Question about Stainless Works headers


z06c

GT Owner
Sep 4, 2010
26
Alamo, Ca
Hey guys,

I'm looking for a set of headers for my GT. I need a little more sound and power out of her.

I found a vendor selling Stainless Works headers new on the auction site for $1100 and Stainless Works headers and complete exhaust (straight pipes with H-pipe and out of slash cut tips) for around $1600. Neither price seems that bad and back in the day i recall that Stainless Works made some good stuff for Vettes....

My questions are does anyone have these on their GT and, if so, are they any good?

Thanks!!!
Christian
 

B.M.F.

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Jan 29, 2009
1,782
Minnesota
Very good quality have sold several sets
 

z06c

GT Owner
Sep 4, 2010
26
Alamo, Ca
Thanks BMF!!! I think for the price they seem to be an awesome part to try. You don't happen to have another set laying around, do you??? : ))

Christian
 

Awsum GT

GT Owner '18
Mark IV Lifetime
Sep 17, 2005
3,985
Carmel & Cntrl Ca
Hey guys,

I'm looking for a set of headers for my GT. I need a little more sound and power out of her.

I found a vendor selling Stainless Works headers new on the auction site for $1100 and Stainless Works headers and complete exhaust (straight pipes with H-pipe and out of slash cut tips) for around $1600. Neither price seems that bad and back in the day i recall that Stainless Works made some good stuff for Vettes....

My questions are does anyone have these on their GT and, if so, are they any good?

Thanks!!!
Christian

You will not get a little more sound... you will get a HUGE amount of sound if it sounds anything like my stainless exhaust and headers! They sound great but nobody will follow me on the road when we go on a cruise!
 

PeteK

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Apr 18, 2014
2,267
Kalama, Free part of WA State
Hey guys,

I'm looking for a set of headers for my GT. I need a little more sound and power out of her.

I found a vendor selling Stainless Works headers new on the auction site for $1100 and Stainless Works headers and complete exhaust (straight pipes with H-pipe and out of slash cut tips) for around $1600. Neither price seems that bad and back in the day i recall that Stainless Works made some good stuff for Vettes....

My questions are does anyone have these on their GT and, if so, are they any good?

Thanks!!!
Christian

Christian: You won't get much, if any, more power by changing the exhaust after the cats. It may SOUND like more power, but it doesn't show up on the dyno. Forced induction, whether by supercharger or turbo, changes how an engine responds to exhaust mods. In simple terms, the more you pressurize the induction air, the less the exhaust matters. The one thing you can do to increase power at the exhaust is to remove the cats. In a stock engine, that will net you maybe 25HP, and a little more in an engine with bigger supercharger and more boost. Relatively small potatoes. And your car won't pass emissions inspection either. If you want more power you can feel, you need to either put a smaller pulley and tune on it, or step up to a larger supercharger and tune.

So, if you like the sound of a particular exhaust, that's a good reason to buy it, but don't expect a real power increase.
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,850
NorCal
I have the SS headers & DA exhaust. They work great & look amazing.

Ed
 

GKW05GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 28, 2011
2,755
Fayetteville, Ga.
I have the SS headers & DA exhaust. They work great & look amazing.

Ed
Following Ed for several days a I can attest it does sound great. If we were parked together I needed to start my car first because once his fires up the only way to know if mine was running is to look at the tach.:lol
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,850
NorCal
Following Ed for several days a I can attest it does sound great. If we were parked together I needed to start my car first because once his fires up the only way to know if mine was running is to look at the tach.:lol

LOL!

Ed
 

soroush

Ford Gt Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 8, 2007
5,256
Following Ed for several days a I can attest it does sound great. If we were parked together I needed to start my car first because once his fires up the only way to know if mine was running is to look at the tach.:lol


:thumbsup
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
IMO the loudest exhaust system is the FRPP/Borla rear exit headers, coming in close 2nd place is the SW headers.
 

texas mongrel

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
May 3, 2009
1,661
Houston Texas
IMO the loudest exhaust system is the FRPP/Borla rear exit headers, coming in close 2nd place is the SW headers.

The loudest system is whatever Soroush has on his black car
 

soroush

Ford Gt Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 8, 2007
5,256
IMO the loudest exhaust system is the FRPP/Borla rear exit headers, coming in close 2nd place is the SW headers.

The loudest system is whatever Soroush has on his black car


I used to have both on my car, that is the Borla and now the SW and I can tell you although the Borla is very loud the SW is on another level, mostly the level of obnoxious. however the reason is mostly that the borla has build in mufflers but with the SW if you take the big muffler out (which I think most people did including me) is usually ran without a muffler and it is way louder. if you run both systems with out a muffler I would imagine they would be similar in sound.
 

Empty Pockets

ex-GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Oct 18, 2006
1,361
Washington State
...if you run both systems with out a muffler (and no cats) I would imagine they would be similar in sound.

Bingo...
 

SMOKDU

GT Owner
Dec 17, 2011
412
Christian: You won't get much, if any, more power by changing the exhaust after the cats. It may SOUND like more power, but it doesn't show up on the dyno. Forced induction, whether by supercharger or turbo, changes how an engine responds to exhaust mods. In simple terms, the more you pressurize the induction air, the less the exhaust matters. The one thing you can do to increase power at the exhaust is to remove the cats. In a stock engine, that will net you maybe 25HP, and a little more in an engine with bigger supercharger and more boost. Relatively small potatoes. And your car won't pass emissions inspection either. If you want more power you can feel, you need to either put a smaller pulley and tune on it, or step up to a larger supercharger and tune.

So, if you like the sound of a particular exhaust, that's a good reason to buy it, but don't expect a real power increase.


I agree and disagree . I have had both borla and now SW. What I agree on is getting high flow cats or getting rid of them. I do have a bigger 4.0 supercharger that needs to get exhaust out faster. I lost 2 lbs going from the borla to the SW but only because exhaust is not getting trapped in the system . The borla was badly cracked because of this backup . Now for the loud factor . My car is as loud as my drag car at W.O.T but is manageable at idle and 3000 rpm. At 5000 to 7000 beware of hearing loss. Everyone loves loud exhaust on my car and I never get pulled over because I'm sure the police like the sound and car as well. You will not be stealth to police so you must keep a eye out or have a radar detector . I picked up 30 hp just changing headers from borla but I had very high flow after headers . BMF dynoed before and after change. The only thing I do not like is the jet coat faded fast .
 

BlackICE

GT Owner
Nov 2, 2005
1,416
SF Bay Area in California
I heard both Ed Sims, Canibl and Raphie on the track and to my ears full out at high RPMs the Borla rear exits are louder than the SW.
 

z06c

GT Owner
Sep 4, 2010
26
Alamo, Ca
Following Ed for several days a I can attest it does sound great. If we were parked together I needed to start my car first because once his fires up the only way to know if mine was running is to look at the tach.:lol

HAHA!!! That's what I'm looking for. My heads and cam '13 Viper is 10x louder than the GT and that's just not right. LOL
 

z06c

GT Owner
Sep 4, 2010
26
Alamo, Ca
I agree and disagree . I have had both borla and now SW. What I agree on is getting high flow cats or getting rid of them. I do have a bigger 4.0 supercharger that needs to get exhaust out faster. I lost 2 lbs going from the borla to the SW but only because exhaust is not getting trapped in the system . The borla was badly cracked because of this backup . Now for the loud factor . My car is as loud as my drag car at W.O.T but is manageable at idle and 3000 rpm. At 5000 to 7000 beware of hearing loss. Everyone loves loud exhaust on my car and I never get pulled over because I'm sure the police like the sound and car as well. You will not be stealth to police so you must keep a eye out or have a radar detector . I picked up 30 hp just changing headers from borla but I had very high flow after headers . BMF dynoed before and after change. The only thing I do not like is the jet coat faded fast .

Sounds like that is the route i will go. I currently have the Hennessey GT700 package on it, so the power level is OK....but it needs more sound at WOT.
 

z06c

GT Owner
Sep 4, 2010
26
Alamo, Ca
Thanks for all the feedback guys. I bought a set of Stainless Works long tube headers as well as the full Stainless Works exhaust -- NO cats -- all the way out to the tips. I am having the entire system ceramic coated. It should sound and look amazing. I will be having Torrie McPhail do a new tune on it before it leaves the install shop. Having the lowering perches done at the same time. So she should drive, look and sound completely different once i pick her up. I can't wait!

Christian
 

twobjshelbys

GT Owner
Jul 26, 2010
6,053
Las Vegas, NV
How will you handle emissions testing?
 

Tomcat

GT Owner
They sound great but nobody will follow me on the road when we go on a cruise!

I recently left a car gathering to cruise with two buds (one Viper and one Corvette with Borla)...both of them said that the Heffner pipe on my GT made their's sound inadequate.