Please Help Guys Mid Or Longtube Headers
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Staging Lane
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 67
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From: Lexington/Nicholasville Ky
Please Help Guys Mid Or Longtube Headers ok guys here's what I've got 00 ss it has a slp lid, magnaflow cat back, 373 gears & I just bought a tci 3500 converter, 221/221 114 lsa comp cam, springs, and harden pushrods. now here is what I need help with I can buy a jet coated mac mid header and coated y pipe new for 400 dollars. or like a set or pacesetters for around 500. this is going to be my DD car that ill take to the track every now and then. so should I go with lt or mids. what do u guys think. what r the pros and cons for both. what would you guys do. and give me your est. for what ill run in the 1/4 on sunday before the mods and est. for after. I will post the results after sunday.ps I'm on street tires. thanks for all the help guys
LT's...from what Ive heard there really isnt much of a power gain with the mids. I havent heard many complaints on the pacesetter LT's, I wish I woulda spent the little bit of extra money and got coated but other than Im happy with mine.
LT's should be the only responce you'll get. Unless your car is lowered, there is no reason to go mids. Performance wise, Pacesetter LT's are SAID to yield a bit more compared to Macs, nothing noticeable though.
It's all about how deep your pockets are. $100 can buy you some other mod, just my .02,......................and I'm also running Macs.
It's all about how deep your pockets are. $100 can buy you some other mod, just my .02,......................and I'm also running Macs.
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I would have went LT's but got a great deal on some Mac's. The Mac's were a bitch to install and have heard that LT's are alot easier....If I would have known that I would have spent the extra $$$ for the LT's. I think I got 18hp/18tq with the mids which isn't bad for the $200 I spent for the header/ory pipe combo.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 321
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From: Buffalo, N.Y.
Like anything else, you gets whats you pays for. Pacesetter headers, unless something changed while I wasn't looking, are made from relatively thin-wall, mild steel. No crime there....it is what it is. They aren't made from the highest grade materials out there, but they're priced accordingly. I'm not a big fan of painting, plating, or coating headers. Sooner or later, the coating is going to suffer fom some type of FOD, and that's all the foothold water/salt/moisture balh, blah, blah needs.
I've owned/modded/beat the hell out of 3 Trans Ams (two LS1's & one LT1) so far. The only LT header I've ever installed, or will ever install (until the next miracle comes down the road) are Kooks. I can't remember whether their made from 300 or 900 series stainless, but I do know they are fabricated entirely from stainless steel. The quality (best welds I've ever seen, straighest flenges, etc.) is AG, and I gave up ZERO ground clearance.....one of the cars was lowered.
Being stainless from flange to collector, there's no painting, plating, or coating to chip, pit, flake, or peel. They aren't "pretty" (they're not cheap {inexpensive} either), but they'll outlast any set of thin-walled, painted, plated, or coated headers, and, at least on the Trans Ams I've installed them on, they flowed like a mother, sounded GREAT, and gave ZERO fitment problems.
It all boils down to how much $$$ you have in your mod budget, I guess.
I've owned/modded/beat the hell out of 3 Trans Ams (two LS1's & one LT1) so far. The only LT header I've ever installed, or will ever install (until the next miracle comes down the road) are Kooks. I can't remember whether their made from 300 or 900 series stainless, but I do know they are fabricated entirely from stainless steel. The quality (best welds I've ever seen, straighest flenges, etc.) is AG, and I gave up ZERO ground clearance.....one of the cars was lowered.
Being stainless from flange to collector, there's no painting, plating, or coating to chip, pit, flake, or peel. They aren't "pretty" (they're not cheap {inexpensive} either), but they'll outlast any set of thin-walled, painted, plated, or coated headers, and, at least on the Trans Ams I've installed them on, they flowed like a mother, sounded GREAT, and gave ZERO fitment problems.
It all boils down to how much $$$ you have in your mod budget, I guess.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 321
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From: Buffalo, N.Y.
Raptor_WS6......GORGEOUS car!
I had 3 WS6's lined up when I bought mine (black/black) 3 years ago. She was the 1st one I looked at, and the car was so clean (the dealer got a little ticked when I asked them to put the car up on a lift) I just HAD to buy it. I flew to Maryland to look at it, and if she didn't pass the test, I had 2 others I was going to fly out to see:
* '02 Navy Blue Metallic (Florida)
* '02 SOM (West "by God" Virginia)
Don't get me wrong; I love my car, and I really like black, but whenever I see a SOM WS6 in as good a shape as your's obviously is, I want one......BAD! SOM combined with the 4th Gen WS6 body style has to be the most bichin' looking car going. Beautiful ride! I'm Jealous!
I had 3 WS6's lined up when I bought mine (black/black) 3 years ago. She was the 1st one I looked at, and the car was so clean (the dealer got a little ticked when I asked them to put the car up on a lift) I just HAD to buy it. I flew to Maryland to look at it, and if she didn't pass the test, I had 2 others I was going to fly out to see:
* '02 Navy Blue Metallic (Florida)
* '02 SOM (West "by God" Virginia)
Don't get me wrong; I love my car, and I really like black, but whenever I see a SOM WS6 in as good a shape as your's obviously is, I want one......BAD! SOM combined with the 4th Gen WS6 body style has to be the most bichin' looking car going. Beautiful ride! I'm Jealous!
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
iTrader: (4)
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 67
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From: Lexington/Nicholasville Ky
thank you guys for all the advice. I think ill spend the extra and go with lt's. and just to think I was going to send the money for the mids in the mouring. thanks again guys
OK, I'll vote for the MAC mid-lengths. Why? Because you can probably find a lightly used set for under $300. The install was a breeze, even in a 1-car garage on jack-stands and the fit/finish was very nice. Make sure you clean up the flashing and go with "the collector mod" for the most power. On your mild set-up, you probably won't lose much (if any) HP against the Pacesetters. However, you will lose torque in the mid-range. I ended up going to LTs after having the MACs for two years, but only because I went to a engine set-up that required it. DO NOT use the MAC cats...
If you are buying new, get the Pacesetters. If you can tolerate used, try and find a cheap set of MACs...
If you are buying new, get the Pacesetters. If you can tolerate used, try and find a cheap set of MACs...
OK, I'll vote for the MAC mid-lengths. Why? Because you can probably find a lightly used set for under $300. The install was a breeze, even in a 1-car garage on jack-stands and the fit/finish was very nice. Make sure you clean up the flashing and go with "the collector mod" for the most power. On your mild set-up, you probably won't lose much (if any) HP against the Pacesetters. However, you will lose torque in the mid-range. I ended up going to LTs after having the MACs for two years, but only because I went to a engine set-up that required it. DO NOT use the MAC cats...
If you are buying new, get the Pacesetters. If you can tolerate used, try and find a cheap set of MACs...
If you are buying new, get the Pacesetters. If you can tolerate used, try and find a cheap set of MACs...