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Headers, how much gain??


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I like data, and found some that may be of interest @ http://www.fourwheel...ders/index.html . The article uses a 2007 5.3, so it has the Gen-IV "power improvements", including the exhaust system. I adjusted the results to the suggested -14% (stated bias in the dyno), and plotted.

 

My chart of net corrected results: https://docs.google....RVVvNWoyZWhBQnc

Edited by music
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  • 3 weeks later...

I just put long tubes and a cold air on mine with a custom dual exhaust running from headers to dual in/out muffler and the two exit pipes coming out the passenger side in front of the rear wheel. Reminds me of my son's Ford Lightning.

 

When my truck was all stock it was just too quiet and did not feel like a real truck??? Illusion? I got an aftermarket dual conversion kit put on at the local muffler shop. Single glasspack looking muffler after the intermediate pipe, single outlet into h-pipe, dual tailpipes. Sounded much better and really liked it for a while but it grew old and didn't sound that good anymore. So I cut off the tailpipes and had just the muffler and h-pipe left hanging under the truck. Okay but not enough. So I cut the muffler out and replaced with a straight thru pipe. Not that much louder if any and actually did not sound as good as with the muffler. But I was not going back because I really wanted true duals all along This went on for a couple of years til now when I got the headers and all. At first I thought my current setup was too quiet but after a couple of weeks I actually am very happy with it. Sounds like a Tiger that growls deep but also quietly. If you can understand what I am trying to say....

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  • 2 years later...

I can't say anything about the new Silverado as I've not done anything with it other than a cat-back... but I have real world experience with my old C5 Corvette and I can tell you with absolute certainty that long tube headers get you additional horsepower without a tune.

 

Bone stock, my car ran a 14 flat. A Hypertech tuner helped a little... maybe a tenth or two in the quarter mile? Certainly not worth the cost for that POS.

 

The next mod I did was a Vararam cold air intake. My timeslips showed that I was six tenths faster in the quarter mile. (The stock air box was restrictive and drew in hot air from around the radiator.) This was without a tune.

 

I added sound deadening and a stereo system and gained some weight, and my quarter mile times suffered. I went from 13.4 to 13.8 in the quarter mile.

 

That's when I upgraded to a set of long tube stainless steel headers. My time dropped to 13.2 in the quarter mile...without a tune.

 

I ended up getting into tuning as a hobby when I helped my friend modify his C6. We ported and polished the heads, installed a supercharger, intercooler, cam, new injectors, boost-a-pump, etc... Patrick at Quality Motorsports in Texas was kind enough to show me what he was doing to the tune in that car, and I was hooked. I ended up buying HP Tuners and tweaking on my C5 until I hit 200k miles and bought a C6.

 

For those that say you will see no changes without a tune... My real world experience says otherwise. These GM engines can adjust to local conditions (temperature, pressure, etc...) and the MAF, MAP, and O2 sensors do a good job telling the ECU what's going on, and can help make minor adjustments to allow the engine to run correctly. Yes, a professional tune will get you maximum gains, but to say that you'll get no performance increase without a tune is simply incorrect.

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

so after i add aftermarket parts like a new exhaust system, cold air intake and new headers, if i get them installed at my dealer, will they automatically tune them for me? i would like to think so right?

 

The dealer will not do any tuning to optimize any upgrades, you will have to go to an aftermarket custom tuner, such as blackbear.

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  • 2 months later...

ARH headers are nearly $1500 without cats for my 2007 5.3L.. An awful lot of cash for 20hp.. Stainless Works are $920 - a bit more tolerable but still not much gain for a ton of money. I think I'd be better off trading for a Duramax. :)

 

I want more power for towing only.. A bolt-on supercharger seems like an easy way (but you'd probably want to do exhaust anyway)..

 

Choices, choices..

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ARH headers are nearly $1500 without cats for my 2007 5.3L.. An awful lot of cash for 20hp.. Stainless Works are $920 - a bit more tolerable but still not much gain for a ton of money. I think I'd be better off trading for a Duramax. :)

 

I want more power for towing only.. A bolt-on supercharger seems like an easy way (but you'd probably want to do exhaust anyway)..

 

Choices, choices..

 

You can get a set of Doug Thorley headers from Black Bear Performance for $650. They are a very high quality piece and the Tri-Y design is great for low end.

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I just put a set of Doug Thorely long tubes on my 6.2L from Blackbear. They ran me $900 shipped with out cats. Sound is great, not loud but people know you mean business. I didn't notice much of a change in performance until I had them tuned, then the beast really woke up!

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I just put a set of Doug Thorely long tubes on my 6.2L from Blackbear. They ran me $900 shipped with out cats. Sound is great, not loud but people know you mean business. I didn't notice much of a change in performance until I had them tuned, then the beast really woke up!

Did you get 1 7/8 or 1 5/8? I'm guessing 1 7/8 for the price.

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