headers are headers right?

[chevy393]

well pretty much iam looking at getting a set of headers for my 2000 chevy 1500 5.3L, i dont have a lot of money to spare and i was looing at some summitracing brand headers that are $150, my thoughts are its just a bunch of metal tubing nothing really to go wrong headers are headers (minus long tube, shortys, etc, etc and tuning but) , do u guys think there not worth getting and i should wait and get a name brand set or what? thanks

this is them BTW

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

[jdmccright]

I've seen differences of 10-20 hp between different styles. Some are simple collector straight style headers and some are "equal-length" meaning the tube length from each cylinder's exhaust port to the collector (where all the tubes converge) is the same. The equal-length is supposed to reduce back-pressure by allowing the exhaust pulses to reach the collector at different times according to the firing order. In the simple straight ones, the pulses combine in the header, resulting in pressure waves that can travel back and forth inside, creating back-pressure.

Other considerations are how the tubing is bent, what the interior surface finish is, and how the exterior is coated to retain heat. Mandrel bent tubing is best since the bending process doesn't cause ripples or reduce the cross-sectional area of the tube. Most tubing used is seamless, but attention to welding and how the collector is formed creates the easiest path for the gases to flow. Finally, headers that are finished with ceramic or other heat retentive coating will offer better performance than uncoated...they'll probably hold up better to the heat as well.

Looking at the ones you are checking out look typical for a cheap set. Tubing is mandrel bent, but is made up of seprately bent pieces welded together. Better sets will have all mandrel bent and no welds. Plus, the regular paint finish won't look good for long. It's bound to flake off and the steel turn rusty from the heat. The collector is simple too, just all four pipes leading to a flat round plate with four holes in it. Not a very smooth transition of gas flow there. Just my 2 cents....

Which header is best? Ask that here and you'll probably get a thousand different answers because few of us (excluding me) have actually tried more than one set on the same engine...it's just too darned expensive to experiment since you can't try before you buy. But I'll say in general, you'll get what you pay for. Those that have had more engineering and testing work done are those that cost more, but the pay off is easier install, more tech support, and greater guarantee in real hp gains because they've done the guesswork for you.

Hope this helps!

[chevy393]

yea it has, thank you, some i was looking at as a back up were a pair of edelbrock or pacesetter cant remember that i was going to get if it was a big diff, and i think one of them were ceramic, thanks ill probably get one of those i guese, a bit more $$ but i dont wanna waste it on crap

[ktisdale_2]

also be sure to get one with a thick flange. this helps reduce the risk of it warping due to high heat and leading to exhaust leaks.

[chevy393]

ight thanks