5spdftw

Well as I'm sure you can tell from many of my previous rants on the subject, I live in California and long tubes are a no-no. The question is: should I even bother with a set of CARB legal JBA shorties or just put that money towards something else. Also, what will new shorties actually do for me sound/performance wise?

Thrashard340

IMO, I wouldn't bother with shorties. The factory manifolds are basically a shorty design. Any type of benefits swapping out the factory units will only be gained with long tubes.

yfz450killer

Why are long tubes a no no in cali? Not even sure why I am asking since its illegal to do anything in California.

danzcool

Long tubes are a no-go in California since they either remove or replace the factory CATs, and the C.A.R.B. is completely illogical in it's implementation of SMOG control. Tailpipe emissions should be the only thing that matters, but that would be way too logical.

On the other side, even the JBA shorties that have a CARB EO are a gray area for your car since the EO only officially covers 2005 and 2006 mustangs. (JBA, I think hasn't resubmitted to cover the rest of the 3-valve 4.6L engines). I'm guessing many smog shops wouldn't bother looking up the EO to see if it is specific to you vehicle/year, and if you have the sticker in your engine compartment I doubt any COPS would bother once seeing an EO.
As far as performance, not sure, I've heard it helps a bit throughout the RPM range as opposed to LT's that add 25ish at high RPMs.

2FNQUIK

Stick with the mani's, shorties aren't worth much in HP dept. might change the sound of your exhaust though but not by much

5spdftw

Damn. All I have is an axle back and I'm already running out of legal mods.

Thrashard340

In Cali, you can mod anything behind the CATs. So X-pipe/H-pipe is fair game as long as they aren't the O/R versions.

I don't know what the head pipes look like on a 2010, but on a 2011 & 2012 there is a choke point between the CAT and the H-pipe. So it is still beneficial to add an after CAT X or H pipe provided you get a tune to go along with it.

jdmcbride

The JBA shorty headers is one of my favorite mods.

The factory manifolds and aftermarket FRPP shorties are not same as the JBA's shorty headers. JBAs have equal length primaries which improves exhaust flow (much like long tubes except shorter) - I could tell a difference in the butt dyno department, although minimal, and the exhaust tone improved compared to stock. The factory manifolds and FRPP shorties have a very short primary in the rear with each primary increasing in length moving forward for each exhaust port - not good for exhaust scavenging.

Long tubes are great for cars that go to the track and see a lot of the upper RPMs. They make more rwhp up top but they also experience a loss of torque down low. That is why most cars with long tubes also run 4.10s. IMO, the JBA shorties are great for a daily driver...

JBA Shorties Pros:
5 - 8 more rwhp (long tubes usually add 10 - 13 rwhp when used with regular cats)
No loss of torque when used with the factory catted mid-pipe - great for a daily driver!
Evens out exhaust pulses - sounds great!
JBA Shorties weigh less than the factory cast iron manifolds and are much lighter than full-length long tubes
Improve the look under the hood compared to the stock rusting manifolds
Price - I got my ceramic shorties for less than $400 & no need to purchase a new mid-pipe
No need to worry about aftermarket HF cats failing or driving around catless (log truck)

JBA Shorties Con:
Hearing that its long tubes or nothing... LOL

Thrashard340

Disregard my recommendation. Just noticed OP has a 2010 and not a Coyote. The manifold/header designs are different for these years.

daredevil95

I wouldn't waste my time with shorties, there's no real HP gain for the money and effort. Sucks you can't have LTs in Cali.