Shorty headers or long tubes
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Racer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 498
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From: New Jersey
I've heard with the Billy Boat shorties you can achieve 10 with a tune. You'll pay out the nose though for that 10 hp though. Unfortunately I'm going that route because they are carb certified and noblong tubes are. I can't take the chance at a $10k fine for moving my O2 sensors. 
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
I've heard with the Billy Boat shorties you can achieve 10 with a tune. You'll pay out the nose though for that 10 hp though. Unfortunately I'm going that route because they are carb certified and noblong tubes are. I can't take the chance at a $10k fine for moving my O2 sensors.
All C5's come from the factory with a rich mixture tune. ( as a safety factor).. You can take any, I said any, C5 that has not been touched and have it tuned for your local altitude and barometric pressure, and get 10 HP without adding shorties.. they add nothing on their own.
Of course if you are a poser.. the shorties " Look like real Header" when you open the hood and if that is your mission then shorties will look like real headers, but they offer nothing in performance gains.
I know a few things because I have seen a few things
Bill aka ET
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 2,054
Likes: 120
From: AZ
the typical marketing hyperbole really states, "up to", which means aywhere beteen +10 and -x, where x=any number. Depending on design and execution, probable extra heat will not do the underhood plastic, including all those electrical connectors, any good.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 5,278
Likes: 539
From: Kelowna BC
The LS exhaust manifolds are a far stretch better than the "log" manifolds of not that long ago. Take a look at a dismounted set on the motor side, they look kinda like... headers. Shorties seem pointless.
Racer
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 498
Likes: 100
From: New Jersey
Here is some inside information for you.. you can thank me later. Save your money on the shorties, the actual OEM exhaust manifold is a very high quality functianry part of the LSX motor.
All C5's come from the factory with a rich mixture tune. ( as a safety factor).. You can take any, I said any, C5 that has not been touched and have it tuned for your local altitude and barometric pressure, and get 10 HP without adding shorties.. they add nothing on their own.
Of course if you are a poser.. the shorties " Look like real Header" when you open the hood and if that is your mission then shorties will look like real headers, but they offer nothing in performance gains.
I know a few things because I have seen a few things
Bill aka ET
All C5's come from the factory with a rich mixture tune. ( as a safety factor).. You can take any, I said any, C5 that has not been touched and have it tuned for your local altitude and barometric pressure, and get 10 HP without adding shorties.. they add nothing on their own.
Of course if you are a poser.. the shorties " Look like real Header" when you open the hood and if that is your mission then shorties will look like real headers, but they offer nothing in performance gains.
I know a few things because I have seen a few things
Bill aka ET
The claim wasn't from BB, I've seen people on the forum here say it. I'm wel aware of how a lot of performance parts can be exaggerated.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,185
Likes: 641
From: Garland TX
My thread on shorties with my Z06. I picked up power, but not everyone agrees with it. Go figure. 
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...orsepower.html
If you are planning to mod extensively down the line then opt for the longtubes. Otherwise Shorty's won't hurt performance wise. I enjoy mine and it freed up power.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...orsepower.html
If you are planning to mod extensively down the line then opt for the longtubes. Otherwise Shorty's won't hurt performance wise. I enjoy mine and it freed up power.
Last edited by Not4spd; Aug 6, 2017 at 08:54 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Thanks, Bill, I appreciate your input. Frankly I don't want to spend the money on them if I don't have to, but I do want a mild cam and heads eventually on the car. Will the stockers cause problems or can they keep up? Obviously I won't gain as much without LTs and I may eventually just say F it and get LTs anyway, but just for my info I'd like to hear your opinion. For reference I'm thinking 224/228 112 lsa from TSP and some ported 241 heads.
those are both good choices although I am not a perfornace engineer.
The claim wasn't from BB, I've seen people on the forum here say it. I'm wel aware of how a lot of performance parts can be exaggerated.
those are both good choices although I am not a perfornace engineer.
The claim wasn't from BB, I've seen people on the forum here say it. I'm wel aware of how a lot of performance parts can be exaggerated.
The Granatelli throttle body. claimed 15 to 20 HP...
many people bough it.. lots of "Oh wow what a great upgrade".. which brought about more purchases.. in 6 months due to some research we found that this modification actually took away 5 HP from the stock setup.
Dyno charts before and after where posted. 6 months later Granatelli came to this forum and offered everyone with a sales slip and date of purchase.. a New Throttle body, one that did not include the original factory flaw in the design. Granatelli came here and admitted it.. or the customer could get a full refund.
SO all those who said WOW# were clueless. and drug others into this negative modification.. this is internet hype, that's why I always say " be very careful who you listen to here "...
Just remember a corvette that has never been tune will ad HP with a real tune. If a modification has increased a before and after dyno with a tune remember 15 or 20 of that HP gain is due to the tune and not the modification.
Take this to the bank..
I know a few things because I have seen a few things
Bill aka ET
Last edited by Evil-Twin; Aug 6, 2017 at 09:28 PM.
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Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
the weight of shorties over stock manifolds are about the weight savings of 2 gallons of gas.. 12 lbs... If you think that it is worth it then good for you.. get them.keeping the cats warm with the stock manifolds' will cancel any weigh gains of the shorties. cats send impute to the PCM.
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
the weight of shorties over stock manifolds are about the weight savings of 2 gallons of gas.. 12 lbs... If you think that it is worth it then good for you.. get them. keeping the cats warm with the stock manifolds' will cancel any weigh gains of the shorties. cats send input to the PCM.
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
Since weight saving was one of the most important demands from Dave Hill if these weight saving shorties were worth it, they would have been put on the car.. They made the windshield 1/3 thinner to get the Z06 through compliance.. and that savings was not 12 lbs. it was only 6 lbs.
These are things I know because I know a few things.
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
Since weight saving was one of the most important demands from Dave Hill if these weight saving shorties were worth it, they would have been put on the car.. They made the windshield 1/3 thinner to get the Z06 through compliance.. and that savings was not 12 lbs. it was only 6 lbs.
These are things I know because I know a few things.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,764
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From: Central Florida
the weight of shorties over stock manifolds are about the weight savings of 2 gallons of gas.. 12 lbs... If you think that it is worth it then good for you.. get them.keeping the cats warm with the stock manifolds' will cancel any weigh gains of the shorties. cats send impute to the PCM.
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
People who bought them will defend them.. some of us know better.
" Be very carful who you listen to here.
Bill aka ET
Same as yours, well that's the impression I got anyway.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Bill aka ET
There is no justifiable reason to spend 250 to 350 dollars for shorties, they add no value in performance or economy.
Last edited by Evil-Twin; Aug 6, 2017 at 11:56 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
If you are looking for performance, save that 250 to 350 and put it toward a tune ( 350 to 450 ), but take advantage of a tune when you add a performance modifier that the tune will enhance.. shorties and a tune will yield the same or slightly less hp then just a tune on a stock car.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 8,080
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From: Toronto
Ask your wife what you should get, knowatimsayin? 
LG Motorsports Super Pro's Loooog tubes + Jet-Hot ceramic coated.
From what I've read, in Cali only shortie's are allowed.
frank
LG Motorsports Super Pro's Loooog tubes + Jet-Hot ceramic coated.
From what I've read, in Cali only shortie's are allowed.
frank
Last edited by JETZ; Aug 7, 2017 at 02:10 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 7,426
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From: Morristown New Jersey
Oldtimer
If you are looking for performance, save that 250 to 350 and put it toward a tune ( 350 to 450 ), but take advantage of a tune when you add a performance modifier that the tune will enhance.. shorties and a tune will yield the same or slightly less hp then just a tune on a stock car.
I'm also concerned about noise volume.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
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From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
everything is a trade off. I have no first hand knowledge of your concerns... the long tubes will be louder for sure.. heat from the stock system and cats can get very hot. You could ask bill curly he is a trusted colleague and has first hand knowlege. . He will give you the truth without sugar costing. , Patches would be another resource. . Both are top shelf members both with morals and ethics and an without an agenda.and with an abundant amount of knowlege, always willing to help
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,763
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For the C5 Z06 there is no header option that is CARB approved.