Header suggestions?

[thomasterrible]

I have a 98 WS6. The only mods regarding power increase has been a 242R cam and dyno tune. The rest are stronger upgraded parts.

I am wanting to install a better exhaust on a budget.

I am thining of having a muffler shop do a cat back using Magnaflow mufflers.

I am looking for some headers that are not too pricey as I am on a budget.

I know lots of owners have used many different brands and models and am hoping to get some good feedback to make my choice.

Thanks in advance.

[1998 T/A]

I just did pacesetter LT'S and ORY this thing screams I love the turnout. I spent maybe 170 on ORY and 239 on the actual headers. What other mods do you have? I did fast 92 and nick williams TB for about 1100.

[thomasterrible]

I just did pacesetter LT'S and ORY this thing screams I love the turnout. I spent maybe 170 on ORY and 239 on the actual headers. What other mods do you have? I did fast 92 and nick williams TB for about 1100.

Thanks,
I will look in to those. Prices sound good for sure.

I thought my mods were in my signature but here they are.


Comp Cams 242R cam. Beehive springs. Comp Cams steel caged trunion bearing kit. Moly pushrods. LS7 lifters. LS2 lifter trays. Ported LS6 oil pump. All new GM gaskets needed of course. And dyno tuned at Wong's in Vancouver, Wa.
Recent new Spicer U joints and EBC slotted discs with Hawks HPS 5.0 pads as I needed brakes. Had Goodyear GSD3's on it but due to budget went with BF Goodrich G-Force Sport Comp 2 tires which so far have actually been pretty darn good. I live near Seattle so no real dry weather to turn the traction control off and see how the hook up yet but pleased to date.

I have been having idle issues off and on. Replaced the IAC and Intake air temp sensor. When I can be without needing to drive the car for a bit I am going to clean out from the start of the intake to the end and make sure the TB and the MAF etc. are all clean and no issues.
I would not mind a Blackwing or even LS6 manifold but that is a lot of money and work for me right now. I don't think I have any mods where a larger throttle body would be of use now but do like the look of some of the ported throttle body which i think can look cool too though I don't see Grantelli selling them any longer. I am not the type to do things like remove the MAF screen but would consider other reasonable mods.

For now with having the bigger cam in there I think a lid and exhaust would be a good combination for me and be good for my low budget.

I have not seen any Whisper Lids around so will probably go with a SLP if I don't find one of those. The Volant is sort of OK IMO but expensive and it would have to seal really well with the ram air hood for me to be interested.

So that's what's up with this car right now. It has 60K miles on it right now so hoping it will last me a while and I feel like I am not getting the most out of the money I have already spent on the cam by not having the exhaust on it. The tuner said that after I installed exhaust he would do a tweak to the tune for a "nominal fee" which I hope is pretty nominal. The dyno tune after the parts were installed was $450 plus tax. But I did not want to go with a generic program and this guy was highly recommended and does nothing but LS motors as far as I can tell.

I think the exhaust would add enough power to warrant the expense and makes sense having the bigger cam in there.

[0rion]

can get stainless headers on ebay for about $170......you would have to come up with a Y pipe that would work with them though.

[thomasterrible]

Thanks I will look in to that. Just not sure how to tell which are better designed aside from the materials....

[pajeff02]

The good stuff is pricey -- Kooks, Stainless Works, etc... You want to plan your system so that everything works together - primarily the headers and Y-pipe. If you plan on upgrading your torque arm setup at some point, that is also something you need to consider. Certain Y-pipes will accommodate certain torque arms and vice versa. You want full length headers and not the shortys, preferably in stainless but a coated header can be found for less $$. One thing to pay attention to is the position of the O2 sender bungs in the collectors. The tip of the O2 sender should point downward so that moisture cannot collect on it during cold startup. Some of the earlier knockoff headers positioned the O2 senders incorrectly.

[thomasterrible]

The good stuff is pricey -- Kooks, Stainless Works, etc... You want to plan your system so that everything works together - primarily the headers and Y-pipe. If you plan on upgrading your torque arm setup at some point, that is also something you need to consider. Certain Y-pipes will accommodate certain torque arms and vice versa. You want full length headers and not the shortys, preferably in stainless but a coated header can be found for less $$. One thing to pay attention to is the position of the O2 sender bungs in the collectors. The tip of the O2 sender should point downward so that moisture cannot collect on it during cold startup. Some of the earlier knockoff headers positioned the O2 senders incorrectly.

Thanks for the advice.
I will check try to plan things out as well as possible. It helps when someone else has used a certain brand and had it fit well.
I am just at the point where I don't want to sink too much money in to this as I have more modest plans than I had planned but still think this
would be worth the effort if the cost is reasonable.

[1998 T/A]

I was on the fence with the ls6 or the FAST 92 and I'm glad I went with the FAST. check out ls1tech.com parts classifieds it's way bigger and you might be able to pick up a used unit. ls6 intakes are a dime a dozen on there always coming up..you'll be amazed once you open up the airflow on these cars via exhaust and intake...I'm very pleased with my intake a TB and glad I did it before the heads and cam.

[pajeff02]

You are going about it the right way -- do your research and make an informed decision. Let us know what you go with.

[thomasterrible]

You are going about it the right way -- do your research and make an informed decision. Let us know what you go with.

Thanks much, Will both let you know what I end up doing. How it works (well hopefully) and when I can get in with the tuner what sort of gains I get out of it.

Thanks for the help!

[raynor139]

I've tried a couple different setups y-pipe to magnaflow catback. Then added a cutout. Now I have true duals dumped at the rear axle. They were great till I went to the larger gears last month with the new rear end. The sound is great but highway drone is alot worse. My Texas speed headers are still in great shape so thinking about getting kook true duals that go all the way out the rear. Y pipe setups are much more economical but I love the sound of duals.

[kingls1]

I have the OBX headers from ebay, the price is right and come with the y-pipe and you can get them with high flow cats or resonators (what I have). They have great fitment along with ground clearance and are in my opinion quality built. Some of the nicest welds I ever seen (was a welder by trade for over 16yrs)and after 3+ yrs still look good. They are mated up to a Magna Flow cat back IMO has the baddest sound out there.

[0rion]

I have the OBX headers from ebay, the price is right and come with the y-pipe and you can get them with high flow cats or resonators (what I have). They have great fitment along with ground clearance and are in my opinion quality built. Some of the nicest welds I ever seen (was a welder by trade for over 16yrs)and after 3+ yrs still look good. They are mated up to a Magna Flow cat back IMO has the baddest sound out there.

this is the set up I would get if I were in the market for headers......seems like I remember them being a little cheaper but $500 for stainless headers and Y is tough to beat and from everything I've read the quality is top notch on these headers.

[pajeff02]

Jeff's exhaust setup looks and sounds awesome.

[thomasterrible]

Jeff's exhaust setup looks and sounds awesome.

What is the setup he has? Also I am interested if you have anything to say about the suggestion for the OBX headers?

I got some suggestions when I had the dyno tune done because he was so familiar with LS cars but I can't afford Amercian
Racing headers from the prices I have seen. He also recommended a Magnaflow cat back/muffler but said that it was very loud.
I can look on YouTube to try to hear the differences between Magnaflow and Borla etc. but don't think that will give me a very accurate
picture of how loud it sounds in person.
The car is not exactly quiet stock. I think this is due to the lack of sound insulation and a lot of glass like the tops and back hatch etc..
I hear a lot of road noise from the tires etc. too. So "loud" is relative. I would not want something annoying loud but hearing a nice tone
of the motor would be quite nice. I realize this is subjective but thought I would mention it. This is my daily driver so I will hope to like
the sound I will be hearing quite a bit.

Also about a Y pipe. While I currently am not planning on an extreme build, mostly due to the expense,
it is possible I might do something down the road such as the torque arm or other common suspension mods just to help the car hook up and
launch straighter which has been an issue. I don't know how to plan for a part I have yet to select much less install though.
I am also open to advice about a Y pipe vs true duals. If it might be more work and possible interference going with duals vs a Y pipe
etc. and if there are strong reasons for selecting one vs the other. I do plan on having the exhaust exit at the stock locations, only have
two exits vs the single exit pipe as is stock on my 98.

I am going to try to find a muffler shop that is familiar with doing exhaust systems for my particular car. I don't have a specific one
located yet. I live in the Seattle area.
I used to have one years ago I could rely on their opinions but don't have that any longer. I am wanting to learn if it is less expensive for them
to install the exhaust made themselves with their pipe and a muffler of my choice or if an aftermarket cat back kit is less expensive or if there are fitment advantages etc..

I have emailed a few manufacturers asking them questions about their product to see what they have to say but expect pretty biased answers.

Basically I want to avoid buying anything that is going to have compatibility or fitment issues. And obviously a big theme here for me is bang for the buck on my budget.

I appreciate the advice from you and others very much.

[thomasterrible]

I am seeing the headers along for around $300. With resonators around $500. With high flow cats around &750.
As I mentioned using high flow cats vs the stock ones or another choice is something I have questions about.
The headers themselves seem OK being made from the SS and the price reasonable for me. It is a good start.

[pajeff02]

Stock cats will not fit a header setup. High flow cats are positioned in the Y-pipe downstream from the collectors. I run Kooks high flow cats on our car - wanted to keep at least something on the car street legal.

[kingls1]

I have the OBX headers from ebay, the price is right and come with the y-pipe and you can get them with high flow cats or resonators (what I have). They have great fitment along with ground clearance and are in my opinion quality built. Some of the nicest welds I ever seen (was a welder by trade for over 16yrs)and after 3+ yrs still look good. They are mated up to a Magna Flow cat back IMO has the baddest sound out there.

Jeff's exhaust setup looks and sounds awesome.

This is the set up he is referring to, as far as cats you will have to go with some type of aftermarket and preferably high flow cause if your going through the expense to open up the exhaust why choke it with regular cats. If you don't have emissions then resonators will work fine. Also my Magnaflow is by know means loud until your in the throttle. I would save for a complete system of headers and cat back as I don't know to many muffler shops who have mandrel benders and R&D in building a quality fit pipe such as a Magnaflow or Kooks. Just Saying

[kingls1]

Stock cats will not fit a header setup. High flow cats are positioned in the Y-pipe downstream from the collectors. I run Kooks high flow cats on our car - wanted to keep at least something on the car street legal.

You won by one minute

[pajeff02]

I'll take it!