i bit the bullet. got the headers from a ls1tech sponsor for 983 shipped. ouch
quick and skeet talked me into going for the big boys. 1 7/8 stepped to 2" with a 3.5" collector. they are BIG lol. reduced the collector down to 3" with some collector reducers and ran a true dual mandrel bent 3" exhaust through a magnaflow x pipe and 2 18" dynomax bullets.
the sound: at normal cruising, i honestly like the old setup better. i had a 18" bullet as a resonator and then a corsa sport. always sounded good. the new setup has a higher pitch to it, more drone but when you hit the skinny peddle it sounds wicked. normal cruising not so much. the cam hits alot softer now. i need a bigger one anyways lol.
performance: holy crapi didnt expect to feel a noticeable difference going from 1 long tube to another, but it gained. everywhere. charlie hasnt even touched the PCM yet and i can feel the difference. and im one of those people who can swap a cam and not feel the power difference so if i notice it, it's there lol. i know charlies truck went lean at wot after switching his pacesetter to the smaller stepped kook (1 3/4 to 1 7/8) so im assuming i need some tune time after going to the bigger header and true dual exhaust over single. end results: i wish i did this 2 years ago with the heads and intake.
for anyone interested. the smaller stepped header fits with room to spare. fits even better than truck headers. the bigger stepped header is TIGHT. it was touching my frame on one of the primaries but the exhaust shop pulled it back in to fit perfect.
here is a picture showing kooks and pacesetter
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