K guys, being the owner of 2 sets of edlebrock shortys and finally figuring out that TPIs already have enough T/Q and need more HP, Im goin with Long tubes, yes I know it will be a little harder to work on and I will have to watch what I drive over, but this is not my daily driver Thats what my Grand Cherokee is for. What do you think is the best? Post your opinion and your poll.

 

for your application i would go with long tubes

 

aren't long tubes better suited for low rpms torque

this way when the exhaust gas pulse has hit the collector it will send a low pressure zone to make it easier for the gas to get out of the cyl. also it when the gas leaves the collector it will try to take anything from the other primary tubes.

now the lower your rpms the more time you have to get all this in motion so you want a long tube for that

but in a high rpm motor things are going so quick that you want to have a short tube header b/c it is easier to covor the shorter distance in that time

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much, even the so-called "long tube" F body headers are pretty short compared to a real header.

 

they are? have you ever seen the hooker LT? the sure look like real headers to me.

 

Ya last time I checked Long tubes for 3rd Gens, Were Long

 

Actually the length of the collectors has more to do with RPM range than the length of the primaries. And of course with shortie headers, they're not gonna have a long collector.

Not saying that the longer primaries don't help low RPM range, but you can increase the effective RPM range on long tube headers by using a shorter collector. So I don't see why using a longer collector on shorties wouldn't have the equal yet opposite effect.

AJ

 

Had them both on my 383, tested them at the track and the LTs perform better......hands down. Better low end grunt, better top end power...........

Just my .02 cents worth and past experience................

Take a look..............

http://www.geocities.com/cfrios/Phil...l?996948051310

 

ok I really do not see how having a long collector would make much difference on what rpm range the header would run under
and being that on most cars the collector is the same size as your exhaust piping...... it is not going to make much difference


it is how long the primary tubes are that makes the difference on where the powerband of the collector is
I kinda went into it a little bit off my last post

all the collector really will do is make all 4 header tubes go into one tube.... create a lot of turb, and cause a low pressure wave to flow back to the exhaust valve. now how long the collector will not make a difference as to how strong the wave is.


but if you can give me further insight as to why you say the collector makes more of a difference please share. cause as is the norm for me I don't mind b eing proven wrong just as long as I can learn something

 

Sure they look like real headers, but the primaries are only 28" long.

 

i think that the collector length does matter only when you arent running any pipes. I have read several articles were they changed the length of the collectors to change the peak power of the engine, but I think with a car with an exhaust system, the length of the collector would be irrelevant because the pipes go on back, just my .02

 

Most people are forgetting the obvious performance difference here. When people think of performance shorty headers they immediately think of the SLP 1-3/4" headers because they are the only shorty 1-3/4" that is available. But, the problem with these headers is that the collector narrows down to 2.2". Yes, the collector gasket is 2.5" but just inside the collector it narrows down to 2.2". That totally sucks. The hooker long tubes offer a true 3" collector. Simply put - they can flow more at higher RPMs (especially on bigger cubed or forced induction engines) because the SLP collector is just too darn small.

Tim

 

I have never understood the whole collector thing either. I do know NASCAR teams are real concerned with collector length, and they run pipes, but they are shorter than what we have on a full system. Robert Yates has said that longer collectors create more torque, w/o a sacrafice in high RPM HP. If I would have known I could get LT headers to fit with my manual trans, I would have bought them.

 

only way I can see the collector making any difference is if it is NOT the same size as the rest of the exhaust pipe

but if it is the same size I can't see much difference there

 

You have to understand what they mean by 'collector'.

It's not the length of the actual collector pipe itself that matters. It's the length of the transition where the 4 pipes meet.

I assume that by making a smoother transition that it increases scavenging and tunes the pulse waves better. And we all know what that does. MORE TORQUE!!!!

AJ

 

wellyou put it that way and I understand

I just don't see why I didn't think of that

smoother change = more power

 

Okay, I understand now.

Thanks,

 

If your motor demands anything larger than a dual 2-1/4" setup then you are screwed if you run the SLP 1-3/4" because the collector is necked down to 2.2".

Tim

 

I am correct that a Long Tube will give you more HP then a Edlebrock shorty right?

 

long tubes will give you more power period, the problem with them is you have to run a very custom exhuast system, or dish out some big $$$ for a mufflex system. or make one yourself, which I am considering doing if I can find enough info on it.

 

Custom exhaust?

 

duals=custom

 

Is it possible (read enough room) to use LTs with dual cats attached to the collectors then into a 'Y' pipe to a single cat back like seen on some of the LS1 f-bodys. The factory after cat 'Y' pipe looks so inefficient. which is why I'd like to try to engineer my own system maybe using something like Flowmasters 'Y' pipe but on a 3 1/2" catback system. This would be something I would have to fabricate since no one makes this type of system. It may be more efficient than shorties and the stock cat system layout if room permits.

 

Any opinions.

 

92BLKL98,

YES, it is possible, in fact, the shop that made me my muffler setup said he could do just that. He showed me some "NEW" Random Technologies CATS that were 3" in/out and very small. They could easily be used just after each header collector, before the y section. Call RT or check their site for more information, I don't know the part number. I don't have any CATS on my car nor do I plan to add them........

 

Definitely long tubes!! So far my car has picked up 4 tenths and 3mph over shorty headers. The shorties were only 1-5/8" but it just goes to show that healthier engines need to breathe. And if you think you got torque now....wait until you get the long tubes on. OMG!! :rockon:

 

I already have Random Tech. cats but they are the size used on the factory dual cat exhaust. I think 2 1/4", the car sure responded to these over the factory cats. By the way what about the cats being so close to the trans. any fluid temp issues? I noticed you have a manual gearbox. Mine is A4. I guess I could fab up some heat shields, no big deal. How's the T-5 handling the 383. I may eventually convert mine to T-56. I plan the 383 build up when the 350 dies, this engine thinks it's immortal with 196,000 mi. it still runs better than ever. Oh, does anyone know if you can get LTs with AIR tubes? I would like to keep the emissions intact since Georgia is kind of **** about testing.

 

Is it possible to have headers that are too big for a given motor? What would that affect? By the way, I have some hooker comp shorty headers (1 5/8) and I lost bottom end torque when I put them in. I really wasn't expecting that. Also, most of the people I've talked to have gained bottom end torque (or so they say) from the exact same headers. They're cars have all been 305 tpi or 350s though. Mine is a 305 tbi. Whats the deal?

 

Are the Hooker 2460 Headers with AIR and an O2 sensor bung emision legal? I really don't give a s*** about Calif and their hokey CARB just the 49 state legal stuff.