Okay so I have run into some money recently and decided I want some headers for my truck (1999 Dakota R/T). As of right now I bought it with a flowmaster 40 right after the catalytic converter. It sounds nice, but I still feel its restriced. I was thinking that shorty headers were the way to go, longtubes being such a pain in the *** to install. After searching the forums I found some posts recomending the 5.9 owners to go with long tubes still. Price and ease of install are two limiting factors.

-With that said, what headers would you guys recomend, Long tube, or Short tube w/ Y- Pipe, but most importantly where from?

-I plan to dump the exhaust into the flowmaster 40, (No Cat). Legality/Emissons aside, is this deteremental?

-Finally, If I fab a straight pipe for where my cat was, will my O2 sensor still work, if it is not in the cat? And where can I find an O2 elimantor Kit?

 

Long tube headers will always give you better performance gains.

It isn't detrimental to your truck, however you will be polluting like no other, and have a check engine light in your face to remind you that you are doing so.

Yourupstream O2 sensor will still work, however, your downstream O2 sensor will not. This will cause a check engine light to come on and you will need to find the correct resistor to plug into your O2 sensor to turn it off.


Using the search function on this forum will allow you to find answers to questions like this much faster, as this subject has been covered many times.

 

This forum does not have the best layout and search functions. So much volume to go through, hours of reading on stuff that does not pertain to me. I want the specifics, which you failed to give.

 

short vs long tube headers comes down to the RPM range you want to build power in. the advantagetuned headers have over stock manifolds is that they flow better, but also at a particular RPM range, the pulse from one each tube creats a momentary vacuum in the ajacent tubes, this acting upon a closing exhaust valve creates a scavenging effect drawing slightly more of the exhaust out of the cylinder, allowing for more intake charge.

that said, the length (and to an extent diameter) of the tube determines the RPM range where the engine gains the most from the header. short tube headders do this in the lower RPM ranges, long tube headers do it at the higher RPM ranges.

you really need to look at how your engine will be run. if you are going to be making alot of wide open throttle running, long tube headers are the way to go. If you will be driving daily in traffic and such a shorter header will be a better choice for your engine.

 

Who makes quality long tube headers? Can anyone post up some links? How about Quality short tubes? Names/Links with prices would be pretty much all I need at this point.