Only those that like shorties welcome...
Originally Posted by JEB99TA
jrp ... I have followed your posts for a long time and have great respect for the wealth of knowledge that you have shared with us all. I have heeded nearly every reccommendation that you have given ... with a lot of success. My post stated that the shorties flows NEARLY as well as LT's not AS well. I further should have immediately stated '1-5/8" as compared to 1-34" primaries - as a ratio ... at the lower end'. My apologies for the misunderstanding.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,094
Likes: 0
From: Northern Va
Originally Posted by 2ndGenWs6Owner
Will someone please let me know what the best shorties on the market are...I know of JBA, Hooker and BBK. Are these my only options? Which is best. I have a 99, so my gain along with Random Tech Hi Flow cats and custom y pipe should be substantial.
Ah, the anger against shorties runs wild. Shorty headers are the one topic where most people have no clue what they are talking about. The comparison between a pair of shorties over a complete header system including a y-pipe is dumb. What most people dont realize with the shorties is that they still bolt up to the other big problems with the stock exhaust meaning the cats, and the y-pipe. The other main problem that needs to be adjusted on a set of shorties before they are installed is the collector opening. The stock collectors are 2.5 in on the driver and 2.25 on the passanger. This is not rocket science but a 3in. collector on longtubes is gonna flow more than a 2.25 collector on a shorty. After the small collectors are opened up and the piping after the collector is opened to accept the larger size, there will be even more gains with shorties. And my gains of 10 rwhp throughout the powerband without modifying the collectors and without tuning(car went way rich after install) on a stock car are obvious of the improvement over stock.
A lot of good points made. Again ... depends on your goals.
2ndGenWs6Owner: Now that you're probably 10 times more confused, than when you started this thread, did any of this help you make a decision? Just choose what you think will satisfy your long-term goals. There will be many arguements over other things like shorties/LT's, MAF's, etc.. Just be thankful (as I am) that there is SOOO much experience on here to show you the differences in products the way the manufacturers advertise them and the folks out here in the field who have real-world experience with the stuff. Now, at least you know all the pro's and cons and can pick what suits your needs best. We all had to start somewhere. There WAS one very clear thing that someone said ,which you need to consider with shorties .... bolting up the Y-pipe. My JBA Cat4wards 3" collector bolted up to the Random Technolgies 3" pipe perfectly, however, on the passenger-side, the righ tside CAT section pipe was 4 inches too short from bolting to the Y-Pipe and I had to take it to a reputable welding shop to have a 4-inch section of pipe welded into that section to allow it to bolt up to the Y-pipe. If you can, try to get a combo from the same company, i.e., MAC headers and MAC Y-pipe. It's a real pain in the a** modifying the piping if it doesn't match up.
Wow! What feedback!!! I LOVE this board and fought in 2 combat zones (Panama Invasion/ Desert Storm) ... US Army retired. This board and the freedom to express our opinions proves to me that every drop of sweat was SOOOO worth every second of the twenty years that I was a soldier.
I have one question for you, JANTZER98SS > What sort of gains can I expect to see with my all bolt-ons LS1 engine with my JBA shorties, if I buy the ported TB that I wrote and asked you about this morning?
2ndGenWs6Owner: Now that you're probably 10 times more confused, than when you started this thread, did any of this help you make a decision? Just choose what you think will satisfy your long-term goals. There will be many arguements over other things like shorties/LT's, MAF's, etc.. Just be thankful (as I am) that there is SOOO much experience on here to show you the differences in products the way the manufacturers advertise them and the folks out here in the field who have real-world experience with the stuff. Now, at least you know all the pro's and cons and can pick what suits your needs best. We all had to start somewhere. There WAS one very clear thing that someone said ,which you need to consider with shorties .... bolting up the Y-pipe. My JBA Cat4wards 3" collector bolted up to the Random Technolgies 3" pipe perfectly, however, on the passenger-side, the righ tside CAT section pipe was 4 inches too short from bolting to the Y-Pipe and I had to take it to a reputable welding shop to have a 4-inch section of pipe welded into that section to allow it to bolt up to the Y-pipe. If you can, try to get a combo from the same company, i.e., MAC headers and MAC Y-pipe. It's a real pain in the a** modifying the piping if it doesn't match up.
Wow! What feedback!!! I LOVE this board and fought in 2 combat zones (Panama Invasion/ Desert Storm) ... US Army retired. This board and the freedom to express our opinions proves to me that every drop of sweat was SOOOO worth every second of the twenty years that I was a soldier.
I have one question for you, JANTZER98SS > What sort of gains can I expect to see with my all bolt-ons LS1 engine with my JBA shorties, if I buy the ported TB that I wrote and asked you about this morning?
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,655
Likes: 0
From: Northern Va
Ill throw in my opinion, I wont flame shorties cause i have not experienced them on a ls1 powered vehicle, but i have installed plenty on friends' mustangs. I personally went the long tube route this time. from the 6 months i researched the topic, long tubes were the way to go for me. but then again, emissions are easy for me to pass as my best friend runs a few shops locally.
You are in a different situation. CA smog laws are very strict from what i can tell. But I think this will come down to, do what you want to do and make the best of it. If shorties are the way to go, research via google or something other than this site if all you are finding is people giving you the big thumbs down when it comes to shorties.
Me personally...I would never pay 300-700 bucks for a set of shorty headers. for that kind of money id opt for a gmmg exhaust if you are just going for sound or perhaps a nitrous kit and just make power out of that money. It really depends on what you are shooting for here. shorties will net you some power, but nothing worth the hassle of installing headers let alone the digits its gonna run you to do so.
for what its worth, before purchasing headers i told myself i would not modify the stock y pipe or upgrade the manifolds...so i went with a nitrous kit and a hooker catback. I gained a great sound (and borla sounds awesome too i think thats what you said you have already), and another 100 rwhp via nitrous system.
with all that bs out of the way...do what you feel is right for your car. at the very least you live and learn from the mods you make. as well as, at the very least you will gain sound out of shorties and highflow cats.
You are in a different situation. CA smog laws are very strict from what i can tell. But I think this will come down to, do what you want to do and make the best of it. If shorties are the way to go, research via google or something other than this site if all you are finding is people giving you the big thumbs down when it comes to shorties.
Me personally...I would never pay 300-700 bucks for a set of shorty headers. for that kind of money id opt for a gmmg exhaust if you are just going for sound or perhaps a nitrous kit and just make power out of that money. It really depends on what you are shooting for here. shorties will net you some power, but nothing worth the hassle of installing headers let alone the digits its gonna run you to do so.
for what its worth, before purchasing headers i told myself i would not modify the stock y pipe or upgrade the manifolds...so i went with a nitrous kit and a hooker catback. I gained a great sound (and borla sounds awesome too i think thats what you said you have already), and another 100 rwhp via nitrous system.
with all that bs out of the way...do what you feel is right for your car. at the very least you live and learn from the mods you make. as well as, at the very least you will gain sound out of shorties and highflow cats.
Originally Posted by Black Z/28
For what it’s worth, I'm running a set of p&p Stock exhaust manifolds with a catted RT-Y (no plans for LTs). I picked up 8rwhp and 7lbs of torque. I was tempted to go the shorty route but heard too much criticism and they are a little pricey. I'm still curious but I agree with jrp, if they were 250 & coated I'd be a lot more interested.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 611
Likes: 0
From: Fairfield, CA
Thanks to everyone for their input. I have to respect the fact that shorties and LTs are about the same price, and I am a big believer in hp/$. Right now my only car is my T/A, but once I graduate from Cal State Northridge next May, I will be making enough $$$ to buy a 2nd car. Therefore LTs are not out of the question. I just wanted the wisdom and experience of this board to help determine if shorties are worth the $$$. After reading everyone's opinion and loooking at dynos (#s don't lie), I actually think I will be going with LTs, but after I get it smogged in October. That way I have 2 years before I have to worry about it, and as mentioned before I will have a 2nd car by then.
Originally Posted by 2ndGenWs6Owner
Thanks to everyone for their input. I have to respect the fact that shorties and LTs are about the same price, and I am a big believer in hp/$. Right now my only car is my T/A, but once I graduate from Cal State Northridge next May, I will be making enough $$$ to buy a 2nd car. Therefore LTs are not out of the question. I just wanted the wisdom and experience of this board to help determine if shorties are worth the $$$. After reading everyone's opinion and loooking at dynos (#s don't lie), I actually think I will be going with LTs, but after I get it smogged in October. That way I have 2 years before I have to worry about it, and as mentioned before I will have a 2nd car by then.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Originally Posted by 2ndGenWs6Owner
Thanks to everyone for their input. I have to respect the fact that shorties and LTs are about the same price, and I am a big believer in hp/$. Right now my only car is my T/A, but once I graduate from Cal State Northridge next May, I will be making enough $$$ to buy a 2nd car. Therefore LTs are not out of the question. I just wanted the wisdom and experience of this board to help determine if shorties are worth the $$$. After reading everyone's opinion and loooking at dynos (#s don't lie), I actually think I will be going with LTs, but after I get it smogged in October. That way I have 2 years before I have to worry about it, and as mentioned before I will have a 2nd car by then.