Equal length vs regular shortie headers
05-15-2009, 01:00 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 128
Equal length vs regular shortie headers
I plan on keeping my engine stock. Just the normal bolt-ons. Headers, X-pipe, smog pump delete and pulleys. My question is the HP that much of a difference. My car is a weekend/Sunday driver. I'm not concerned with squeezing every once of power out of it. http://www.uprproducts.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=2046 has a nice set of stainless shorties for $179. I like the way they look and they have great service so I want to buy all I can from them.
Last edited by 87GT Drop Top; 05-15-2009 at 01:14 PM.
05-15-2009, 01:44 PM
#3
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: atlanta Georgia
Posts: 740
05-15-2009, 01:54 PM
#5
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,217
I have never installed them myself i have just heard of people having some difficulties. I personally just don't see what justifies the extra cost. He said he was not interested in squeezing every inch of power out.
05-15-2009, 02:58 PM
#6
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 218
dont even bother with shorty headers get some long tubes they will help you down the line and cause less issues with your mid pipe ground clearance.
Last edited by 86whitepony; 05-15-2009 at 03:09 PM. Reason: typo
05-15-2009, 03:46 PM
#7
1st Gear Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 124
Basically what you're dealing with a cost/benefit analysis -
Regular shorties are FINE for stock applications. They dont (usually) require changes to the h-pipe/cats, they're (usually) easier to install, and they're cheaper.
TUNED shorties are more commonly used in applications where the owner is trying to squeeze more ponies from the engine.
Tuned shorties use primaries that are equal length, and, as such, cause the exhaust gas pulse width to end on a node, rather than an anti-node/mid extension. This helps with exhaust gas scavenging.
Shorties used without a complete air tract (intake, heads, headers etc.) defeat the purpose of tuned headers. As the air/exhaust speeds up and slows down as it moves through the motor it kills the positive linear acceleration curve that would otherwise be obtained through the use of a polised system.
/physics.
Regular shorties are FINE for stock applications. They dont (usually) require changes to the h-pipe/cats, they're (usually) easier to install, and they're cheaper.
TUNED shorties are more commonly used in applications where the owner is trying to squeeze more ponies from the engine.
Tuned shorties use primaries that are equal length, and, as such, cause the exhaust gas pulse width to end on a node, rather than an anti-node/mid extension. This helps with exhaust gas scavenging.
Shorties used without a complete air tract (intake, heads, headers etc.) defeat the purpose of tuned headers. As the air/exhaust speeds up and slows down as it moves through the motor it kills the positive linear acceleration curve that would otherwise be obtained through the use of a polised system.
/physics.
05-15-2009, 04:41 PM
#9
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,120
if your buying new, i dont see why to spend the extra on equal..i got mine from a buddy, they werent hard to put on so dont let that be a reason of not going with them..but regular shorties are gonna be cheaper...n still better than stock kinked/dented pos's...
05-15-2009, 05:33 PM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: SC
Posts: 2,401
Get the shortys you have listed. With the stock engine you won't see tremendous power gains with the long tubes and you say you plan on keeping it stock. Less hassle this way and a decent upgrage over the stockers. Running a stock 87 engine you'll be fine and may pick up a few ponies.