Any agreement out there regarding what brand of headers are best for my 2001 Z28? And, is the price worth what you get? (i.e. are they a good value?) or is there not a lot of difference between them and the stock exhaust manifold?

Constructive opinions/replys only, please!!!! (be nice, we all wear bow-ties!)

Thanks,
Daryl

 

all of the long tubes are worth it for sure.. the shorties? i dunno about them. they dont show much of a gain

 

I don't have a set for my LS1 yet, but I think the general consensus is that they are a must for a modded car. They produce decent gains by themselves, but them with other mods is quite a nice gain. It's definatly not the best bang for the buck mod however.

The prices on the headers varies a lot, I don't know why. Some look better, some fit better, some hang too low, some last longer, and the list goes on. I guess it's all preference and how much money you want to spend. From my reading on here and other boards, there isn't a considerable difference in hp gains from the cheapest set to the most expensive. The average I've seen is around 20 rwhp from the headers alone. Many have gained more than that. That's a pretty big difference from the stock manifolds in my opinion.

 

I too am wanting to put headers on my 02 Z, but have been "forwarned" that most have a tendency for leaking. BTW, how do like the Flowmaster CB?

 

Like JD13 said, headers aren't the best bang for the buck, but is is a great mod to have, especially if you plan on doing any future mods like heads and cams.
I chose the FLP Headers-I like that it has ceramic coating, I could still keep the Borla, and it has high-flow cats that come with interchangeable off-road pipes.
You will have a very noticeable gain of about 25 horespower.
If you get them, make sure you get stage 8 locking header bolts to prevent the headers from loosening.
I won't go into what I think is best because everyone has their own opinions. My advice is to talk to the very nice and knowlegeable people at Thunder Racing to decide what is best for you!

 

LT's are worth it! The brands that seem popular are FLP, SLP, Hooker and Grots.

I went with Hookers, coated in and out with a coated off-road-y-pipe no cats for me!

If installed correctly and with Stage8's you should not have any leaks.

 

gearslammer

I don't like the flowmaster catback too much, only reason its on the '99 is because I bought it that way. It's not nearly as loud and annoying as the one on my IROC, but I guess it sounds decent.


Like said with the proper bolts etc, you shouldn't have leaking problems. If I had to chose what brand of header to get right now I'd go with QTP (Grots) or Jet-Hott.

Oh yeah, shorties on LS1s aren't worth it. The stock manifolds are almost as good as shorties. LT's all the way

 

...great advice on the bolts, I just got my FLP's and I'll be gettin them in soon. Where do you get the bolts from...hotrodgirl, have any issues putting them in? any advice?

Cheers;

Mike

 

Thunder Racing did it for me, and they did an excellent job! They took care of everything. You'll need 2 oxygen sensor extensions(24" should do for the front sensors), 2 exhaust manifold gaskets, and the stage 8 header bolt. I also have 2 o2 sims for the rear. I have about a 5-6" clearance to the ground.
I promise you'll enjoy them. My MPG sucks right now because I haven't used 6th because they sound so good!

 

With Macs I wen't from 13.04@106.67 in great air to 12.88@107.61 in good air with a best mph of 107.70, when I ran 13.04 my friend ran a 12.72@110 but when I ran 12.88 he was only running 12.80@109 so the weather was a bit better on my 13.04. In better conditions I think I will squeek out a low 12.80 - high 12.70 @ 108+ headers do work!

 

Has anyone had problems with the LTs hitting the ground? I was thinking of lowering my car, but I also want to do LTS. Is that going to be a problem? This is for the 00 LS1

 

longgun, I do beleive some headers have clearance problems on lowered cars. Especially SLPs if I remember correctly. I'd look some more up for you, but I really need to study for my finals. Try a search for it, its been brought up many times, you'll find a good deal of info that way.

 

thanks

 

It's not a good bang for the buck, but I think it's almost a must. The more you do to your engine to get it to produce more power the more gases you need to have exit the the engine quicker. Headers with do this for you.

 

..I'm going to buy header bolts as suggested for my FLP's, do I get the 1" of 3/4" size?

..Please let me know,


Thanks;

Mike