers.

 

you say 1 3/4 is already borderline too big for the lt1? Perhaps a stock lt1. Not a stroker, or a aggressive heads and cam or supercharged car. And for comparing "blah blahs" car to "chang changs" car, that is not a reliable way of proving power to power. You can build two cars, with identical setups, and it will prove that they will not make the same amount of power. Too many variables, so you can eliminate that factor. And as far as the 1 7/8 robbing you of low end torque, thats why you have the 1 3/4 piping before the 1 7/8, so it doesnt rob you. If it was a complete 1 7/8 header, then yes I would agree with you, but this is not the case. My .02

 

The Kooks headers are the latest long tube design to come out for the LT1, which means that for the next little while, they're going to be "THE BEST" headers out there (according to the guys who buy them)

Don't believe it. It wasn't too long ago when Jet Hot released their version of Hooker's LT's and all everybody was talking about was how much "BETTER" they were compared to eveything else. Then it was the FLP's and how "SUPERIOR" they were to all other brands (they were so superior they stopped making them )

Now it's the Kooks and I'm sure you're gonna be hearing guys telling you "not to waste your time" with the inferior Jet Hot/hooker design

If anybody really think's they're going to pick up any HP worth talking about, over a set of Jet Hot's, I think they might wind up a bit dissapointed.

I'd stick with a set of Jet Hot's or Hookers. They're more than adequate to flow enough to support the HP levels 99.99999% of us are ever going to make

I see no reason with going to anything bigger other than bragging rights.
(They are stainless, I'll give 'em that, but does anybody really NEED stainless headers?

I'm sure if someone came out with a set of 2" diameter headers, there'd be a bunch of guys swearing up and down that they were "THE BEST"... "HANDS DOWN"

If someone already has a set of long tubes, I see no reason to spend more money on the ones by Kooks.

If anybody disagree's with me, please, prove me wrong !! Show me a before and after of the same car. 1st test with Jet Hot's, 2nd test with Kooks. Until I see that I'm sticking with my Jet's

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put anyone down for buying the Kooks, I'm always looking for ways to boost power just like everyone else, but I'm not gonna jump head first into something without knowing all the facts. Simply because the manufacturer "says so" doesn't mean it's true. I need proof.

Pictures of LT1 Jet Hot Long Tubes and Ypipe - PICTURES HERE