merge collectors and the velocity spike. i guarantee you'll see better gains with QTP's and ARH's than with the XS. i also feel much better buying from a company like QTP and ARH since you're buying those headers from the company directly so you can fall on them if there's a problem with the product. if there's a problem with the XS header, i have no idea what you'd do. i know nothing about that company and i've seen no info about that company posted. i imagine it would be a much bigger headache with whatever company they are than with QTP and ARH if there's a problem.

 

i see no reason to go with kooks either at this point. no merge collectors, inferior y-pipe (no merge, the one side just literally dumps into the pipe) and highly overpriced - significantly more than QTP and ARH, and you get less. granted, i have much more confidence in the company than i would with XS and i'd think kooks would be much better on the customer service end, but XS is the better deal for sure.

 

I know a couple people with QTPs and they hate the QTP y pipe.

 

the QTP y-pipe has an awesome merge and flows a lot better than any other manufacturer's with the exception of maybe the ARH y-pipe. its problem is its ground clearance - that and it's not stainless steel. however, i'm speaking of headers only, not y-pipes. you could always make a custom y-pipe - a much better idea than ever buying a prefabricated y-pipe since you can idealize the fit and get a great merge goign on - or you could do what i'm gonna do and go true duals.

as far as headers go, you get the most bang for your buck with QTP's with ARH coming in a close second. if i were going for a y-pipe setup, i would have gone ARH, but i'm not, so QTP got my dollar.

 

fall back on the company huh...well my friend just got your all mighty qtp HVMC headers and after install they were not close to but actually sitting on the passenger side K member, and his ORY from them was 2 5/8 inches off the ground...when he showed them 32 pictures they were giving him the run around and not wanting to help him...and the y pipe was install by a shop too...

i think these headers are amazing steal for 600 with a stainless y pipe...considering he payed around 1100 shipped and they still both didn't fit...every company has there problems though it is how they deal with their customer that counts...

the only reason i have my qtps is because i got them for 400 shipped...otherwise i would have bought these...

 

I'll be honest and say that after seeing Kook's in person, vs. my XS ... the only reason I'd ever go with a bigger brand like QTP or Kooks or even ARH is if I ever need a 1 7/8" or 2" primary size on my headers.... but for a car that will likely only either see heads/cam and no nitrous, or a forged internal at stock bore with a heavy shot of nitrous, 1 3/4" is pretty much all I'll need for a long while... and in comparing the headers of all 3 or 4 brands, I'll stick with the XS... sure, I don't get a customer service rep to talk to, but the quality of the XS is near identical to the kooks I've experienced, and were far easier to install than said kooks.

sure, the Y-pipe sucks, but who really buys a Y pipe to flow great?

 

lol man did this thread get

 

so your friend's car is an oddball. every brand of headers has a problem here and there on these cars. the tolerances are all different - you should know this. no f-body is exactly the same. half an inch of difference in clearances here and there make a HUGE difference with a header install. most people that install QTP headers have no problem at all with them and they slip in like butter. it's a shame your buddy's car had larger than normal variances in clearances in his car. don't blame QTP for GM's mistake.

every company is going to give you a run-around before they send you a new set of $800 headers. i don't know if you've ever called up tech support before for a computer - they'll ask you if the computer is plugged in, is it hooked up right, etc...because most people that call up are IDIOTS. dell isn't going to go out and send you a brand new computer without making sure you have it hooked up properly. do you expect QTP to send your friend a new set of $800 headers before they make sure they were installed 100% properly? think about that a little bit. if you can't see things in the eyes of QTP, you'd make a terrible businessman and your company would likely go under. you have to understand that the average consumer is an idiot - not saying your buddy is, but a lot of joe shmoe's that attempt headers have no idea what they're doing.

QTP's y-pipe is known for crappy clearance. that's the price you pay when you buy a prefabricated y-pipe - you buy one that isn't designed for your car. it's designed for the "ideal" f-body, whatever that is. it's a shame your buddy got a car that was off on its design.

how many miles are on your buddy's car? are they the stock motor mounts? most people with a lot of years/miles on their car have a problem with header installs because the mounts are so saggy, the engine is hanging a lot lower than when the car was new. this would account for the headers touching the crossmember. if your buddy got new motor mounts, i bet he'd have a lot more crossmember clearance.

 

oh boy...sums up that post

i know i buy my y-pipes to choke my engine as much as possible. my God, i hate horsepower

i hope that was sarcasm. if it went over my head, sorry. i've been having trouble detecting sarcasm lately.

 

well, to be pretty blunt... the only Y-pipes that flow well are ones that are custom fabbed to do just that, the pre-made jig style that we get from most companies aren't that great, 3" or not, they just have flaws that can't easilly be fixed for a cheap Y pipe...

I'm ok with my shitty Y pipe for the time being because it was cheap... but when it comes down to it, I won't ever run true duals, and will have a custom pipe made to my measurements and specifications ... it'll cost much more, and a good merge on a Y pipe is hard to find even with custom work.

so no, it wasn't sarcasm when I said that... it's a largely debated thing to run a y-pipe that flows well ...

 

ARH's and QTP's y-pipes flow great. they have a merge, no crushes and will deliver better performance than any of the other manufacturer's y-pipes. if you want that flow, you're just gonna have to work harder to get the y-pipe tucked up. either that or pay to go custom.

 

car has 40k miles on it...and he already put a k member in to fix the problem...the point was that everyone has problems so if these headers happen to hit the k member people need to know that qtps still do too...they are good headers for around half the price...

 

Choco, if you dislike the XS stuff so much, why are you STILL debating it? They work just as well as any other header and are 1/2 the price. That is fact. The little bit of stuff in the Y isnt going to hurt power. Id almost put my money on it if someone did a before and after dyno.

 

im with country boy. cant beat bang for the buck...

 

where did i ever say i dislike the XS stuff? find the quote. i simply said i like QTP and ARH more, even if it's a bit more money. i think the XS headers should put pacesetter out of business on LS1tech. i don't understand why people are STILL buying pacesetters with this deal running. i think the XS is a fine product for the money. i would just never buy them since there are better products on the market. i'm one of the "do it right the first time" guys. this means i want the best product on the market, and while XS headers are very nice - and a steal for the price - they're not the best, so i looked elsewhere.

 

It all boils down to whats the "best". Its a matter of opinion. Some say Kooks, some say QTP, etc..

 

which vendor actually sells the xs longtube headers, i just did a quick look on ebay, and didn't see them. I saw 1 set of cheap stainless steel headers but they did not list them as xs long tubes. Im going to order headers this week, and was going to get the ceramic coated pacesetters, but might get the xs stainless headers instead now. The car is going to have a texas speed 3 inch true dual, will the xs longtubes still bolt right up to the texas td exhuast? thanks, Chris

 

I messed around with it today. put it back on the drive on lift and just looked at it for a good minute, then i loosened the y-pipe bolts back up and pulled down on the drivers side of it, then i wedged some stuff in between it and the floorpan, then tightened the clamps back up and pulled the wedge back out and wham i had about a inch between the floor and the y-pipe,so i'm happy with that,got that hot exhaust away from those fuel lines that are there so thats good. I also readjusted the cat-back and messed with the tips a bit and now its nice and straight so NOW i'm a fully satisfied XS customer!

 

they are having a group purchase in the "group purchase" forum. $550 shipped for headers and y-pipe. it's the last GP for these headers as of now.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/sponsor-group-purchases/732803-polished-stainless-header-y-pipe.html

 

So when are those QTP's going in?!