They already had a velocity spike called the 'Venturi spike'. They just didn't have merge collectors. Now they have merge collectors AND the 'Venturi spike'. This all leads me to believe the collectors are the same as the QTP's, ARH's and the slip-fit Edelbrocks.

Some pics would help if you could get them up, George

 

HVMC/High velocity merge collectors have spikes and such, but every header, pacesetter etc, all have merge collectors.

A merge collector is just a merge of the 4 primaries to the single 3 inch pipe which every single header does. It's a primary "merge" and a collection of the gasses.

 

Did not know George was releasing these yet..but since he has, I will post up the info I have

A few months back, me and JR at Kooks were talking about what would make the ultimate F-Body header. Witha competive market, you have to keep moving, and innovating, and that is one principle Kooks is built on. I also hate selling the same thing ove and over..and like to help bring things to market to keep my customers excited.

With the F-body header, the first feature that comes to mine to add is the merge collector. We had been kicking around the merge a lot over the last year in convos. On one hand, we have not seen reliable gains with it to justify the cost..but on the other hand, when you make the best production F-body header out there you can't leave anything on the table. So on that fact alone, we decided to include the merge from the start at no added cost. Then, it was a question of what more can you add to put this header over the top? That is where the extra O2 bung for wideband tuning comes into play. The extra O2 Bung is a production first for an F-body header and only the second time Kooks has ever included it standard on a production product. It's not even offered in the Corvette header yet! With the proliferation of wide band tuning out there, we saw a lot of customers trying to get an extra O2 bung special ordered from the factory on their headers. This normally added weeks to the order time along with a bit more cost. Looking at the requests, we said screw it (no pun intended), and threw in an extra O2 bung standard along with a removable screw cap to close it when not in use.

All new F-body headers will include these two features (stamped merge, and extra O2 Bung) at NO added cost! All part numbers are the same, and these products are in production now. Additionally, Kooks has reduced the price of the catted Y-pipe (PT# 6502) by $50 which makes their F-Body system the best value of all the premium headers out there!

While these headers are in production now, and us specifically are sending them standard...if you order from another Kooks dealer, you may want to ask beforehand to ensure you get the new header to prevent confusion.

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[Sales Pitch]
Looking for a killer deal on these?


Check out our Kooks sale here, where you can get free coating, or lower than website call for pricing!

https://ls1tech.com/forums/sponsor-sales-specials/854477-spring-thaw-header-sale-save-kooks-w-free-coating-pacesetter-more.html

All headers ordered through us will be this new design!
[Sales Pitch/]
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Lastly, to show you just how much we worked with Kooks to bring this to market...they sent us the first prototype off the line

Here are some pictures..include one comparing the old collector to the new merge one. This header is a 6501-RHS race header with 1 7/8" Primaries, and 3" Merge collector.

 

Wow those are some NICE looking headers!

 

No doubt, a set of great looking headers! Now I might be sounding a little dumb here, but I'll ask anyway.

In the picture I see the slight differance in the merging of the 4 pipes into one, but whats the advantage pf the new 'Stamped Merge' vs. the previous 'Standard' merge? They both seem to do the same thing.

 

I think my question got lost in the confusion, so I'll try to ask it a different way:

Are the two different collectors the same overall length?

 

That's just the thing. They don't. The standard collectors have the primaries meeting parallel to each other. The merge collectors come into each other at an angle so the gases have a smooth transition into each other. The old Kooks had the straight collectors. These new headers look freaking awesome.

I can honestly say, these new headers with free coating AND on sale is clearly the best deal running right now. I'm honestly jealous.

Can we get a picture of the inside of the headers? I and I'm sure many others would love to see the merge.

 

Ask that to the people who have been claiming a merge collector is the best thing since sliced bread for a year or two now

Bottom line is...it adds cost for a debatable gain...but when you are in Kooks place trying to make the best header on the market..you can't leave anything on the table.

 

I agree, a good clean merge at the Y is another thing a lot of folks consider.

 

I dunno...you can say this is better than that all day long...but that is one of those things that will not show a difference outside the margin of error on a dyno. The difference between an average tune, and a great tune is larger. Same thing with the merge collector. A Y-pipe is gonna suck power no matter how you shine it.

Just my opinion.

 

Some are concerned about the rasp from some Y's without a clean merge. Don't get me wrong, it a great system and from all accounts it sounds great. I might even buy one from you. How long is the free coating sale on for?

 

Not sure..should be a while though!

 

Pics please

 

I posted pics above?

 

Yeah, totally! I was wondering if I could install a Flowmaster Merge on my Kooks Y one day.

And BTW, yes, the Kooks do have a velocity spike in the collectors

 

Because QTPs used the be the lesser expensive HVMC LT until now. Shoot, I'd have paid a little more for Kooks with HVMCs if they were close to the same price as the QTPs because of the leaks I have. They're better because I've packed the backside of the collector spike with manifold repair but I don't think it will last long; and DON'T tell me yours don't leak unless you've done some sort of pressure test on them. I was able to both SEE (I stuffed a flashlight into the backside of the merge collector and could see light through the spike) and HEAR (I completely sealed the exhaust ports and AIR ports, the 02 bungs, and pressurized the system and could detect and hear air leaking from the collector) the leaks. If Kooks has overcome this, kudos to you.

 

...And one gets what they pay for.

 

It would seem from outward appearances that QTPs merge collector may flow better in that it would transition the gasses into each other more gradually, however, I'm not an aerodynamic physisist nor expert. I think it looks like an improvement and that accounts for something.

 

Im no expert, but doesn't the extra O2 bung need to be positioned where it is not directly behind the O2 sensor?

 

those are great looking headers but what makes kooks so much better than something like pacesetters? this might be a dumb question but i mean am i realy going to see that big of a difference between the two for paying twice as much?