I've done quite a bit of reading old posts regarding Pacesetter long tubes and their Y pipe and wanted to clear up a few questions before buying.

1. Do I need a new Y pipe (versus OEM) if I replace my OEM headers with the Pacesetter long tubes?
2. Will installing a Pacesetter Y pipe (or even just long tubes) affect the overal length of my exhaust?
3. How many have had problems with the Pacesetter Y pipe (I read one recent post about it) and are there suitable alternatives?

Thanks in advance for the replies.

 

From my experience on this subject...

1) Yes you will need a new y-pipe. The headers have a slip-fit 3" collector on them that stops way away from where the smaller stock y-pipe is located.

2) Not necessarily. Wherever you have the y-pipe tie into the existing exhaust, you would just cut out the original at that point to weld the new onto it. If you have a really short existing exhaust system now, then it might affect it by a little. My y-pipe stopped under the passenger seat, then I added a 20" glasspack as a resonator right at the y-pipe collector. I then attached the si/so CherryBomb Extreme muffler directly on the end of the glasspack. To finish it off, I installed a dump right out of the CBE. This setup ends less than a foot behind the cab under the bed. My truck is an extended cab.

3) I have had no problems with the y-pipe at all. I also changed the exhaust system 100% so there was no tieing into existing piping. Even if I had, the problems I would imagine would have been simple enough to overcome.

I am very pleased with how mine turned out. Great sound and more power I'm sure. I made other modifications at the same time I did my exhaust so I can't attest to how much power difference that the exhaust made, but I can tell you that I would do it again without hesitation.

 

1. yes, you will need to replace your y pipe and relocate the cat as the collectors are 3 inches and won't work with the stock y pipe.
2. it doesn't have to, you can cut out some of the old exhaust and keep the rest stock.
3. sure, a decent exhaust shop could fab one up for you.

 

Thanks for the info. I've never welded on exhaust pipes plus I haven't welded since like 94! I guess when I get back from Iraq I'll be looking for someone to do some welding!

Another question...from reading other posts I'll have to modify the 02 sensor to fit in the pipe correct? Can't just plug in!

Thanks again.

 

I'm not sure if the guy who installed my y-pipe for me did a bad job or not, but I've had some issues with that y-pipe. I constantly get exhaust leaks from it even when guys reweld it for me. One guy says the fact the collectors of the headers only go in about an 1.5" is what causes it to move around a lot. He thinks I should some flexpipe for each collector of the header. It's something I may do, but I told him to just reweld it and see if it will last. But overall, the headers and y-pipe are a great combo. Horsepower isn't substantial, but it's a nice mod, and does make the pedal a little lighter.

 

I say leave the stock manifolds on and not deal with all these issues it seems like everyone that puts long tubes on has. You can what 2hp? You can get more power from other mods and not have to deal with all the issues. If I was going to get headers it wouldn't be Pacesetters for sure. I'd go with shortties and get a good set or a set of the Long Tubes I think it's South East Performance sells. I think thats the place that sells them but not sure.

 

1. Yes.
2. It won't effect the overall length. It will effect where the y-pipe comes together. The y-pipe will wrap around the transfer case instead of the engine, it basically moves it three feet to the rear.
3. As far as I'm concered the Pacesetter y-pipe is junk, but other guys seem to have good luck with it. Outside of having one custom made I don't think there are any alternatives.

 

I don't think I've heard a single good thing about Pacesetters except for few of the guys on here that seem to swear by them but the same guys seem to be posting very often having leaks or other problems fairly often. I think they just don't want to admit they are junk.

 

In all honesty, those headers didn't give me much h/p at all. I get pretty annoyed with all these psuito performance companies lying about the h/p results, it's a sin. My truck was no faster 0-60 with the headers. All they did was blow a couple 02 sensors, give me a block leak, and give me a y-pipe leak, giant nightmare if you ask me...When my headers rust out, I'm buying a high quality set of shorty headers with a custom y-pipe. You just don't need the longtubes unless you have some engine mods. Yes they look great, yes they make the truck sound awesome, but I bought them for raw horsepower, and I haven't felt much. It's more so in the midrange upperend of the powerband, I was hoping more for torque. Anyways, If I were you, I wouldn't waste your cash. Either leave your manifolds on, or buy a really high quality shorty headers and never look back. Just my opinion..

 

my brother just got performance exhaust on his truck (03 silverado) and that made a big difference. Start with a new muffler, then worry about the rest. Cats will have to be upgraded if you ever want much out the motor as will the exhaust manifolds but the muffler is where, I would suggest, you start. And remember that pretty much any headers are going to affect where your exhaust system will begin as well as what size pipe everything will have to tie into.