Are Kooks headers worth the money?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 49
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From: Omaha Arkansas
Are Kooks headers worth the money? Are Kooks headers worth the money? Also I live in arkansas so should I delet me Cats and go with a true x pipe back to the magnaflow mufflers I already have. Car is a 98 A4 trans am. It has cold air, tune, gears, and the magnaflow exhaust. Also would it be better to go with the offroad version or the ones with the receptors for o2 sensors?
Kooks vs pacesetters I know this subject has prolly been played out but i'm new to the lsx game. I'm starting to mod this ws6 and wondering if paying 500 dollars more for kooks is really worth it. I do not drive this car in the winter or rain if i can help it. So would coated pacesetters be ok?
thanks for the help!!
thanks for the help!!
All headers will have an O2 bung for front O2 sensors. Off road headers don’t ahve the fittings for the AIR and EGR. I would recommend deleting both of these while you do your install and go with Off-Road headers. They look a lot nicer than if you get them with the fittings and then decide to delete your AIR and EGR and need block off plates. No experience with Kooks, but I got Ceramic coated Pacesetters and an Off road Y pipe for a little over $500 from Texas Speed and love the setup.
FormerVendor
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 73
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From: Wilmington, NC
If you care about a product that will fit right, last forever, make power, and look great then I would recommend the Kook's. The Pacesetters are decent for the money but in my mind Kook's are the only real option. I'm sure 50,000,000 will follow this post saying Pacesetters, but if you've got the money go with Kook's, once you see them you won't regret it.
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Your comparing apples to oranges here man...power gains are similar but ones stainless the other isn't. Pacesetter has been known to have irregularity from one header to the next as far as fitment.
depends on what your $ situation looks like. I did dynatechs the first time and pacsetters this time. Im ******* poor so the cheaper route works for me. But to tell you the truth Idont think I would ever buy stainless again unless my car was a show car. Theres nothing wrong with pacesetters i like them.
11 Second Club
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 63
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In the GTO world this type of post gets about 200 posts then gets closed down...lol
Pacesetters on mine and I got EVERYTHING I needed including new midpipes for 350 shipped to my door. The cheapest setup used for Kooks/ARH/SLP was in the 1k region. Even if there's a hp/tq difference, the difference isn't enought to justify the price differential IMO.
I vote pacesetter, but get whatever makes you happiest.
Pacesetters on mine and I got EVERYTHING I needed including new midpipes for 350 shipped to my door. The cheapest setup used for Kooks/ARH/SLP was in the 1k region. Even if there's a hp/tq difference, the difference isn't enought to justify the price differential IMO.
I vote pacesetter, but get whatever makes you happiest.
Last edited by Bumpin' Yota; Jun 25, 2010 at 11:04 PM.
Teching In
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 14
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So if you get them, just be ready to possibly go to war with the drivers side. One other thing, check inside for any pieces of metal that didn't break off during the drill/weld of the 02 sensors. Had a big one that sat right where the sensor went in so it wouldnt even thread up until I bent it back and off with a chisel. 
i have pacesetters and their off road y pipe on my car for the last 4 years.. i just did an oil change yesterday and looked underneath and their is just slight rust on the collector which is normal for ceramic coated headers..
honestly, i do not regret getting my pacesetters instead of kooks. the price i would have spent on kooks i purchased an airlid, magnaflow catback, and pacesetters and the y pipe..all brand new not used.
why spend the extra money on a stainless header when nobody is ever gonna see it? i doubt you will lose a race because a guy had a shiny header.
honestly, i do not regret getting my pacesetters instead of kooks. the price i would have spent on kooks i purchased an airlid, magnaflow catback, and pacesetters and the y pipe..all brand new not used.
why spend the extra money on a stainless header when nobody is ever gonna see it? i doubt you will lose a race because a guy had a shiny header.
My take on this subject...
No..
I've installed 100's of headers, of all brands. In present day, you CANNOT beat Pacesetter in terms of what you get for your money in both fit & power. They cost nearly 1/3 the price of Kooks, and fit better IMO. The last set of Kooks I installed required notching on the frame, removal of the motor mount for the drivers side, and the Ypipe is the worse fitting POFS I've ever seen. Granted this could have been a bad batch, but I've always had to remove the motor mount when installing Kooks and I've never been impressed with their Ypipe. You don't even get a good merge collector for the $1000 you just spent.
While the Pacesetter Ypipe still leaves a lot to be desired, I've never had a problem installing them nor rubbing the K-member. Neither have I ever had to remove a motor mount to get one in. Pull the steering knuckle on the drivers side, and it slides right in.
Kooks will probably last longer being stainless steel, but unless you plan on keeping your car for 15-20 years I wouldn't make that a top reason to buy. Pacesetters make the same power, for 1/3 the price. PERIOD.
No..
I've installed 100's of headers, of all brands. In present day, you CANNOT beat Pacesetter in terms of what you get for your money in both fit & power. They cost nearly 1/3 the price of Kooks, and fit better IMO. The last set of Kooks I installed required notching on the frame, removal of the motor mount for the drivers side, and the Ypipe is the worse fitting POFS I've ever seen. Granted this could have been a bad batch, but I've always had to remove the motor mount when installing Kooks and I've never been impressed with their Ypipe. You don't even get a good merge collector for the $1000 you just spent.
While the Pacesetter Ypipe still leaves a lot to be desired, I've never had a problem installing them nor rubbing the K-member. Neither have I ever had to remove a motor mount to get one in. Pull the steering knuckle on the drivers side, and it slides right in.
Kooks will probably last longer being stainless steel, but unless you plan on keeping your car for 15-20 years I wouldn't make that a top reason to buy. Pacesetters make the same power, for 1/3 the price. PERIOD.