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After a great deal of reading, I decided to give Texas Speed a try with their long tubes and OR X pipe. I live 45 minutes from their shop, so the idea of not having to worry about extra shipping damage was a factor along with the price.
Based on what I see out of the box, many of the threads and pics on the forum are a littledated. These headers are very well built and have apparently undergone some design improvements. The collectors are well designed and have a velocity spike built into them. The mains and pipes had zero dings or dents including the mouths of the mating pipes.
Customer service was top-notch in their store. If all goes well, I'll have install pics tomorrow.
I've been running these headers for about 2 years now. The only issue I had/have was with fitment during installed and how low they hang as I dented them on my first drive after my install. All and all for $800 for a complete kit I would buy again
I finished the install today. The job took me about 5 hours total, but I took my time and worked alone. I did the job on jack stands. I found 15" of ground clearance was plenty.
The entire Texas Speed system went on without a hitch. Everything fit well, and nothing had to be trimmed or massaged. Overall I am very happy with this system.
I had previously performed the muffler modification written up on this forum, and the sound difference between the stock manifolds and this system was drastic. The car finally sounds like a vette should. I did get the CEL after my test drive, but the car feels to be more responsive anyway. Can't wait to get the tune done.
Some have complained that these headers hang too low. I don't have anything to compare them to, but I had no scraping issues on my first drive including some speed bumps. Definitely recommend these headers.
Last edited by cstapp99; May 27, 2017 at 07:04 PM.
After a couple of days of driving, I found one small place that needed to be trimmed. On the passenger side of the car, there is a sheet metal lip - part of the floor pan - that would rub every now and then on the header pipe closest to it. 5 minutes with a cutoff wheel took care of that. I noticed that AR headers also recommends trimming this piece in their instructions. I also drug the lowest pipe just a little on a speed bump. It was my fault - let it fall a little to hard on the downhill side. I checked the pipe when I got home - barely a scratch. I should mention that my car is lowered as far as the stock adjusters will allow. Still very happy with this purchase.
Last edited by cstapp99; May 29, 2017 at 05:54 PM.
Ouch! Sorry to see that. I guess since I had the benefit of reading some of these cautions before I installed mine, I've been very cautious over the speed bumps.
I'm on the fence on getting these same long tube headers + catless x-pipe.
Is the smell bad with no catalytic converters? This is my main concern, as I don't want the car to fume up and smell bad. I've heard both, that if the car is tuned that there won't be any noticeable smell, and I've also heard that the car will always reek no matter what...
I'm on the fence on getting these same long tube headers + catless x-pipe.
Is the smell bad with no catalytic converters? This is my main concern, as I don't want the car to fume up and smell bad. I've heard both, that if the car is tuned that there won't be any noticeable smell, and I've also heard that the car will always reek no matter what...
The exhaust fumes are definitely noticeable with the cats gone. I'll have to give you another assessment after I get the tune done. It's most noticeable when I am sitting still at a light or stop sign.
The smell will be better after the tune(just did mine yesterday), but it's def more than stock with cats. Great headers for the price. I scored mine used for $350
Texas Speed headers and x pipe
