shorty vs long
#1
08-15-2011, 09:47 AM
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Culver, Oregon
Posts: 415
shorty vs long
With my 78 w/350ci at some point I will change the exhaust and put headers on. (But here we go again old guy, and trying to get caught up with new tec.) I see the old style headers (long tube), and I see now shorty headers. Are the new shorty's as good as the old school long tubes? Is there an advantage of one over the other? Help me learn.
#2
08-15-2011, 12:29 PM
Main differences. Long tube develop more low end torque, shorties make more torque at very high RPM. Long tubes may have ground clearance problems.
Which one works best depends on how you use the car. For street use long tubes usually work out better.
Regardless of tube length the proper tube diameter is very important, too large and exhaust velocity becomes too low and the headers fail to extract all the exhaust gases out of the cylinders. Too small a diameter creates back pressure which chokes the engine in its own exhaust.
Which one works best depends on how you use the car. For street use long tubes usually work out better.
Regardless of tube length the proper tube diameter is very important, too large and exhaust velocity becomes too low and the headers fail to extract all the exhaust gases out of the cylinders. Too small a diameter creates back pressure which chokes the engine in its own exhaust.
Last edited by z28pete; 08-15-2011 at 12:32 PM.
#3
08-20-2011, 12:15 PM
pick a header on your cam profile and what else you did for your motor. stock anything, run a set of flow tech headers, 1 5/8 primary, 3" collector, i was able to do an experiment as i had my built 305 in my 83 camaro which could only accept shorty headers with a 2 1/2 collector, then i had to swap it into my 79, with those flow tech headers, (any brand would do) and it really woke the motor up more with the 3" exhaust, but the cam grind i have for that 305 is nothing anyone would think of or use, but its ground on an LSA that requires very open exhaust. i keep this cam a secret as people trash 305s, but its impressive.
point is you need to pick a set of headers to match Your application, many people just bolt on short tube headers thinking o man they said high rpm but your motor has a stock 194ish duration cam that gets tuckered out of breath by 4,500rpm and you will never see the benefit to running a short tube header, i dont really believe in the whole thing my self, i believe long tube headers will work a whole power band and deliver what you really need when you need it.
but anything is better than a heavy cast iron exhaust manifold,
good luck bud,
point is you need to pick a set of headers to match Your application, many people just bolt on short tube headers thinking o man they said high rpm but your motor has a stock 194ish duration cam that gets tuckered out of breath by 4,500rpm and you will never see the benefit to running a short tube header, i dont really believe in the whole thing my self, i believe long tube headers will work a whole power band and deliver what you really need when you need it.
but anything is better than a heavy cast iron exhaust manifold,
good luck bud,
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