Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
01-21-2005, 08:34 AM
#32
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Originally Posted by Deenasty
Kooks are 1 3/4 stepped to 1 7/8 stainless steal, with absolutely the best plug access and ground clearance. not to mention they will make 15-20 more hp than a regular 1 3/4...dyno results comming soon...These headers were really easy to install, no lifitng of motor mounts or anything. And a set of these will last you forever...
I suppose if you were making 500-600 rwhp, or running forced induction, you might be right.
Also, what makes you think the plug access is superior to all other LT headers. Not being a jerk or anything, but I haven't seen any comparisons to other LT designs, and I doubt that they are THAT much different than other LT headers for plug access. I mean, there is a lot larger tubing getting in your way. I'll bet they aren't as good as my MAC mids, but we are talking about LT's, so...
By the way, I love the title of the thread. Inciting a riot
Dan
01-21-2005, 08:48 AM
#33
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
One more thing about Kooks, they can't be coated well. The coating does not stick well to the type of stainless steel that is used to make the headers. If you don't want a coated header, this isn't a problem. With that size primary, it takes up more room in the engine bay, and has a larger surface area to radiate heat. It's too bad they can't be coated well, because they will most likely give off more heat, and be closer to other components in the engine bay.
There is a very nice benefit to stainless though. They should last as long as you own the car, plus some.
By the way, I looked at the plug access on the Kooks, and it didn't seem much better than other pics I've seen of other LT headers.
I'm not trying to bash Kooks, it looks like another well made LT header. I'm just trying to keep everything level, and not look at Kooks through "rose colored glasses" since they are the latest design to come out.
Dan
There is a very nice benefit to stainless though. They should last as long as you own the car, plus some.
By the way, I looked at the plug access on the Kooks, and it didn't seem much better than other pics I've seen of other LT headers.
I'm not trying to bash Kooks, it looks like another well made LT header. I'm just trying to keep everything level, and not look at Kooks through "rose colored glasses" since they are the latest design to come out.
Dan
01-21-2005, 10:47 AM
#34
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
The dyno results will be on a AFR headed stroked (383) lt1 with a 240 .600 lift 112lsa cam. A stepped header will always make more power, if the car can make it, over a normal longtube. As for plug access, I have AFR heads, which are angle plugged. I have owned a set of hooker/jet hot, FLP, and now the kook. The hooker and jet hot are better than the FLP without a doubt. with the flp's I had to back the header off the head, in order to swap plugs. And since the motor was fairly new, I had to play around wth heat ranges (plugs) and it was a nightmare to swap plugs with the FLP's. I absolutely hated them. These cooks surpass the flp and jet hot quality by far. The welds are perfect, the design is awesome, the flanges are thick and ported, to transition air flow smoothly. They have a spike collector where all the tubes meet, to also transition the air. We all know that fitting a 1 7/8 headers in our cars are hard, and these can be put in with easy, without removing the a/c/heater, and other things. You do have to remove the oil cooler if your car has one though, just like the install of the other headers as well. These headers are stainless, and I like stainless a lot more than coated headers. Idealy I wouldnt want a coated header. Another thing noted, the motor compartment a lot cooler with these headers compared to the flp and jet hots. I know these headers are expensive, but it costs to go fast. If you have the money to spend, buy them, you wont regret them. If you got a slightly modded lt1, then perhaps they are a bit out of your league. What I want most to know, is that if you add these to a lightly modded lt1, they will give you power, but its not gonna be enourmous like for example a stroker or FI car. Dont go into the purchase thinking your adding a power adder or something. Good luck...hope this helps...
01-21-2005, 11:19 AM
#35
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Originally Posted by Deenasty
The dyno results will be on a AFR headed stroked (383) lt1 with a 240 .600 lift 112lsa cam. A stepped header will always make more power, if the car can make it, over a normal longtube.
01-21-2005, 12:13 PM
#36
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Originally Posted by stereomandan
One more thing about Kooks, they can't be coated well. The coating does not stick well to the type of stainless steel that is used to make the headers. If you don't want a coated header, this isn't a problem. With that size primary, it takes up more room in the engine bay, and has a larger surface area to radiate heat. It's too bad they can't be coated well, because they will most likely give off more heat, and be closer to other components in the engine bay.
There is a very nice benefit to stainless though. They should last as long as you own the car, plus some.
By the way, I looked at the plug access on the Kooks, and it didn't seem much better than other pics I've seen of other LT headers.
I'm not trying to bash Kooks, it looks like another well made LT header. I'm just trying to keep everything level, and not look at Kooks through "rose colored glasses" since they are the latest design to come out.
Dan
There is a very nice benefit to stainless though. They should last as long as you own the car, plus some.
By the way, I looked at the plug access on the Kooks, and it didn't seem much better than other pics I've seen of other LT headers.
I'm not trying to bash Kooks, it looks like another well made LT header. I'm just trying to keep everything level, and not look at Kooks through "rose colored glasses" since they are the latest design to come out.
Dan
01-21-2005, 12:46 PM
#37
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
i would rather spend $500 on a set of good headers and add $700 worth of nitrous making way more power than a great set of $1200 headers. There comes a time that you have to realize that 1 or 2 hp and a couple of more ft/lbs of torque is not worth twice the price. And another thing is there is no way that a design difference is going to net 15-20 more horse power. I would be willing to say that a custom set of LT's won't give you that much. If your philosophy is spend as much money as you can, then get a custom set of titanium headers made. And while you waste your money on that i will get some new heads or a blower or something that actually make more power.
01-21-2005, 05:54 PM
#38
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Originally Posted by 1-bad-z28
i would rather spend $500 on a set of good headers and add $700 worth of nitrous making way more power than a great set of $1200 headers. There comes a time that you have to realize that 1 or 2 hp and a couple of more ft/lbs of torque is not worth twice the price. And another thing is there is no way that a design difference is going to net 15-20 more horse power. I would be willing to say that a custom set of LT's won't give you that much. If your philosophy is spend as much money as you can, then get a custom set of titanium headers made. And while you waste your money on that i will get some new heads or a blower or something that actually make more power.
Well... There's two sides to that: 1) You're right... I've had cars that were all GO and no SHOW, and if it didn't make the car faster, it came off! Shiny stuff is for car shows, not for winning races, and the uglier my car is the more fun I have when I beat you.
2) Now that I'm a lot older, I am finally able to own a really nice Camaro SS, and it's actually the nicest material posession I've ever purchased. For the first time in my GearHead Years, I spend money on things like wax, bug and tar remover, engine degreaser, etc. I actually want my engine bay clean because I want it to look nice rather than because I don't want it so greezy when I have to work on it. So in this case, I'll spend some extra cash on a sweet-looking set of stainless steel or coated headers if they'll look good for years to come even if it doesn't enhance the performance of the car. I finally have a car that I'm proud to drive around on a Cruise Night, and the last thing I want is to open the hood to show off my Ram Air LT1 and have people see a rusty old set of headers...
So yeah, call me a wuss, but I want my headers to look good too. But really looking good is just a side effect of long life when you consider coatings, stainless steel, or titanium, which I wasn't aware was available. Performance, fit, and function still have to come first though. I just wanted to defend those of us who like our rides to look nice under the hood and otherwise.
I totally understand the motivations of those who don't care about appearance... In fact I still find the sleeper approach super cool...
01-26-2005, 09:00 AM
#40
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
don't get me wrong....i am all about a nice looking set of headers. I pulled my motor just to repaint the engine bay and hide all the wires i can. I relocated the battery to the back and used polished aluminum to cover any unessesary openings. I also buy nice looking parts (like valve covers) and polish everything i can. So popping my hood is something i do on a regular basis because it does look nice under there. And I think the Jet hot's are the way to go because the coating is much better than any others i've seen. They look good and the performance is just as good as most high dollar headers.
01-26-2005, 12:14 PM
#41
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
I can only comment on the headers I have owned .
Jet hot hooker long tubes - Great header . They installed "fairly ' painlessly . I didnt have to lift the motor like alot of guys do . Plugs on the drivers side is a absolute breeze . 6 and 8 on the pass side is an absolute nightmare The one thing that completely burned my *** on these is the coating was completed wore off the bottom and rusting after 4 months on the car .
Gotoyhann 1 3/4 - Excellent quality , equal length primaries . They went right up in the engine bay WAY easier than the jet hot hookers . The bolts were harder to get to . The plugs were harder than the Jet hots . Coating held up MUCH better .
Im switching to Kooks stepped 1 3/4 to 1 7/8 , one because I need a 1 7/8 primary and based of the comments from people that have bought them . Pics Ive seen of the install , I can really see how the pass side plug access is a breeze . The guy I talked to said he did the pass in under 15 min. Plus the Kooks brand is establised for quality INDUSTRY wide , not just in the F-body ranks . This is also the only bolt up 1 7/8 header on the market for LT1's . all thre others need adapter flanges . I helped a friend put heddmen Hustler 1 7/8 headers on his 95 and it wasnt very fun .
***If I was just a bolt on guy though , I would take the $$$$ savings and go with the pacesetters . I cant say Ive ever really heard a bad thing about them .
Jet hot hooker long tubes - Great header . They installed "fairly ' painlessly . I didnt have to lift the motor like alot of guys do . Plugs on the drivers side is a absolute breeze . 6 and 8 on the pass side is an absolute nightmare
The one thing that completely burned my *** on these is the coating was completed wore off the bottom and rusting after 4 months on the car . Gotoyhann 1 3/4 - Excellent quality , equal length primaries . They went right up in the engine bay WAY easier than the jet hot hookers . The bolts were harder to get to . The plugs were harder than the Jet hots . Coating held up MUCH better .
Im switching to Kooks stepped 1 3/4 to 1 7/8 , one because I need a 1 7/8 primary and based of the comments from people that have bought them . Pics Ive seen of the install , I can really see how the pass side plug access is a breeze . The guy I talked to said he did the pass in under 15 min. Plus the Kooks brand is establised for quality INDUSTRY wide , not just in the F-body ranks . This is also the only bolt up 1 7/8 header on the market for LT1's . all thre others need adapter flanges . I helped a friend put heddmen Hustler 1 7/8 headers on his 95 and it wasnt very fun .
***If I was just a bolt on guy though , I would take the $$$$ savings and go with the pacesetters . I cant say Ive ever really heard a bad thing about them .
01-26-2005, 02:30 PM
#42
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Horsepower Engineering is having a sale on all KOOKS LT1 headers. Please send an email to steven@horsepowerengineering.com with which headers you are interested in and I will shoot you back some prices.
01-26-2005, 02:49 PM
#43
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Ok off the kooks topic for a minute...
Can someone tell me what makes a pacesetter better then a hooker? DO they make more power, doesnt sound like they fit better from what ive been hearing, i know they are cheaper, so what makes them better then hookers other then price???
Can someone tell me what makes a pacesetter better then a hooker? DO they make more power, doesnt sound like they fit better from what ive been hearing, i know they are cheaper, so what makes them better then hookers other then price???
01-26-2005, 05:37 PM
#44
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
I just completed the installation of my new Kooks 1 ¾” LT1 headers (w/ front 02s & EGR) and off-road Y-Pipe on my 1997, Z28. The Kooks headers are really great and everything they’re advertised to be! I would recommend them for anyone with an F-Body, LT1, you will not find a better LT1 header all aspects considered. First, the headers are very high quality, and stainless steel doesn’t require coating. They install easy, plug access is great (all plugs), ground clearance is good for long tubes and the Y-Pipe fits very well into the existing exhaust system. In my opinion, the best header is more than just making HP, however, Kooks HP is there with the best! I took my time with my Kooks long-tube installation to ensure everything was done correctly and I learned a lot in the process. So, if anyone has any questions about the Kooks LT1s, or the installation, I’ll be happy to answer any questions. Also, I designed and installed an aluminum heat shield for the Y-Pipe path on the driver’s side. I would recommend the heat shield for any long-tube and Y-Pipe installation (not just Kooks) on an F-Body, as the poly fuel lines and brake lines are extremely close in that area. Oh yes, I bought my LT1 Kooks at Scoggins-Dicky, Lubbuck Texas.
01-26-2005, 05:59 PM
#45
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Re: Inciting a Riot: Who has the BEST LT1 Long Tubes???
Also, I designed and installed an aluminum heat shield for the Y-Pipe path on the driver’s side. I would recommend the heat shield for any long-tube and Y-Pipe installation (not just Kooks) on an F-Body, as the poly fuel lines and brake lines are extremely close in that area. Oh yes, I bought my LT1 Kooks at Scoggins-Dicky, Lubbuck Texas.
