Headers


tom46818

tom46818

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Dec 28, 2012
63
Overland Park, KS
I'm looking at having Headers installed on my GT. What brand of Headers would you my fellow car enthusiast's recommend?
 
tom46818 said:
I'm looking at having Headers installed on my GT. What brand of Headers would you my fellow car enthusiast's recommend?
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Borla, if you don't mind giving up the Catalytic Converters.
 
Excuse my lack of knowledge in this area. If I remove my catalytic converters will my car through codes?
 
You'll get a check engine light for O2 sensors. This can be turned off with a tuner.

BTW the Borla headers were originally Ford Racing Perfomance Parts (FRPP) parts. No longer sold by FRPP, they are now branded "Borla." Same headers.

Lots of threads here on exhaust options.
 
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I use and recommend JBA headers and exhaust system!!! It is a MODULAR SYSTEM!!! You can use it with/without cats!!! It will bolt up to the JBA muffler, stock muffler or any other "X", "H" pipe!!!
 
Borla, Stainless Works, JBA.
Borla will lose the cats, no way to add them. SW has the ability to add cats. Don't know much about JBA.
 
bonehead said:
Borla, Stainless Works, JBA.
Borla will lose the cats, no way to add them. SW has the ability to add cats. Don't know much about JBA.
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I had JBA with their cats, the cats melted and plugged the x pipe on my second track day with the system. I then installed a very short Magnaflow muffler on both sides to replace the cats, the car is still so loud that I would be afraid to drive it on the street.
 
I've had the stainless system for about 3 years, no issues but they are loud. People who know the car wait to here the car when I leave shows, they all seem to enjoy the sound.
 
No cats, even OEM will hold, up to aggressive driving with COT protection turned off in the tune. The Ford OEM ones hold up best, but to my knowledge will not work with any headers other than shorty headers like Fubar has. Those small cats used with the SW headers are only going to hold up if you drive like EP. If you push it they will fail at some point down the road.
 
So...given all this and more to come I'm sure...your best bet is to come to Rally 9 and listen to most all the options. Then ask for a drive in the car that you like from the outside, because as great as it sounds outside, you will have to live with it inside.
 
tom46818 said:
Excuse my lack of knowledge in this area. If I remove my catalytic converters will my car through codes?
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Not unless you also eliminate the O2 sensors. Most cat delete pipes have a threaded port for the sensor.
 
bonehead said:
Borla, Stainless Works, JBA.
Borla will lose the cats, no way to add them. SW has the ability to add cats. Don't know much about JBA.
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Hey Ed. Just give Tom a link to all your research and thought process regarding exhaust systems! That will give him all he needS to know for sure!
 
There's a guy running a cat & muffler deleted GT not too far from where I live. I was driving my Viper down the highway last year with the top down and he passed me at 120. I heard him for quite a while up to around a mile in front of me and it was loud at a mile. That car was so loud, it made my Harley with Thunderheader straight-pipes sound quiet. I can't imagine doing that to my GT and enjoying driving it any more. My blown Z06 with headers is running straight pipes now...but with cats...and it's just brutal loud.
 
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Now where on the scale would you place headers without cats?

Noise exposure

1.18 The noise exposure level (often referred to as the 'noise dose') takes account of both the sound pressure level and how long it lasts. Generally the potential for hearing to be damaged by noise is related to the noise 'dose' a person receives. Being exposed to a noise level of 105 dB (a not unusual sound level for a pub band, or that generated by a brass or woodwind instrument at full blast) for 5 minutes would be the same dose as being exposed to 94 dB (a nightclub bar) for 1 hour, or 88 dB (chamber music) for 4 hours.

1.19 Each 3 dB added doubles the sound energy (but this is only just noticeable to a listener). When 10 dB is added, the energy is increased ten-fold, while adding 20dB is a hundred-fold increase. Therefore:
If the sound intensity is doubled, the noise level increases by 3 dB.
Two instruments with the same noise level of 85 dB together produce 88 dB.
A noise level reduction of 3 dB halves the sound pressure level (and its propensity to damage).

1.20 Halving the noise dose can be achieved either by halving the exposure time, or by halving the noise level, which corresponds to a reduction of 3 dB. These noise exposures are identical:
80 dB for 8 hours
83 dB for 4 hours
86 dB for 2 hours
89 dB for 1 hour
92 dB for 30 minutes

1.21


Average Noise level

Time taken to receive a dose equivalent to the upper exposure action value (85 dB)

85 dB 8 hours
95 dB 45 minutes
100 dB 15 minutes
105 dB 5 minutes
110 dB Under 2 minutes
115 dB Under 30 seconds

Exposure when not at work

1.22 It is important that people consider noise exposure when not at work because cumulative exposure leads to hearing damage, whether or not it is work-related. Sound exposure includes all the sounds heard during each day. Common off-hours exposure to high noise levels may include audio and video equipment (personal car stereos, computer speakers, televisions), concerts, clubs and cinemas, sporting events, power tools and noisy hobbies. In general, an employer needs only to consider the work-related noise exposure when deciding what action to take to control risks. However the employer needs to consider whether risk-control measures need to be adapted in certain situations, for example if it is known that an employee is exposed to noise during other employment.


http://www.soundadvice.info/thewholestory/san1.htm



My wife tells me I never listen to her, the truth is I don't hear what she says anymore, I did when I was younger.
 
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Thanks BlackIce - cool info.

Special Ed
 
Nice! The thing is, what is initially "Pain," becomes merely "Loud," or less with exposure. Whether it's music, motors, or...umm...partners?...the same is true.
 
Looking at the chart, I'd say that uncorked GT ran at 10,000,000 db...is that bad?
 
KJRGT said:
Hey Ed. Just give Tom a link to all your research and thought process regarding exhaust systems! That will give him all he needS to know for sure!
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Kevin, I did a lot of research here as well as tried to find as much audio as I could from You Tube (I know, it doesn't reliably reproduce the sound or volume, but most of us don't have the benefit of live auditioning the different setups). I was pretty intent on going with long tubes, so that narrowed down the options and the research I needed to do.

I've never heard the Stainless works setup, but most/all seem to think it's THE loudest, even more so than the FRPP/Borla rear exit headers. Not sure how that's possible, but ok.

Not many videos on that. These were the best I could find. Belongs to a member here. Can't recall his screen name at the moment??

[video=youtube;4ZvRxP6crEU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvRxP6crEU[/video]
[video=youtube;F7aScfzSbyw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7aScfzSbyw[/video]
 
Only other option was to go with the FRPP/Borla into 1)X or H-pipe, 2) muffler, 3) small collector mufflers (i.e. rear exit).

FRPP long tubes into Heffner H-pipe
[video=youtube;fWOMkvuN-sE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWOMkvuN-sE[/video]
[video=youtube;6ccXB1RBnc8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ccXB1RBnc8[/video]

FRPP long tubes into Ford Racing muffler
[video=youtube;PGD6B96ty5o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGD6B96ty5o[/video]

This one courtesy of Sinovac
[video=youtube;Ai4fSguaHek]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai4fSguaHek[/video]
 
Rear exit headers. I found a good of info and vids on these prior to my purchase and have made several in-car vids after I had them installed on my car.

Great thread by Kendall Pond:
http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showthread.php?1912-Ford-Racing-Rear-Exit-Headers-Installed

[video=youtube;n7LmMzWNHFA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7LmMzWNHFA[/video]

Courtesy of Luke Warmwater
[video=youtube;ev8ZcGofGgE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev8ZcGofGgE&list=FLr7O61sbuSu1ft9HkRXWgbg&index=2[/video]
[video=youtube;TgMdJhfqNCk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgMdJhfqNCk&list=FLr7O61sbuSu1ft9HkRXWgbg&index=3[/video]

One of several vids on my You Tube account
[video=youtube;ut9sGwYkmc0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut9sGwYkmc0[/video]
 
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