shorty or long tubes?

[lancesT/A]

which is better for performance, shorty headers or long tubes. also which one bolt on easier. i heard that shorties bolt right on and long tubes require welding. just want some opinions thanks.

[Wesman]

There is no comparison in terms of performance, Long tubes outperform shorties by a huge margin. Shortys generally don't provide much gain, because the stock LS1 manifolds flow almost as well.

As for welding, its not necessary as long as you get a Y-pipe to match your long tube headers. With the right Y-pipe, you merely hook the headers to the front, and connect the back side to your existing catback, and secure it all with exhaust band clamps. If you want a custom setup, then yes, welding will obviously be required, but thats not necessary to install LT headers.