[ThwopKing]

So just mapping out future mods...

Long tube headers that wont cook the starter and fit great...that I wont be changing gaskets every 6-12 months with the summer and winter fluctuations. Also need some that come with cats. I know Kooks and Stainless Works are really good but what about the Speed Engineering and American Racing Headers. Thanks Guys.

 

[Mitch808]

Speed engineering doesnt offer a catted ypipe. Dont know about ARH.

i have kooks with catted ypipes. Its large probably the largest headers and it will require a $20 starter heat shield and a second one over your steering shaft boot too or just remove the rubber boot. I didnt use the included gasket and bought an OE MLS gasket.

don’t sweat the details and dont use the included hardware if its junk just be prepared to pay for extra bits here and there

 

[ThwopKing]

I figured on using those stage 8 locking header bolt kits...and im not going for crazy mods so I wont be looking to get the highest flowing ones offered. Thanks for the info, didnt know the factory gaskets were MLS.

 

[db-guru]

I also have Kooks 1 7/8" headers. Used OEM gaskets and haven't had an issue in 10+ years. Catted Y pipes passed an emissions visual inspection.

 

[ThwopKing]

I also have Kooks 1 7/8" headers. Used OEM gaskets and haven't had an issue in 10+ years. Catted Y pipes passed an emissions visual inspection.

What is the rest of your exhaust like? Did you use stock bolts to mount the headers top the heads?

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[db-guru]

What is the rest of your exhaust like? Did you use stock bolts to mount the headers top the heads?

It's been about 10 years, but I'm pretty sure I used the bolts that came with the headers. GM exhaust bolts tend to rust and break off when you remove them. Luckily I only had one break. I have a cat back True Blue Motorsport dual exhaust without resonators. Hasn't been available for countless years. Between the Y pipe and the exhaust I have a Borla XR-1 muffler with one inlet and two outlets. If I did it again I would modify the X pipe to dual outlets and run true dual all the way.

 

[farbeyonddriven]

American racing headers will be the nicest option for our trucks, but also the most expensive by far.

I have OBX with cats. Fit great and they’re stainless. Price is much cheaper than other stainless options like kooks and ARH. The only issue is the 2.5” y pipe instead of a 3” like kooks/ARH. Though you said you’re not going for big power so I wouldn’t be too concerned.

I’ve had these on for about 8 years, driving in NY winters. The flex pipe on the Y-pipe had the braid wear away/fall off. Other than that $50 fix, everything has been great.

 

[FlomaxSS]

Speed engineering doesnt offer a catted ypipe. Dont know about ARH.

i have kooks with catted ypipes. Its large probably the largest headers and it will require a $20 starter heat shield and a second one over your steering shaft boot too or just remove the rubber boot. I didnt use the included gasket and bought an OE MLS gasket.

don’t sweat the details and dont use the included hardware if its junk just be prepared to pay for extra bits here and there

There is a reason Speed Engineering doesn't include a catted y-pipe.. its bc they are all about engineering speed, not emissions engineering lol if worried about a visual, just put straight-through resonators on that look like cats, get it tuned, pass through emissions station no problem and do a big burn-out as you are leaving.
Edit- not directed towards you Mitch as you already have the evil power suckers on jk

 

[BlkGS]

I've been looking at pacesetter. You can get them with a catted y pipe, and they offer ceramic coating.... Plus they're made in American for basically the same money as the cheap Chinese garbage out there.

Back when speed engineering stuff was like 250 to 300 bucks they made sense, but they're too expensive now for Chinese garbage IMO.

 

[FlomaxSS]

I've been looking at pacesetter. You can get them with a catted y pipe, and they offer ceramic coating.... Plus they're made in American for basically the same money as the cheap Chinese garbage out there.

Back when speed engineering stuff was like 250 to 300 bucks they made sense, but they're too expensive now for Chinese garbage IMO.

Yeah, I just checked.. looks like the headers w/ y-pipe did go up a little by 50, now at 450 on the bay. I've seen the pacesetter headers compared to speed-engineering in person. As a proud American I'm embarrassed to say that these are made here. The chinese speed engineering headers looked like better quality in every way. Kooks are the finest made headers for us but not at a 3:1 price ratio. I always try to support high-quality American products first! But never for lesser quality or 3x the price.
Every single y-pipe made for our SS's really suck... dual 3" collectors off headers that y into a single 3"??? wtf is that? Best off to buy just the headers and have a custom exhaust shop build an all 304 stainless dual 3" or single 4" to match the headers. Skip all the chincy single 3" y-pipes out there altogether!

 

[BlkGS]

Stainless works has a "performance connect" option ontheirs that bolts up with a similar option on their true duals

I've been debating with myself if the couple feet of single 3" matters or not, as I just received an Slp system. My current thinking is with just basics like headers, efans, intake, I probably wouldn't see any power difference that's noticeable. At least nothing that justifies the extra cost. If I was blower, turbo, nitrous, or something like that, then maybe there'd be more than negligible power difference there.

 

[FlomaxSS]

Since you're doing the slp on the back, it's dual 2.5", so with a x-pipe in factory y location each bank of cylinders would technically be using dual 2.5" pipe. This would work for up to 500hp but would be costing you power after that. Even with "just" 400hp, any neck-down on the total exhaust to a single 3" is costing you every bit of 15 peak hp. At 500hp it would be costing you exponentially more, 25-30 peak hp.
Speed-engineering makes a dual 3" x-pipe for silverados that actually bolts up to our SS's when using the speed engineering headers (don't know why they dont advertise it under SS's but it does fit).
Then you just have to make your own/have made, dual 3" or dual 2.5" pipe from x-pipe to slp exhaust which wouldn't be too bad because all the rest of the exhaust is all bolt-in.
That's why I went to single 4" on my full-length exhaust... least amount of work for the greatest return.
You very well might not notice any difference under 5000rpm, its after that is when it costs you. One difference between an "adequate" and "non-adequate" exhaust is in their performance in the last 1000-1500 rpm. The top-end hit or engine's near-redline twinkle is a large part of it's "personality." A single 3" cheapens and diminishes the engine's top-end personality.
Thinking of it another way: You installed e-fans to free up a parasitic loss of around 15hp=another 15hp made it to as far as your exhaust ports. Then you install non-adequate exhaust which robs that same 15hp back from you. You just lost the same amount of power that you gained from your efans.
I recommend checking out Engine Master's dyno videos testing straight exhaust vs y-pipe vs x-pipe and small-bore single exhaust to small-bore x-pipe dual to large-bore x-pipe dual.