Auto Trends

With todays popularity of performance tuning, many vehicles out on the road today have at least a few custom modifications done to their ride to make it stand out. The easiest of these are an air intake system (cold air, ram, etc.), muffler swap, and the performance tune/chip. Beyond these simple “bolt-on’s” are a few moderate to hard projects. It is these ladder projects that are going to set your ride apart from the average enthusiast, such as the addition of a good set of headers… either shorty or long tube will do just fine!

What is the difference between long and short you ask?

Shorty’s will bolt up to your stock exhaust manifold without any altercation of the basic exhaust system. They are generally 50 state street legal and will offer medium sound and performance upgrades. This is your best bet for most newer smog/emission equipped vehicles.

Long tubes are just that… long, which means that they will need the catalytic converter relocated as well as parts of the stock exhaust. Occasionally they can give slight ground clearance problems on a lowered car, but they do offer the most sound, performance, and MPG gains over the shorty’s in most all cases.

Generally speaking, it is best to plan out your entire exhaust (and engine, for that matter) project before purchasing and installing any one component. The reason you do this is because depending on whether you get shorty’s or long tubes, your entire exhaust set-up may need to be altered. Also, if you plan on going turbo at some point in the future, you will be talking about a whole different exhaust header system.

Once you have your plan, you can either buy a bolt together kit through MAC, JBA, etc… or go to a shop, such as Meineke to request a custom exhaust set-up. Kits run from the $200’s to $1,000’s. To get the most for your money, eBay has sellers (e-world for example) that sell quality header kits at “knock-off” prices. Make sure to check their warranty and seller rating before placing a bid.

When taking bids for a shop to put the headers in, make sure to get a full account of what they are going to have to do to install the headers. This will be where your price can really elevate. In general headers can be installed in three hours or less for shorty’s on the typical vehicle for around $250 ($75 an hour labor-standard).

Some cars involve dropping the engine and removing major components that can raise the price into the $1,000 range. If the price of install prices you are receiving seem a bit high, take the time to make sure the price reflects the work that will be done. Some shops quote high without even knowing what work will be involved… they just assume the worst and pocket the excessive profit. Good for them… but bad for you!

What is in it for you once the headers are in?

Besides increased horsepower, gas mileage, and a deep exhaust tone… they look great in your engine bay, reduce temperatures under the hood (ceramic coated, “Jet Hot”), and can make the difference in missing an accident on the highway where a jolt of acceleration can put you in the clear.

Okay, so this last one might be a bit far fetched, but when you are faced with trying to talk your spouse into the extra expense… every little bit helps!

Tip: Chrome may look cool, but it can accelerate the breakdown of the metal composition of the headers and cause premature holes and leaks. Chrome is not highly recommended for most header applications.