I know this topic has probably been beaten to death,but please humor me.

I found some 1 7/8" SS Long Tube Headers online at a decent price, however I'm lazy, and the thought of having to put the car on a lift, crawl under, remove the SC and other components is daunting. Of course I could pay a shop to do the installation, but being DIY / Cheap / OCD, I can't do this.

I've heard folks say that the C7 exhaust manifold was well designed by GM engineers, and is sufficiently unrestricted. But then, I've seen C7 Dyno charts where Headers + Tune brought 30 HP to the table.

The question is: Are Headers really worth it? Performance gains versus cost & installation difficulty.

 

It's subjective value. No one but you will be able to determine if it is, "worth it."

 

did the headers bring 30 hp or did the tune? if your goals are 800 wheel or less the catless downpipes and x pipe work very well and cost less than 600$

 

I added 2" headers and X pipe (cat delete) and gained nearly 40 hp. Totally worth in. Skip an intake, not worth it.

 

Definitely worth it.

I don't have a C7 (I have a C6 Grand Sport).

But I do have a 2017 Camaro SS with the LT1 engine.

I installed Kooks 1 7/8 headers with cats and then had the car dyno tuned.

It picked up power everywhere but above 5000 rpm is where the headers really shine. Both power and torque do not drop off near as fast as with the stock manifolds. In fact, at 6500 rpm, the difference in HP and TQ is about 50.

 

The hard part is what you want them for, I wanted less heat in the cockpit, it worked great on my C6 the C7 not so much.If you want the sound yep worth it.
If it's power you want then yes with a tune you will get some (I liked it) however it will never match a Z06 for shear brute power!

 

^^^^^^This is the reason why you do headers ^^^^^^^^^^

You can do down pipes etc and people say that you will get "ALMOST" as much but with headers and a tune the HP increase is across the RPM range, your car will pull like a runaway freight train all the way to the redline. there are hundreds of dyno results to prove this fact above

Others state they produce heat and cook starters .... what's better having four stainless tubes separated by air and the cats down in the tunnel (where mine are) or having that cat tucked up next to the frame rail next to the starter and just below the crazy hot cast iron exhaust manifold??

In my case I can backup my statements as I have done before and after temp measurements at certain points in my engine bay and adding headers absolutely did not increase the heat under my hood at all. let's just face the facts , with out without headers, the engine bay is tight and hot

Dave

 

We always put heatshield around starter motors in bad places like on the 4age. If that's anyone's concern seems like it can be solved.

 

Headers not only give performance but sound. The sound itself is worth it imo. Won't even need to do an exhaust after unless you really wanna wake the dead.

 

Strong arguments for YES

 

Yes headers are, and I didnt even get them for my car yet, trying a other stuff currently. I suspect I will get headers later on perhaps if i open up the engine.

 

Add in the weight loss....

 

The sound alone was worth the price and wrenching time... I love how our cars sound angry when you're on them. With LTHs... the anger is raised to a new level but without making it intolerant like some aftermarket cat-back systems deliver.

 

No, not for me on a street car... you asked.

 

It depends. I always tell people that headers change the personality of the car. Yes, you get more power for sure and that is great. But you also get more sound, which some people do not like. While it is very manageable with the NPP exhaust, the car is simply louder in Tour and a lot louder in Sport/Track. So you pretty much lose that mild rumble you had when in Sport/Track with the stock setup. Tour is still mostly silent inside the car so it wont be as loud as Spot/Track when stock. But Sport/Track is much louder inside and outside the car. Personally, I only use Tour for my neighbors, otherwise I love how loud the car is in Sport/Track with LT's.

Second, the car will have a stronger fuel smell on cold start until the high flow cats warmup. The OEM cats to a better job of warming up quicker and negating this for the most part. It's a rather small difference, but worth noting.

Lastly, at WOT, headers are a win win win. More power, great sound. The car just sounds awesome.

So you should decide for yourself. Will you mind any of these changes? Also, it is important to get the car properly tuned ad to not buy a cheap no name header. Cheap branded headers often don't fit properly and end up rubbing or tapping against the car which will make you wish you didn't try to go cheap.

 

If you do install headers be sure to keep all of your exhaust parts. We are living in uncertain times.

 

I agree, Wish I had

 

I've had this car for 6 years and just installed ARH longtubes. Very straightforward install and amazing fit with plenty of clearance all around. Definitely a performance increase according to the butt dyno and the sound at WOT while crossing 6k rpm is so awesome its hard to believe this is a stock engine. Just WOW is all I can say. And in quiet mode hiway cruising in 7th gear can barely hear the engine running.

 

Exhibit A:

 

install headers and a flex fuel kt, will turn your car into a monster, should of came like that from factory.

On a hub dyno my car put 500 wheel tourqe and 480 wheel hp

only mods ARH 2" (catted) and ethenol kit)