I'm making this post to hopefully clear up some of the hearsay about all the different kinds of headers> These are the facts about who makes them, what they're made of/what coatings they come with, and other facts you might want to know about all the headers available for our cars.
The Other Guy's Headers (TOG's):Specs: Made by The Other Guy's Performance. Standard ceramic coating, optional "silver ceramic" (high shine) coating. There are also older versions that were nickel plated, which I have.
Ceramic coating:
Nickel plated:
Can be found at:
http://www.3800performance.com/Merchant ... ct_Count=1For sale on the forums from time to time.
TOG’s regular headers:
General: These headers use 14 gauge tubing and oem style steel flanges that are ½ inch thick. There are two coatings available. Nickel coating which is standard and a silver ceramic coating. The difference is mainly in the appearance of the headers TOG’s claim the coating is good to 2200 degrees. Both these coatings are fairly high quality and hold up well to abuse of the high temp exhaust temps made by forced induction motors.
Pipe Size: The header outlet is 3inches, Cross over pipe diameter is also 3 inches. The primaries are 1&5/8 inch diameter and have a 3 inch outlet. These headers were the first to power a l67 vehicle into the 11’s they work well with high to moderate boost levels. If you thinking of running a 3.0 inch pulley and smaller along with a cam you will want to consider these headers. These headers showed a 18hp and 16 ft-lb of torque gain on an otherwise stock gtp at the wheels.
TOG Extreme Headers:
These headers offer the same as above however they have larger 1&3/4 inch primaries and a 3-inch outlet. What is the reason for larger primaries? The answer is what goes in must come out. On vehicles with big duration/high lift cams, high flowing cylinder heads with larger valves, ported blowers and larger throttle bodies allowing more air into the combustion chamber a high flowing efficient header is needed. This set of headers was well designed to compliment a high power m90 setup. If you planning on running a smaller then 3.0 pulley and are gunning for the 11’s this is an excellent header choice.
TOG Big Dog Headers:
These are the biggest set of headers available for the l67. With 2 inch primaries, a 3inch cross over and a 4 inch outlet. Now bigger is not always better. These headers will be overkill for most applications. Also with such large primaries a loss in low end could be noticed on certain setups. These headers would probably compliment more efficient power adders setups such as a large displacement whipple charger or centrifugal supercharger like a novi 2000. Seeing as centrifugal supercharger like the novi will not make nearly as much low end torque as a 2.3L whipple charger. These headers do not have any egr provisions. But even then it is questionable on weather or not these are just to big and with a near 1400-dollar price tag makes these more of a hardcore mod.
OVERVIEW:
Pros:
-TOG's are considered to be one of the best headers produced for the Series II and III L67/32 and L36/26.
-They show good gains on stock cars and even better gains on modded cars.
-They use compressible, metal "donut" style gaskets to seal the headers to the crossover, which allow for proper flange alignment and a good seal. By torquing down on the metal gasket it forms to the flanges and creates an airtight seal.
-ZZP's bolt-int TOG downpipe is also shared with their turbo kit, so if you have TOG's with ZZP's downpipe and decide to go turbo, you do not need a new downpipe.
Cons:
-Hard to come by now
-Requires the transmission fluid dipstick tube to be bent or replaced with a pre-bent tube. I bent mine slightly by pulling it forward on the crossover, then bolting it in place.
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Street Legal Performance (SLP) Headers:Specs:
409 Stainless Steel coated with an aluminum-ceramic high polish coating (Jet-Hot). Made by SLP, which has a lot of experience with making good power out of late model/new GM cars.
Can be found at:
http://www.slponline.com/view_product.a ... IG=30070-1http://www.pfyc.com/pc/WB5009/GPEXH/SLP ... -body.htmlhttp://www.3800performance.com/Merchant ... ct_Count=0For sale on forums from time to time.
There are also eBay knockoffs, which are covered later.
General:
They are very similar to the regular TOG’s. The design is also about as close as one can get to long tube headers for a w-body vehicle. These headers are constructed out of 409 stainless steel with a .055” thickness. Jet hot 1200 degree coating was the coating SLP using however some owners experienced early failure of this coating also some complaints were noted about ticking noise due to the nature of the flex pipe. Early designs also had some problems with banging in a high throttle reverse application. Polyurethane upper motor mounts are recommended if you experience this problem. Installation of these headers is fairly straight forward however the down pipe and flex are both welded to the rear header, which makes installing this piece difficult. Some owners have opted to cut this pipe off and flange it. The high flow cat or off road pipe is not included and the install kit will also be needed. Depending on the setup a 15-20 hp gain can be expected. This is a good header choice for those running a 3.0-3.25 pulley. Along with the regular TOG’s a sub 3-inch pulley can be use but only with the appropriate modifications.
Pipe Size: They have a 2.25-inch cross over and 3.0 inch outlet. Primaries are also 1&5/8 like the regular TOG’s.
OVERVIEW:
Pros:
-Along with TOG's, these are some of the best headers on the market for our cars
-Good power gains (up to 25HP claimed)
Cons:
-Coating may flake
-Flex may need to be replaced because of ticking
-Rear header/downpipe is all one piece and has that goofy bump in it. May be difficult to install.
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ZZPerformance (ZZP) Stainless headers:Specs: Made by ZZP, who has a great deal of experience in fabricating, tuning, and making 3800's ridiculously fast. One of the last active vendors (along with WBodyStore and Intense-Racing). TIG welded 304 Stainless steel. Shares downpipe design with TOG headers for maximum compatibility. A lot of testing and research went in to making these headers and they are the last highly recommended brand of headers for the 3800 enthusiast.
Front:
Rear:
Can be found at:
http://www.zzperformance.com/grand_prix ... &catid=110General, directly from ZZP:
Fully Tig welded, 100% 304 stainless steel, 3/8" Laser & water cut flanges, Rear header bolts to front header with only one joint for quick installs, Uses TOG style downpipes for maximum compatibility. Optional TOG style downpipe required for complete install, catted downpipes use Magnaflow high flow cats. All downpipes except shorty are bolt in downpipes.
Pipe Size:
1.75" primaries (approximately 2" longer than TOGs), 16 gauge tubing, 3" exit
OVERVIEW:
Pros: (Per ZZP, they had all these listed, I'm not listing more for their headers to make them look better than any other headers.)
-trans dipstick removal was considered and can be done w/o removing headers
-trans bolts can come out w/o removing headers
-No issues with spark plug boots touching headers
-No issues with primaries sticking out past flanges and preventing seal
-No issues with warped flanges because we had them done on a water jet
-Only 1 front to rear connection uses stepped band clamp. No more alignment issues or leaking donuts, quickest install of any available headers.
-100% 304 stainless to last a lifetime, never rusts
-Easy access to O2 sensor
-Cleaner install look due to no flanges on crossover pipe, no bolts to break or rust
-no ticking noise common with some brands of headers
Cons:
-Not recommended for 97 GT's with the 460 transmission because of tight clearances.
-Steep price tag for headers that do not include a downpipe
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S&S Headers:Specs:
Coated and uncoated headers. WBodyStore used to stock these headers and they do not anymore, they are only available through S&S.
Can be found at:
http://www.headermania.com/mm5/merchant ... 6HeadersGPGeneral:
There is some debate about how well the S&S headers perform. These are the only headers that come uncoated. These headers will work well with a lightly modded l67, a car with 1.9 rockers, 3.4-3.25 inch pulley, cold air kit and other basic modifications. It is possible to run these with higher boost applications however they will become a restriction eventually. They also do not seal very well.
Pipe Size:
They seemed to be [sized better] for a l36 equipped w-body. The primaries are very close to stock [size] and it utilizes a 2.25 inch cross over with a 2.5-inch outlet.
OVERVIEW:
Pros:
-Can be found pretty cheap if used.
-Good alternative for naturally aspirated cars
Cons:
-Small piping, not good for supercharged/turbo applications
-Leaking issues
-Uncoated headers get rusty very quickly
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Pacesetter Headers:General: High-temp black coating or shiny ceramic coating. Larger primaries than most other headers (1 3/4" instead of 1 5/8"). Some sealing issues, but fairly inexpensive.
Ceramic coated:
High Temp Black paint:
General, From Pacesetter:
Manufactured using mandrel-bent, mild steel tubing and surface-ground, thick steel flanges, PaceSetter Headers are available with standard black painted finish or Armor*Coat, a polished, 2000 Degree F, metallic-ceramic coating. Each header undergoes an extensive preparation phase followed by two applications of the coating and a high-temp curing process. The Armor*Coat won't discolor like paint, chrome or dull finish coating, reduces underhood temperatures, resists rust and corrosion and is easy to keep clean.
They use larger primaries similar to that of SLP’s and regular TOG’s. They are a complete bolt on item with a 3 inch down pipe and flex. The price is aimed to be more cost effective then the other headers out there. We will see if that does infact happen. A o2 extension harness will be needed. Also these headers utilize a different crossover pipe setup, they use a separate front and rear header with a Y pipe that allows the crossover pipe from the front header and the rear header to attach to the Y and then have the down pipe attach to that. Overall they look like a quality piece that should pan out nicely for the wbody crowd. However only time will tell
Pipe Size:
1 3/4" Primaries, 2 1/2" collector.
OVERVIEW:
Pros:
-Cost effective
-Larger primaries allow more exhaust gases to escape more quickly
-Y-pipe design allows for the possibility of true-dual exhaust. although only a few have attempted this with no real results.
Cons:
-Sealing issues on the crossover to the Y-pipe, may need to be welded or clamped down with heavy duty band clamps.
-Some fitment issues with the headers in general, there are mixed opinions here.
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eBay Knock-off's: SSAutoChrome (SSAC), XSPower, 3XRacing, OBX, Speed Daddy, and more as they pop upStats for all: These are all based off of either SLP or Pacesetter headers. They offer some advantages because they are made of either T-304 or T-321 Stainless steel. OBX headers however have the crossover attached incorrectly and will not fit without modification.
SSAC/XSPower/3XRacing/SpeedDaddy/other SLP style knockoffs:
OBX/other pacesetter style knockoffs Headers (stay away from these):
General: These headers have the same specs as the headers they were copied from, except that they are high polished stainless steel. Pipe size are also the same.
Pros:
-Very cheap, anywhere from $200-$300 shipped
-Hi-Po stainless steel, looks good and will last a long time
Cons:
-Unknown fitment
-Possibly carried over the issues associated with the design they copied
-OBX headers do not fit without modification
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Some of this information was found on FULLThrottleV6.com and all credit for information found on that site goes to "FlyinGTP." All information that came from our vendor's websites is obviously credited to that vendor's website. I have added some information where it was needed or where new developments were made.
This thread is meant to be informative and unbiased. If anyone has any information I should add, please post it and I will edit this original post. Hopefully this can be a sticky so it's always around for a quick reference.
-Kyle
