Long tubes are for sure not worth the investment without other mods either

 

Longtubes usually need supporting mods, but they also do away with the sh1tty factory y-pipe that the shorties leave in.

 

Ok I agree you need mods with both, however shorties are especially not worth your time without mods.then again, To look at it from a different angle, the sooner you get shot of the crappy stock manifolds, the better. So whatever floats your boat.

 

IMO, if you're going to put shorties on, you'd be better off installing an off road y-pipe instead.
Then when you've got more mods (and cash) install longtubes.

 

^ there

 

So we're gonna install an off road y pipe and become emissions illegal, then turn around and install LT's, and have to cut up the y pipe up to make it work
That doesn't sound very cost efficient to me, and we'll still be emissions illegal. The better route would be to install the shorties, a magnaflow y pipe and a good 3inch in dual out muffler of your choice. No money wasted and you will have a nice torquey engine that runs much better than stock, or shorties and do away with the y pipe altogether and have a muffler shop run two pipes off of the cats to the muffler location and either use a dual dual out muffler or two mufflers, and this system does really good because I have run it, along with the first system I described, and once again no money wasted. With the second system if later you decide to get LT's, you can adapt the system and make it all work without wasting money and cutting up an expensive OR y pipe

 

I can't disagree with the expensive of changing things out, but not everyone thinks that far ahead.
As far as being emissions illegal, since when has anybody on this forum given a ****, Number 1, Number 2, it's easy to put a cat on those suckers. 2nd guys do it all the time.

 

Old man makes sense, I ain't gonna argue with someone who's actually tried different set ups.
About the whole emissions issue, it's something that matters to me, but I agree, most people from the states that are exempt couldn't care less.

 

Well if you live somewhere that your emissions tested you'll give a ****, when they tell you to park it or get it fixed, and just putting a cat on wont cut it with the newer obdII cars and trucks. It has to not have any CELs before it will pass, even if they don't relate to emissions. If you have any CEL's you fail, at least in Tennessee you fail, and also why shouldn't you think ahead when money is involved. If you have that much money, send me what you don't use. Oh one more thing, if you have an OR y pipe it bolts to the factory log manifold or shorties, but to use it with LT's, would require extensive modification, and basically ruin it

 

Almost ANY mod needs other mods to reach it's potential. With 4.56 gearing and my other mods, LTs torque curve is plenty low enough. I tow 7800# of tractor, rough cut mower on a 22' trailer with no problem.

For the record Long Tubes, cats retained, O2 sensors in place, pass emissions test: