Ok, so I'm looking around and found a guy to tune my 05/A4. Seems to have done a good job, and he's a great guy. Great shop and I know I'm in good hands. Talking to him, he expressed to me that the real bump in power and grit is to install a set of long-tube headers. He carries a couple of different headers/xpipes and I trust him. That said, the prices are (and it's been discussed to death!) ridiculous!

Of course, everyone on here agrees that the price of SS Headers are EXTREME and many have talked about the "Corvette" tax...., but I'd like to know if anyone has tried the headers on the auction site. Stainless Steel long-tubes including CATS for under 600. I've contacted the seller and his feed back is fantastic. He sells them for Tangs, Chargers, etc. etc. The welds look VERY NICE and it seems to me that it would be very difficult to beat. Yes, the developement of the proper bends, diameters, lengths and such is critical, but it seems as if they are pretty darn good. Fitment, and quality of SS are two things that would be of concern, but it would seem as if a 500+ set should be something to look at.

Anyone have any experience with these headers? I know there are many on this forum who sell the bigboy headers... many will say "you get what you pay for", but until we really know what they are.... we can't say for sure. The description even states that they are made by the same company who makes them for many of the name-brand header companies.

Would I be the first pinhead to try em'???

 

You just have to realize that with cheaper headers that nobody has tried, your biggest problem you're going to run into will most likely be fitment issues. Some might fit, but it's going to rest up against the undercarriage and when you hit bumps or abruptly come onto throttle it might rattle. If that doesn't bother you, by all means go for it.

 

I'd throw the relatively new Texas Speed 1 7/8" Longtubes for the C6 Corvette into the mix here! You get the performance gains of an 1 7/8" head without paying the higher prices some mfg's ask! They are in stock, and have been showing very nice consistent gains over the stock components! They are 100% made and assembled here in the US of A also! flag:

http://www.texas-speed.com/shop/item...d=1015&catid=8

Let us know if we can help with your build! We'd love to earn your business!

 

Now the Texas Speed LT's are probably one of the most affordable and nice systems. I'm sure TSP has already gone through the trouble of fitment issues and whatnot. Too bad they were not out when I purchased my Kooks.

 

No worries there, the Kooks stuff is also top notch for sure! Let us know if we can help with anything else on your ride down the road.

 

I'm going to assume that thhe TSP C6 headers are steel (ceramic coated)???

What are the benifits of the coated steel vs the polished Stainless?

for those of us whom are getting into this (street performance) arena... what is the best way to go?

thanks for all the help.

 

Yes, they are mild steel that has been ceramic coated.

 

Also a great option. Ever ceramic coated.

 

Polished is more for "show" but the ceramic coating will help keep temps down under the hood. I have had mild steel headers on previous Mustangs for years with no rust and no issues.

What I would like to know even more would be the role the merg collector plays. They have stamped merg collectors and multi welded collectors (where the 4 primamry pipes merg) and then they have velocity spikes inside. I am curious if there is any test data that shows the benefits of the merg/spikes vs stamped/no-spikes on a street car?

Probably not.

Ceramic coating is "supposed" to also help increase velocity by keeping the heat inside the primaries instead of radiating it into the engine bay, a two fold gain.

-Cooler underhood temps
-Higher scavenging velocity due to the heat inside the primary

How much of this actually helps in a street car with less than 800-1,000hp, no idea.