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Flowtech Headers??

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Old 09-10-2005, 09:01 PM
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Default Flowtech Headers??

Seriously, what's so bad about flowtech headers that people hate them so bad. I'm lookin to buy them and I need to know

1 Do they get destroyed real quick, even coated ones, and why?

2 Are they gonna fall apart cause of bad welds or something??

3 Do they restrict air flow in some way??

4 Do they have a real bad clearence probloem on lowered cars??

I;ve seen alot of flowtech but not really any reasons.
Old 09-10-2005, 10:04 PM
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i have read the older model headers had fitting problems, i think the new style is somewhat different. from what i undersatnd is that if you can get them on, they will dyno around the same as other longtubes.
the fact that they are cheap headers brings up "you get what you pay for"
Old 09-10-2005, 10:20 PM
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I have them and im happy.
Old 09-10-2005, 10:48 PM
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I'd say just get some Pacesetters instead. Much better quality for the same low price.
Old 09-10-2005, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by DevonsZ
I have them and im happy.
Same here I have them and no problems.
Old 09-11-2005, 07:19 AM
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Flowtech and Hooker are both owned by Holley Performance, and it looks like they are basically the same header. Flowtech's are built with thicker tubing than the Hooker headers, as the Hookers are built to be lighter for racing. Flowtechs also use a bolt on style of flange instead of the Hookers slip on flange. The bolt on style actually makes clutch swaps easier, as the bolt on style makes removing the exhaust an easier job. Flowtech's give you really good ground clearance and go in pretty easy. Much better than the Pacesetter headers that we have installed. My personal opinion is I would go with Flowtech headers much sooner than I would go with Pacesetter headers. Bob
Old 09-11-2005, 11:00 AM
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You get what you pay for, but either set (flowtech/pacesetter) does the job.
Old 09-11-2005, 01:31 PM
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1 Do they get destroyed real quick, even coated ones, and why?
Expect a couple of months befor they start to rust way. They use the cheapest of coatings.

2 Are they gonna fall apart cause of bad welds or something??
Thinner gauge steel is used and they over weld in the ports. You will have to use a die grinder to port them out.
3 Do they restrict air flow in some way??
They put dimples in the pipe for clearance. The y pipe merge is horrible for flow.
4 Do they have a real bad clearence probloem on lowered cars??
The 3 bolt flange they use will make you lose 1"more over other headers.
I;ve seen alot of flowtech but not really any reasons.[/QUOTE]
Old 09-11-2005, 02:17 PM
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Any set of coated headers is going to rust.
Old 09-11-2005, 02:31 PM
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Mine will be here on Mon. I could not pass on the price. from tbyrne I also ordered the ORY. My car has 110,000 miles on it. I will need to rebuild at some point. so I figured I would try these budget headers and y. So they rust out in a few years oh well it sux. I am only out 330$ and some of my time. When its time to rebuild then I will splurge and get some real nice coated headers.
Old 09-11-2005, 03:42 PM
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i love mine i bought them uncoated....and with the money i saved from going with "good headers" i got true duals.....i mean they went in 2 and half hours (with a lift) (at a shop) i have had them 4 months and not really that much rust.....my car put down the same numbers as a freind of mine with kooks....dude just get em u'll like them
Old 09-11-2005, 03:43 PM
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I've heard the flowtech's tend to leak. I'd go with the pacesetters for a cheap header.
Old 09-11-2005, 04:12 PM
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I think the people going with flowtechs need to cut corner where they can. I now I do. It hard to pass up when they also come with 24 inch ext which are 16-25$ a piece, gaskets 15-30$ a pair, and header bolts too. Then if you go to the right place you can get and ORY for 100$
Old 09-11-2005, 04:58 PM
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I don't drive my camaro in the rain or snow so how many years would a coated set of flowtechs last??
Old 09-11-2005, 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Order 66
1 Do they get destroyed real quick, even coated ones, and why?
Expect a couple of months befor they start to rust way. They use the cheapest of coatings.

2 Are they gonna fall apart cause of bad welds or something??
Thinner gauge steel is used and they over weld in the ports. You will have to use a die grinder to port them out.
3 Do they restrict air flow in some way??
They put dimples in the pipe for clearance. The y pipe merge is horrible for flow.
4 Do they have a real bad clearence probloem on lowered cars??
The 3 bolt flange they use will make you lose 1"more over other headers.
I;ve seen alot of flowtech but not really any reasons.
[/QUOTE]
mine are uncoated and still haven't rusted, although they will soon as winter comes, personally I would stay away from the coating as it wil probably rust as well. Save the extra 100 bucks.
I didn't have any extra weld in my ports, those were actually some of the better welds on the headers.
I agree there are some dimples on the Y pipe and the merge area is bad, they make the hole inside to small, so I had to stick a rod in there and make it wider, I think maybe one small one on the driver side header, but nothing that will take any horsepower, the Y dimples are there for clearance, so the pipe doesn't bang on the floor-which mine doesn't and lots of people complain about that with headers.
The 3 bolt flange does take slightly more space, but I like them better since the exhaust comes out easier, guess that just varies from person to person. Recently just went over some mean speedbumps and didn't have any problems with scrapping. they are cheaper than flowtechs and come with O2 extenders, so if you want to save money go with them. for better looking welds you could go with flowtechs, but even then I wouldn't get coated, my last coatings by jet hot flaked and peeled off in the summer after 3 months, some people in warm dry states have had better luck.
Old 09-11-2005, 11:35 PM
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where do i find pacesetters, everywhere i look flowtech are cheaper
Old 09-12-2005, 05:36 PM
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You can find a nice pacesetter setup if your looking for a catted Ypipe at texas-speed.com coated headers, and their catted 3"ypipe for 700$ not a bad price considering catted ypipes can run as much as 350$ ive heard some stories of their ypipe not fitting to well but thats the setup im going with in a couple of weeks
Old 09-12-2005, 06:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Exotic Performance Plus
Flowtech and Hooker are both owned by Holley Performance, and it looks like they are basically the same header. Flowtech's are built with thicker tubing than the Hooker headers, as the Hookers are built to be lighter for racing. Flowtechs also use a bolt on style of flange instead of the Hookers slip on flange. The bolt on style actually makes clutch swaps easier, as the bolt on style makes removing the exhaust an easier job. Flowtech's give you really good ground clearance and go in pretty easy. Much better than the Pacesetter headers that we have installed. My personal opinion is I would go with Flowtech headers much sooner than I would go with Pacesetter headers. Bob
I cant believe Im hearing this from a sponsor. Its nonsense. I have installed Flowtech, Hooker, Pacesetter, and Jet Hot and the Pacesetters fit as good or better than the Jet Hots and Hookers. The Flowtechs hit the k member unless they have made another model of them in the past year. The Flowtech only has a 1/4" flange. As son as you tighten it down its gonna bend around every exhaust port on you. They are not even in the same class as a Pacesetter.
Old 09-13-2005, 06:17 AM
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We had never had a pair of the Pacesetters go in nearly as easily as any of the other brands, and their Y pipes are well known for having clearance problems. I have seen many people post about having Pacesetter Y pipe clearance problems. Bob
Old 09-13-2005, 08:29 AM
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So basically if I were to go with the Flowtech headers, I would have to get better seals/gaskets to make sure the headers don't leak? Seems like that should be good enough...especially with the money you save over other brands.

Griff



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