i just installed my long tube headers is it all right to drive the car around open headers for the time being till i put the y pipe on...i heard people say that iits not good for the o2s...i was thinking on running it at the track like this as well.

 

A few days is alright, but if you're planning to run open headers for an extended period you might regret it. The cold air cools the engine faster and you could end up with a warped valve.

 

Cold air will hurt an exhaust valve, but that is when you don't run a manifold or have a leak at the head. Since you have long tube headers you won't hurt the valves.

It will be noisy and tune will be off, but it won't 'hurt' it per se. Also it will not hurt the O2s. They are heated, but they may not maintain their proper heat range with exhaust open.

I run open header all the time and never had any problems beyond false knock, running rich (if tune not compensated)...

Good luck

 

yea u wont have a problem when we cam back from the track my one cutout was still open and there was no issue

 

yea i know the cutouts was still open but ur o2s were not right their...i thought that it would really **** them up but i guess not...plus iam only going to ride around with them open for a little while...u know have a little fun... plus its really to loud to stay like that all the time

 

lol yea drove my like that for a few days... its insanily loud... i avoided town until i got the exhaust put on!

 

it wont hurt enthing, i ran open header for a week it was awesome

 

I wouldn't race it like that but it's fine to run it around for a little bit....

would like to see what hillbilly track would let you run uncapped anyways.... most all of them require mufflers or some type of decibel limit...

 

I hope I haven't warped a valve on my car then. I'm pretty sure that my exhaust leak I have is up around the head somewhere. It sounds a little weird sometimes, like there may be something more than an exhaust leak.

 

the only thing ive ever heard is that you want 18 inches(about the length of a muffler) past the collector for the o2's sake. my guess is heat may build up at the collector. what does your exhaust leak or what you are hearing sound like?

 

That is ball park to keep the o2 and tune happy. If you have a tune and cant compensate 12 - 18" will keep o2 happy and keep mixture correct

 

I ran open headers for a little bit and had problems with the car running a bit rich, and the fillings in my teeth getting shook out, but other than that its awesome..

 

Try leaving CA you will be amazed how the rest of the states still let us have fun. Hell even Fla still has open exhaust and they have conjestion of people close to CA for the tracks I went to

 

You will need ear plugs, or surgery after awhile.......

 

ur probably right battleship about that. I need to leave cali...

 

I don't really know how to explain it. I'm going to be redoing my whole exhaust system with LT's and true duals here in a week or two. If it is any more than an exhaust leak, then it'll still do it after the new exhaust is done, then I'll get it checked out.

 

sometimes cars make more power from a longer exhaust as long as its not to small because you get the scavenging effect.

 

If you have the Y pipe, put it on. Open headers for a short time will probably be fine, but I'd expect your O2's to fail if you leave it like that too long.

 

I keep hearing 18 inches in this thread. 18 inches from what? From the collector of a long tube, which long tube. I mean aren't they all a little bit different in length between manufactures?

The reason I ask is cause I have the useless edelbrock shorties with the y pipe and the track time I have in I have unbolted the cat back exaust. I have a pipe and machined beveled adapter for the cat back attachment that eliminated the catalitic, ( shhhhh, don't tell). So where am I in the scheme of things of 18
inches?

 

Don't know about the shorty's, but if your a good 18" back from the 02s you'll be fine, thats were collectors work well too, plus they will help move the torque curve lower in the RPMs where you want it, running open headers won't hurt anything (just your wallet when you get pulled over lol), but running open just past the 02s (talking LTs with NO extentions) will cause a rich mixture do too a lean reading (running cool) that the 02s are sending back to the PCM, now with an Ory, the drivers side will have more length in the pipe then on the pass side, so in reality, the pass side 02 will run cooler then the drivers side 02, thus throwing the reading off from side too side, thats why its best to run a full exhaust or equal length extentions, thats where the X pipe comes in handy, it keeps things equally balanced, as for the noise of open headers, i say BAD ***, they sound great!!!!