Who makes the best headers and how much should I expect to pay? thanks

 

I just installed my SLP LT's this past weekend. I'm very pleased with them. Others will tell you to stay away from the SLP's.."HARDERST TO INSTALL, HANG WAY TO LOW. Well its all true!! Install took my buddies and I 2 days to finish. I have the Eibach pro kit and have 4 fingers worth of clearance. But I love em! Car feels awesome and sounds crazy..race pipes and loudmouth. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="gr_eek2.gif" /> in total I paid under 900 bucks. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="gr_grin.gif" />

 

There are no "best" headers. Typically the best performing headers are the Grott style headers (QTP, PPC, Thunder), however the new Kooks headers also look like great performers.

Kooks makes a really nice header. No word on ground clearance yet (I'll let you know after I get mine this weekend or next week). They also offer mild steele coated or uncoated as well as stainless steele. They custom build your header to order, so if you want EGR tube only, and no AIR tubes, or you want AIR tubes but no EGR, etc. they can get it done for you. They also offer stepped headers and bigger primary headers. And installation is supposed to be a breeze.

The Grott style headers are good for ground clearance and for performance. With this style, you have a couple options. Thunder sells the race version in mild steele coated or uncoated. PPC sells coated ones, and are the only ones to offer a cat ypipe with this style header. QTP makes the same header in stainless steele, plus they offer merge collectors, however I highly suggest you go another way if you want Grott style headers unless you want to wait forever for the QTPs. Easy installation here as well.

FLP makes a nice header, but they have some fitment issues with banging ypipes and a few other things. However they have the ability to quickly swap cats and off road pipes which is nice.

JetHott/Hooker headers are supposed to go in nice and easy, and perform well for the money. However there are a lot of people that are having problems with the coating on those headers. A friend has had them since late fall and they allready have rust on them.

SLP headers aren't really good for anything - they have the worst ground clearance, and are not the best performers.

I don't know much about the TTS headers. Some say they are really good, some say they aren't.

I think that just about covers all the available headers. Take it for what its worth and decide for yourself.

 

Thanks for the comments, anyone else please post, I'll keep checking your replies, and how much Horsepower can I expect to gain? Right now I only have K&N filter, SLP lid, exhust cutout, thanks

 

I am placing my order soon for the QTP headers, when I talked to them last week I asked them approximately how long I have to wait, he told me they are starting to crank them out now because they found a flaw in the original grott style design that they had to fix up. Also they offer headers for year specific cars which is awesome, that was always something that really bothered me about other headers because for 02 you needed block off plates and what not, but with the QTPs you get headers for your year. Not to mention they are stainless steel which is awesome because you don't have to worry about coating.

Though there are similar designs out there, none of them offers the merge collectors that QTP does, especially at $300 <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="gr_eek2.gif" /> you can't beat that price with a stick <img border="0" alt="[judgement]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_judge.gif" /> While pricing other merge collectors I was told $300 EACH, QTP has them $300 for the pair.....INSANE!!!

Anyhow I am going with the QTPs, their service is awesome, fitment is great (lowering my car), power is proven (former Grott style), oh yeah I forgot they have a cutout Y pipe or a cat Y pipe <img border="0" alt="[gruffy cottonball]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_gruffy.gif" /> I am going with the cat Y pipe, but a cutout will be on my car....

Jeez this post is getting me excited, I might have to go make a call now <img border="0" alt="[evil]" title="" src="graemlins/gr_devil.gif" />