Vehicle: 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L 2WD Reg Cab Long Bed
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 5,312
No links,the best I could find were cryptic answers and vague comparisons on forums of guys bragging about the fastest headers, which was whatever they bought at the time. A few guys had tried multiple headers and settled on Gibsons for the longevity, performance gains over another set weren't noticeable.
I did call a few guys that build up engines, and all told me that they've had fewer Gibson's come back for rust and warp-age than any others.
Actually, a few of the guys were quite honest that shorties don't net you much at all, except around passing speed on the highway.
There is a set of mid-length headers made by Doug Thorley (a tri-Y design) that work for the older 2nd gens that are supposed to offer noticeable improvements. They had to be affixed to the CAT that was dual in, no Y pipe involved. I could have bought those, but I didn't want to buy another damn cat.
The longtubes are too much for my truck. The 318 just doesn't have enough displacement for a 1 3/4" primary size: piping is too big, too fast. They might be good for a 5.9 that's built up a bit, but probably honestly better on a stroker motor. The exhaust valve on the magnum heads are 1.60 or 1.65" which is better matched to 1 5/8" primaries. If I boosted it, that's a whole different ballgame.
Gibson claims tuned shorties, but I think that's a stretch. True tuned headers are custom jobs that maximize the scavenging effects of timing exhaust pulses to pull the next pulse out of the next "just fired" cylinder. From everything I read, only longtubes of the correct length are really capable of that particular effect.
Search for HankL's posts on headers for some good reading.
I'm not knocking any headers, just that I think the Gibson's came in with better reviews on longevity.
If I keep mine for 5 years and you have to buy 2 sets in that time period, who came out ahead?
Vehicle: Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 auto reg cab 8ft bed Cherry bomb muffler k&n intake.
Location: Malvern Pa
Posts: 5,923
Please don't say that!!!!! They where a good deal at the time for brand new headers. Cant beat 325 shipped. Greg was telling me his are rusted after 2yrs. Hankl's post are to long for me to read and fully understand.
Vehicle: 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L 2WD Reg Cab Long Bed
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 5,312
Quote:
Originally Posted by dodge15004x45.9
Please don't say that!!!!! They where a good deal at the time for brand new headers. Cant beat 325 shipped. Greg was telling me his are rusted after 2yrs. Hankl's post are to long for me to read and fully understand.
Greg might have gotten a bad set. Maybe you won't, who knows?
Great, now I'm tearing myself in all kinds of directions. I can get these for $150 shipped, but they do look pretty cheap. Or, I can get a set of GP3015 Stainless Gibsons shipped for $387. Or, I can get a set of JBA 1945S-1 (also stainless) shipped for $343. Then theres the Edelbrock 65643 (Tri-Tech Coated) for $333.95. Hell, the cheapest I can even find stock manifolds is like $177 a piece. Man I hate decisions like this.
These are 304, the JBA, Gibson & Edelbrock are all 409. Stronger, but also more likely to rust.
Vehicle: 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.2L 2WD Reg Cab Long Bed
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 5,312
Get what you want to get.
There was a guy named Shott8283 that bought a pair of the Tri-tech coated headers from edelbrock and the coating wore off pretty quickly. he was pissed for a good while, you can find those threads here.
Silver_dodge has written about his experiences with the regular ceramic edelbrocks.
Nobody here has any long term posts about the JBA's but I've heard they aren't a bad product.
You know how I feel about the Gibson's, steve05ram360 ran them as well and had a great experience.
The stock mani's actually flow pretty well, and they should last longer than anything else.
Please don't say that!!!!! They where a good deal at the time for brand new headers. Cant beat 325 shipped. Greg was telling me his are rusted after 2yrs. Hankl's post are to long for me to read and fully understand.
Greg has a different brand of header then you guys were talking about (pacesetter ceramic shorty) and I have only had mine for a year. yes there is a noticable amount of rust on the headers (at the flange, and the collector). The only reason I picked mine up was because I found a deal in the classifieds I couldn't pass up. The guy wanted $150 for the brand new in package headers, brand new stage 8 locks, and shipping to my door. Who in their right mind could turn that down?
i've got some no name brand ebay headers that were 150 shipped. they came with the wrong bolts but other than that they were good.
they have 304 stainless and only glowed on the first start.
they have spotty rust on the pipes and the part that bolts to the block.
they haven't leaked yet and i've had them on for about 3 years.
i do still have my stock manifolds in case they start leaking.
you will notice a little more push from the back tires, especially on the highway.
i say get em' and keep the manifolds just in case.
here they are after a couple heat cycles:
and here they are today:
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I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.
3yrs ain't bad for $150. Looks like they've got some time in them still. Do you remember the name of the seller, did they look like the ones I posted when you bought them?
