Great, thanks a lot. I swear the best thing in the car realm second to the fbody are these forums. It's so great to learn so much from all you guys. What's the difference between the long tubes and the short tubes, both design and performance, and would it be worth just removing the cat, or buying a high flow, or what?

 

Longtubes usually have better flow and are longer, hence the name, and have a shorter Y Pipe. Shorty headers can be really small or medium length, have a larger Y Pipe, and usually have less flow. Now, you might say "Why would anybody get short headers?" Because Longtubes are absolutely not emissions legal, shorties usually are. Longtubes also have lots of ground clearance issues, especially on lowered cars, and often require a custom Y pipe to be made.

As for the cats, don't spend the time gutting them. High flow cats are totally NOT worth the money, at all. Catalytic converters are technologically advanced enough so that you won't gain any more than 5-10 horses out of a highflow. If you ask me, 5-10 horses aren't worth 400 dollars when you can buy a 50 dollar cutout and get the same function with more power out of it. Go with the cutout.

Glad to help

 

Very Basics:

Longtubes: Generally equal length primaries that are 1-3/4 inches.
Shorties: Generally not equal length primaries but some are, the tubing is generally 1-5/8 inches and a lot shorter.

Y-pipes for both systems vary, but longtube setups will always generate more power. Longtubes can also be made into street legal headers, just weld O2 bungs on them(most come with them now) and AIR Tube fittings and your set.