i have a 96 z28 with a ram air ss hood. what kind of headers should i get for mazimum performance? long tube or short tube? also what woud be a good exhaust to put on it? flowmaster magnaflow other?

 

You'll get the most hp and tq increases with LT's, but then there is the added headache of installing them, have to fit them in from top/bottom, remove motor mounts and lift motor, etc. Also you will lose some ground clearance with the LT's and y pipe versus the shorty/mid and y pipe setups. I vote for LT's personally. If you're going to go through the hassle of putting headers on, might as well do a lil more work for the LT's.

 

For the most HP Long Tubes are the only real answer. The best fitting long tubes without question are the Kooks. I have a set with Kooks catted Y-pipe on my 96 Z/28 and they fit perfect and run awesome. There is a write up here from another guy here with pics on his install and he had the same results I did. The Kooks w/Y-pipe are one of the most expensive out there but they are stainless steel, plus if you get them coated like I did, they look great and you won't have any regrets if you save up for the best.

 

I want to get a set of Kooks myself but why get them coated? They are made of 304 stainless, they will never rust anyways.

 

They will turn blue/black with the heat.

Cera-metallic coating is about way more than rust. The coating is applied to the inside and outside of the tube. The inner coating reflects heat into the exhaust, keeping it hotter. This increases gas velocity and increases scavenging, picking up a few HP. Also means less heat leaves the primaries, reducing under hood temperatures. The reduced tube metal temps reduce the range of thermal cycling, reducing metal and weld cracking.

And the stainless headers don't look ugly due to discoloring from the heat.

 

Also, it depends on what kind of budget you have to work with OP. You can get a pair of Pacesetter painted LTs for 300.00 or less brand new. Of course I would recommend the coated version, but keep in mind, they will eventually rust as well. Stainless Kooks are a great header that will last forever, but also very expensive. As for the catback, personally I think the Flowmaster sounds a little better over the Magnaflow, but the Magnaflow is a stainless steel system. That is why I installed the Magnaflow on my old LT1 ,for longevity, and also welded in a 3" stainless cutout in the i-pipe for some added noise when needed.