Hey guys, new here so still learning the search style of this forum.

I'm kinda shocked there isn't a header sticky? I've got a bone stock 95 Z28 and am looking to buy headers for it. Going to get long tubes, ORY and a cat-back, or ory back I guess to have a complete system.

for this year i'm just going to be doing the full exhaust and a CAI for a supporting mod

I've been looking around at them an I'm seeing lots of different sizes, 1 3/4, 1 7/8, 1 3/8 etc. How should I figure out what size I"m looking for?

 

Pacesetter- 1-3/4
Hooker- 1-3/4
LPP- 1-3/4 stepped 1-7/8
Have been on some of the quickest cars out there.

 

People run different size headers depending on the power they plan on producing, keep in mind bigger is not always better, your best bet is to call a manufacturer and discuss your goals so you feel confident in your choice. That being said a 1 3/4 with 3" collector is most likely what your looking for.

I don't know your budget or how far you want to take the car but keep in mind the cheaper headers do not generally fit as well as the more expensive brands, less money usually means less accurate fit as well as less ground clearance. Many choose pacesetters and I hear mostly good about them once coated, I myself run stainless kooks and am happy.

next you'll need to decide if emissions is important and if you want to keep EGR or not and now is the time to do plugs and wires if necessary.

 

looking at these

https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...2239/overview/

fairly budgeted, having a baby soon! haha just some mild power adders this year. I just got the car and it hasnt ran in nearly 3 years, so mostly just freshening it up.

 

Keep in mind you will want to have them jet hot coated or they will rust and those are with a EGR delete in mind.

I believe these retain EGR https://www.summitracing.com/parts/p...FZe6wAod7vYLew

 

whats the egr delete? I've never worked on these cars before, so im still researching

 

pretty sure this

https://www.summitracing.com/int/par...illocation=int

is the matching ORY, but does it follow the stock exhaust routing?

 

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_EGR.html

This website is very valuable keep it in mind.

 

I would assume that is the correct Y but I would call when ordering to make sure. If you've never worked on these cars be advised everything is a nightmare that's why fitment is important. Start spraying bolts down with PB blaster a few days before you start removing anything.

Also I would recommend removing the EGR if you don't have to pass emissions as it cleans up the engine bay a lot though it may require PCM re-programming to disable it's detection but you need re-programming anyways as you will be deleting 2 O2 sensors, and don't forget the extension wiring for them for the longtubes.

 

trying to figure out now if ill have to buy a new cat on top of this or if it will feed into the down stream normally. what are high flow cats worth?

 

well ORY means just that off road because it replaces the cats, do you need to pass emissions where you live?

 

Forget longtubes of your trying to keep cats. Unless you put them in the y pipe your not going to get them in the stock location.

 

Don't get the standard painted headers because they will start rusting in a very short time on a daily driver car. As much work as it is to install them you might as well go with ceramic or stainless headers.

 

I had my ceramic coated Pacesetters rot out. The car has seen almost every snow storm since '08 or '09, and the coating couldn't handle the salt.

Just food for thought.

 

I had the Hooker super comp long tubes and they were great once they were in. Getting them in was a pain in the ***, had to hammer the floor on the passenger side and dent the primary on the driver side for the steering rag joint. Power increase was great.
Last year I went to edlebrock mids because passing smog was getting expensive without cats in CA. I can say the fit and finish of them is amazing and I didn't notice any power loss in the seat dyno.
If emissions is a thing you need to pass I would go mids. I passed really well with the mids and a CARB compliant magnaflow cat. I had hooked up the egr and AIR but never restored it in the tune so basically just with a new cat I passed.

 

@nomoneyz I've been looking at all the different types, I've heard alot of people say that mids are a waste of time?

I was most likely going to get the basic painted ones and find a local shop to powder coat whatever i end up with

 

You cant powder coat headers, You want to look into Jet-Hot coatings they also reduce under hood temps.

 

Jet Hot is a brand, and a rather expensive brand of ceramic coating. There are plenty of ceramic coaters around the country, so you should be able to find someone local who will do the work.

It must be a ceramic coating, though. Don't powder coat.

 

It would be cheaper to buy ceramic coated headers than getting painted headers ceramic coated somewhere.

 

I would get the mid length ceramic coated Pacesetters. Just bought them for my 95 Formula and they fit just fine. Comes with EGR, AIR, and O2 sensor hookups. Also comes with a y pipe in the stock location. No clearance or emissions issues like long tubes. I gutted the cat and have a 3 inch Hooker catback. I noticed a huge difference in power and it sounds badass! Only $500 for the headers with y pipe and definitely worth it. Long tubes are definitely better than shorties but mid lengths are just a little shorter than long tubes and there is probably a very minimal difference between the two. Unless you're building a 500+ hp car, I would just go with the mid lengths.