Headers vs oem manifolds

topflite51 wrote:
Headers are overrated and overpriced. If I were driving a race car then I would want them, but since I am driving a MH, their cost benefit versus performance gain benefit is a joke. That is unless your driving Dave's unit. :b

Even before Dave when off the deep end with the engine mods, he installed headers with the OEM 454. At that point, I had an almost similar opinion. HOWEVER, I eventually had the complete exhaust system redone. Made a few mistakes along the way with muffler choices, but after my 3rd try, I found the Magnaflows. It was at that point when I changed my conclusion about exhaust mods. It made a very big difference, right off the line, all the way out to the top end. Basically the old original Flowmaster 50s that were on it from the beginning were too restrictive to take much advantage of the header. So the point is, you must have a really good free flowing muffler, or otherwise the header performance will be disappointing. Unfortunately, just because a brand name is popular, does not mean it will perform well.