I just found out I need to replace my cats because they are rattling bad. Im looking at MAC LT chrome plated headers 16ga 1 3/4 with off road Y pipe or Pacesetter ceramic coated 16ga 1 3/8 with Y pipe to replace them. SLP LT's are $800+. Why are they so much? What would everyone recommend?

 

I would stay away from chrome and pacesetter for that matter. American Racing also offers some good stuff. The SLP's are good too.

 

and youd be about the only one who would stay away from paces.... Mostlyeveryone thats done LTs has gone with pacesetter. I think it would be better to not get the chrome (unless you want a show look), and to have a custom Y fabbed to fit your exhuast and cat etc.

 

they r more cause of the name but i really havent heard or seen anything to say horse power is better the only other thing that will cost more and u r better to get it is the coating on the headers it will help make them last longer and less probs, the only other thing i have heard is some co make a better fit since u have no room to start with and of course they will charge u for it ..

 

False, I would say stay away from Pacesetter headers if you have the money to go with something else. Pacesetter makes a low cost product, for that you usually get low cost bends, low cost materials and low cost fit (I've heard multiple horror stories of people having to dent their brand new, coated Pacesetter headers to clear the firewall on an LT1). In my opinion the SLP headers are expensive because they say 'SLP' on them, from what I've seen from the pictures quality doesn't seem much higher than that of Hooker headers, i.e. visible welds in the tubes (so they aren't 1 mandrel bent piece). If I were you I'd save up and get at least coated Hooker headers, or better yet save up a while longer and get an all stainless "custom" headers such as Kooks or Dynatech. You won't necessarily make more "power" with the better headers, most headers flow about the same, and flow determines how much power you can make (although the Kooks or Dynatech will have higher quality bends and a better quality collector). The real difference will be in the torque and fit. A better header will be more tuned to your car so it will make better torque, and they'll have a fit that is tighter to the bottom of the car (ground clearance is always a consideration), but you won't have to modify the header to get it to fit. Just some food for thought, kinda goes back to the whole "you get what you pay for" thing...

 

Those horror stories must be VERY rare because EVERYONE ive talked to with paces are VERY satisfied. As for the price/quality. The reason paces are so cheap isnt because their cheapily made its because they dont say "SLP" or "Hooker" etc. Theres a muffler brand out there that competes heavily with flowmaster called "Force" they are about 1/2 the price of flows and sound the same when compared side to side. With parts you dont really pay for quality as much as the name brand. Same goes with like everything. When you go grocery shopping for example if you buy name brand cereal (ie Lucky Charms) they are going to cost MORE than (Micks n Marshmellows.. lol i made that up.. Im Irish btw.. not slurring...) even tho itsgot the same ingredientsthe latter is cheaper because its not a big name brand.

 

You're partially right in saying that you pay for the name, but I can safely say, from personal experience as well as the thoughts of other professionals in the performance field (I've talked to a guy at a local speed shop that focuses on late model chevy engines about the difference in headers specifically), that the Kooks and Dynatech systems are the highest quality and have the best power/torque numbers out of all the headers for F-bodies. I've personally compared Hooker headers to my Kooks and I can safely say that the quality of the welds, the quality of the bends, the thickness of the flange is all of a higher calibre. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Hooker or SLP are bad, but they aren't as good.

Edit: I would also like to note that the Pacesetter headers come with a 1 and 3/8" primary, the Hookers come with a 1 and 5/8" primary, my Kooks and the Dynatech systems have 1 and 3/4" primaries, meaning they will make more power than the Pacesetter or Hooker headers because they can flow more. I looked at the SLP headers for the LS1 (they don't make a long tube for the LT1) and they are a tuned 1 and 3/4" header, but I still submit that the quality in Kooks or Dynatech is a higher because all the tubes are 1 mandrel bent piece. That being said, I rest my case, take from it what you will...

 

How much did your headers cost you?

 

My header and catted Y system cost $1200, but I'll never have to change them out. A full dynatech system will cost somewhere in the ballpark of $800 or so, not to mention that both systems have all the emissions hookups you need.

 

dynatech over pace then? price and quality or what?