I just installed KOOKS headers today.. with "NO Other Changes" the car (LS2) picked up 22 HP and 19 FPT ... I took it home and it "felt Great (SOP) but being an old time Drag Racer SOP don't mean SH*T the only thing that counts is your time slip ...

Soooooooo tomorrow I'm going to Lebanon Valley for a Test & Tune.. I plan on making 3 or 4 runs if time allows... I have a TAG weather Station, and its accurate to .02 or .03 so if it predicts 12.10 & I run 12.05 I know the KOOKS are doing their stuff...

I'll report tomorrow night as to how well I did...

 

I like your style, you know that the track is where it counts! Are you running high flow cats or off-road pipe?

 

Off Road Cats.... I've hear its only a loss of 5-10 HP and "IF" I ever decide to sell or trade it in, I can honestly say its emissions legal...

I will see how it runs tomorrow... I honestly don't care if it makes 320 HP or 550 HP I just want it to run the #

Look at how many posters here brag about having 450 HP but cant run in the 11 sec zone....

The "overall car set up" is what counts !! IMO

 

you will see it, the fast will really help

 

The headers make your engine rev better. I got 500 usable rpms on top and now have the rev limiter at 7000, using it normally to 6800. This difference makes much more sense than just the additional hp, since next gear will go in at higher rpm. I am not having my car on the strip, only road courses. There the 50-120 mph was reduced from 12.0 sec to 10.4.

PeO.

 

No, it's very much still an illegal setup.

High flow cats on longtubes are no more legal than no cats at all.

Did you tune for your headers?

Also, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want the additional ~5hp from no cats. That's 20% more power than they made Either way, you're right...in the grand scheme of things having high flow cats won't hurt, I just hope you didn't do it to remain emissions legal.

 

I just got home from Lebanon Valley Drag Strip... As I posted in a previous post I had over oiled my Vararam, & the MAF got oil on it, and eventually dust & dirt...

My car had run a previous best ET of 12.08 at Englishtown, BUT that was not an "honest ET" because it was done in November and the "corrected" altitude was -1800 YES 1800 BELOW SEA LEVEL... and we see those conditions only 2 or 3 times a year.... But the car DID run 12.08.. & all it had was a Vararam & tune...

Then when I oiled the MAF my ET'S started slowly to run slower and my last time out in "good" air I ran only 12.93 @ 110 mph...

So I cleaned the MAF with break cleaner and an air hose... Cartek put on a set of KOOKS long tube headers, with an X pipe and High Performance Cats...

Today I went to Lebanon Valley, & the "Corrected altitude" was +800' in the morning, then it went up to 1400' in the afternoon...

I'm racing in the Corvette Challenge in 2 weeks, & again in 3 weeks (both days we are racing a double header to make up for rain outs)

So I'll be racing 4 events in 2 consecutive Saterdays... I usually "DEEP STAGE" when I race, as you know this will give you a "slower ET" but you can usually cut a better light...Thats what I do..

So today I DEEP STAGED and ran 12.10 @ 116 mph.. I am SURE if I shallow staged the car would have run in the very high 11.xx zone ..

Maybe on Oct 22 or Oct 29 the weather at E Town will be "KILLER" again & I'll shallow stage during time trials just to get that 11 sec time slip, with only a cold air intake & Headers...

Today as it got warmer in the afternoon, (1:30pm) I slowed down to 12.14 @ 115.25 mph

The car still had the stock converter, cam etc... I don't plan on doing any more in the immediate future (maybe over the winter either a Cam, or Converter, to make it an "Honest" 11 sec car..

On the way home on the Taconic State Pky I set the cruise control to 76 mph and still averaged 24.8 MPG

 

Yes after the headers were installed it was re-tuned and dyno ed (393 HP)I gained 23 hp from the headers... not sure if thats considered good or bad or average...

Why wouldn't the car be considered legal if it has KOOKS cats on it..

 

Technically speaking, any modification to the emissions system of a vehicle that is not DOT approved is illegal. There is gray areas at least in our (Canadian) Vehicle Safety Handbook. If we get pulled over and inspected by a Vehicle Safety officer, they can and will ticket people for aftermarket(hi-flow) cats just because they aren't OEM, as well as straight through mufflers. If you bring your car to a shop and it has at least what looks like a CAT, and a muffler even if its straight through, it will pass. It's stupid and a money grab. All I can say is thank God that we dont have sniffer tests. ICK!

 

Because they are not in the stock location.

It is 100% illegal to run cats in an altered location, which is why EVERY longtube header is "illegal" to run.

Only shorties that retain stock location of the cats are legal.

I hope no one told you otherwise

BTW, mid 20's hp after tuning is typical for headers with cats. I picked up about 30 with my catless longtubes. They are the kooks knockoffs, so it should be comparable.

 

I agree with and appreciate your comment.

Did you turn off the rear 02 codes when your car was tuned? If not you're likely going to get a CEL from the headers, the p0420 and p0430. Easy fix for your tuner.

 

Cartek took care of everything.. all the O2 sensors are connected, & I've already put over 300 miles on it since the headers were installed.. (back & forth to Lebanon Vally today) & 70 miles home yesterday from NJ.. I have my OEM mufflers and like it that way.. the car ran great today at the track, and I'm just starting to put together my plans for over the winter

Oh they also threw in an oil catch can (Jegs) to prevent oil being sucked into the MAF...

I'm DEEP staging and today I was knocking on the 11 sec. door, with only the headers, & Vararam... still stock converter and 3.15 rear...

I went 12.10 in corrected air (+800') in a few weeks at E Town when its near -500 or better I should see 11's just as it sits now..

Plans are for cam & converter (NOT TOO RADICAL) with either, I want a car to take on vacation with the wife

 

jpee one day you have to try my car, you could drive it to California and back and still run mid 10s

 

i got a set of headers used and i dont know what brand they are. the guy i got them from called them kooks knock offs also. they look just like kooks. So who makes them?

 

Hell if I know, but they've worked for me for 3 years now with no issues

They were sold on ebay a few years ago simply as "stainless C6 headers". After the last batch was made a few years ago I haven't seen any more sold.

 

I believe you, but isn't your car supercharged? If so "YES" you could drive it to California, BUT could you "Bracket" race like I do.. make 4 or 5 runs all within .04

I've often thought of using a power adder i.e. Supercharger, Turbo, NO2 .. but NONE of them are good for bracket racing, only because they are not as consistent as a NA car, just heads & cam..

My car now has the CAI, Headers, and Tune.. I plan on converter, & cam, but will stay naturally aspirated because of the consistency issue...

Look at the yr ending standings of the Corvette Challenge winners the top 10 .. I wonder how many top ten finishers were SC ??

 

well i guess thats what i will call them also lol. people always ask me what they are and i just say i really have no clue.

 

jpee my car is the same as yours an 05 a4 lemans blue its fully loaded side air bags navigation, cam only stock bottom end, its NA, its very consistent, i just always try to go faster now i would need a 5 point bar and i don't want to slow it down for the 11.50 class

 

Will you be at the CC on Oct 22, I'd like to talk to you....

 

nope, i get tickets for no front tag, only in etown