Generation III External Engine LS1 | LS6 | Bolt-Ons | Intakes | Exhaust | Ignition | Accessories
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Mac vs Long Tubes

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:17 PM
  #1  
coondog's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: south carolina
Default Mac vs Long Tubes

How much difference between the two hp wise?
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:25 PM
  #2  
lusting4ls1's Avatar
TECH Apprentice
15 Year Member
iTrader: (15)
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
From: al
Default

if you talking about shorties or midlengths vs longtube, then longtubes all the way.

the install is a pain in the ***, so why short yourself the 10 or 15 more hp you would gain with the longtubes over the shortie style header? save up and get the longtubes definetely. my buddy has a 99z28 and he gained almost 30rwhp with just longtubes and an ory pipe.
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:28 PM
  #3  
LS184's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 967
Likes: 0
From: manhattan/new lenox, IL
Default

if ur gnna do headers do it the right way....longtubes
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:42 PM
  #4  
coondog's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: south carolina
Default

i have mac's now but was thinking on maybe getting long tubes. Just wondering how much difference between the two.
Reply
Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:47 PM
  #5  
lusting4ls1's Avatar
TECH Apprentice
15 Year Member
iTrader: (15)
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 362
Likes: 0
From: al
Default

it will be enough to notice it. besides longtubes bring out the full potential of any additional mods.
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 12:49 PM
  #6  
radz282003's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 848
Likes: 0
From: Tree-Hugging, Bug eating CALI'
Default

Every car is different, but I can honestly say that it was more difficult to install my MACs than it was for both my sets of QTPs. For the work the MACs caused, I'd never choose them over LTs.

As far as power, I have a comparison that isn't necessarily direct: my car put down 334 RWHP with MACs, catd' Y-pipe, and canned tune; with my second set of QTPs (HVMCs) my car put down 366 RWHP with a catd' Y-pipe and dyno' tune. Same dyno, and it was hotter on the day with the QTPs. It's not direct, but it'll give you an idea.

IMHO, go with LTs. If you're state sucks like mine, both are illegal, so why not make the most of it? If your concern is cost, there are nice Hooker stainless LTs out there among many others.

Good luck.
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 02:38 PM
  #7  
coondog's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: south carolina
Default

Thanks for the info. I am thinking about changing from the macs to long tubes and was wondering how much i would be losing with macs. Looks like i will be getting LTs now.
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 03:29 PM
  #8  
NHRAMAN's Avatar
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 8,807
Likes: 0
From: Vancouver,[KITSILANO].B.C. Canada *WestCoast*
Default

LT's sound better also.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-3

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-4

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-7

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

 Brett Foote
story-9

10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 03:44 PM
  #9  
Alt's Avatar
Alt
TECH Resident
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: Hampstead, MD
Default

Why don't you search around, I know I have posted in a few. And there are several members that have posted in more lengthy discussions aside from; "Are they better?"
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 04:01 PM
  #10  
Mac 2002 SS's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 916
Likes: 0
From: Richmond, VA.
Default

LONGTUBES !!
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 06:23 PM
  #11  
gillbot's Avatar
11 Second Club
iTrader: (27)
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,397
Likes: 0
From: East Palestine, OH - USA
Default

here we go, not this again. SEARCH!!! There are like eleventy gillion threads on this topic, one with a dyno that shows minimal difference between the two.

IMHO, if you don't have headers, ALWAYS get LT's. If you have macs but don't plan on heavy mods later then it's not worth the switch.
Reply
Old Jun 26, 2008 | 09:18 PM
  #12  
Alt's Avatar
Alt
TECH Resident
iTrader: (6)
 
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: Hampstead, MD
Default

There's my man, gillbot the Mac header man!
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 02:24 AM
  #13  
transwiz's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (26)
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 648
Likes: 1
Default

Get the Long tubes.Just do it.You will be glad you did.They will pay off now and down the road. You will want more mods later,everybody does.
_________________________
2000t/a with lots of mods
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 04:04 AM
  #14  
95 Z28's Avatar
12 Second Club
iTrader: (21)
 
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,406
Likes: 0
From: West Seneca, NY
Default

If you're going to go through the trouble of installing, longtubes are the way to go,
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 04:47 AM
  #15  
razorclaw99's Avatar
12 Second Club
15 Year Member
iTrader: (7)
 
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 0
From: nj
Default

my car came with mac mid headers, and mac y pipe. Im planning on doing nitrous in the future and thats it..Not worth going to long tubes for that?? Im on my stock SS dual dual slp exhaust and i love it..

Sorry if i hi-jacked
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 12:38 PM
  #16  
coondog's Avatar
Thread Starter
Teching In
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: south carolina
Default

Thanks for all the replies. I ordered TSP headers today.
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 02:41 PM
  #17  
gillbot's Avatar
11 Second Club
iTrader: (27)
 
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,397
Likes: 0
From: East Palestine, OH - USA
Default

Originally Posted by razorclaw99
my car came with mac mid headers, and mac y pipe. Im planning on doing nitrous in the future and thats it..Not worth going to long tubes for that?? Im on my stock SS dual dual slp exhaust and i love it..

Sorry if i hi-jacked
I say no, if you are gonna build a big inch or max effort motor, then probably yes.

I made 400RWHP through macs without really trying, oh wait, it was ONLY 399.02RWHP (for the naysayers) and that was on STOCK heads. The dyno thread is up in the dyno section if you wanna search for it. My mod list is also on there.

EDIT: I think the most common problem is people confuse MAC mids with shorties and they just assume they are not good since there is so much misinformation floating around.
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 03:11 PM
  #18  
LSWONGTO's Avatar
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (3)
 
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 574
Likes: 0
From: Ramstein AB, Germany
Default

Tell us how you like the Longtubes after you get them on. And it should make for a nicer growl outback!!
Reply
Old Jun 27, 2008 | 05:24 PM
  #19  
radz282003's Avatar
TECH Resident
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 848
Likes: 0
From: Tree-Hugging, Bug eating CALI'
Default

As far as the sound, I think you'll notice LTs are deeper and to me, offer a cleaner sound. When I went from the MACs to my first QTPs I noticed the exhaust note went from a tenor sound to more bassy. I liked it better and the rasp wan't quite as harsh; it was still there, but not as ear piercing.
Reply
Old Jul 6, 2008 | 01:59 PM
  #20  
Blk_Ws6's Avatar
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (4)
 
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,056
Likes: 0
From: In my Science Lab .
Default

Originally Posted by radz282003
As far as the sound, I think you'll notice LTs are deeper and to me, offer a cleaner sound. When I went from the MACs to my first QTPs I noticed the exhaust note went from a tenor sound to more bassy. I liked it better and the rasp wan't quite as harsh; it was still there, but not as ear piercing.
So your saying the Mac midtube headers are by far more queiter than long tube headers?
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:23 PM.

story-0
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-1
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-3
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-4
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-5
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE
story-8
Five Reasons the Camaro Was the Most Pivotal Player in the Pony Car Wars 2.0

The world was a better place when it was still around.

By Brett Foote | 2026-01-23 09:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Reasons the LS7 Is GM's Most Extreme Naturally Aspirated V8 Engine Ever

Slideshow: The 7.0-liter LS7 was designed for absolute cutting-edge performance.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-07 18:36:00


VIEW MORE