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What brand do you prefer?

  • American Racing Headers

    Votes: 3 4.6%
  • JBA

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Kooks

    Votes: 7 10.8%
  • Patriot

    Votes: 1 1.5%
  • Sanderson

    Votes: 4 6.2%
  • None of the above

    Votes: 49 75.4%

High end Header Preference

16K views 61 replies 36 participants last post by  Todd69SS 
#1 ·
I wanted to hear some experience any of you may have had with the higher end header companies. Not the el cheapo off brand stuff or the $100 headers, but the high end stuff. $750 and up. Brands like JBA, Patriot, American Racing, Kooks, etc.

What brand do you prefer?
Why?
What application did you fit them to?
Would you buy that brand again for another project?
Have you installed/owned/used any other brand as a personal comparison?
Have you dyno'ed your project and know what the headers were worth in hp gain?


Looking for some market research for my own use. Full disclosure - I am closely tied to one of these brands and want to know why folks have chosen what they run.

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to reading opinions!
 
#2 ·
My only high end headers have been from Dan Lemons, 2 1/4 BBC, before that it was shelf Hookers. Dan is personable,knowledgeable,he spends time with you, and has a good product. IMHO
 
#6 ·
Lemons, by a longshot! Dan was very helpful helping me on more than one project. New headers on a 1970, 496ci, not one conflict with any component. Got frustrated with Hooker (Holley) when there best advice was: Your gonna have a hard time, Good Luck! - wow! Talk about lack of customer service. Just read a previouse post where hooker instructions suggest use of a hammer to modify. Give me a break! I have about 5 sets of bbc headers hangin on the wall now, so far the Lemon product has my confidence, like I said, "It's not even a close choice". Have a set of Doug's I will try soon on another car soon, will advise.
 
#7 ·
Another vote for Lemons. Great people to deal with, excellent product. Been to the shop before and they treated me and my son real nice. My car is a one off type of deal and they nailed it perfectly. I couldn't be happier.
 
#9 ·
Stahl ...2" primaries 3"collectors ......... slip fit collectors ....... They spend alot of time with you to ensure you have the header sizing that works for your engine and use

66 BBC Chevelle ........ Dyno 'd yes tried different collector sizing and design and used dyno headers as base .......... Stahl made best torque by alot and best HP at peak rpm

Had many headers over the years
 
#12 ·
one of my biggest mistakes was not using Lemmons

i used hooker 2455 road plows
 
#14 ·
I gotta get some new headers sooner than later. Sure would like to see some installed pics of them fancy new American Racing headers installed..web write-up talks big, but when you get that expensive (website listed price @ 1195 for 2x3.5) they better fit and perform big, too. Web site also says they are stainless, which could be a plus?
I had stainless Borlas when i had a S/C dragster in the late 90s..I loved them, they never got header grunge disease, but they got HOT, would stainless headers in a tight chevelle BBC engine bay be any hotter than regular steel?
 
#15 ·
I appreciate the responses. I find it interesting that performance and dyno results were not mentioned in most replies. Is it that few people spend the additional cost to dyno their projects, dont have a dyno service nearby, or is actual performance not as important?
 
#24 ·
I would say not everyone has several pair of headers laying around to compare the results, not to mention the cost of the Dyno Service, However if you have them & want to pay Pettis Performance for his service i have a new 605 that's going to be ready in a couple of months :thumbsup:
 
#22 ·
I voted kooks.

I had a pair of 1-3/4" uncoated and 3" catless mods on my daily driver 04 GTO.
I put maybe 15k miles on them before I sold them.
The fit and finish was 2nd to none, they blued nice, and in the pa winter they didnt rust or show any signs from the salt used on the roads.

I would buy again for sure

Aaron
 
#27 · (Edited)
I elected to not use my ceramic coated headers on the dyno due to the possibility of hurting the coating.
We also had a set of 2 1/8 Lemons headers on a 555 dynoed 890s, in a Camaro it ran 8.71 at 157.
 
#28 ·
I remember that engine, that car and that video :) Bad to the bone! I tried a different set of headers on the dyno just to see what the difference would be. Pro Line had a set of 2-1/4" headers with a little shorter collector than my Lemons. The peak RPM went up by a couple of hundred RPMs, but there was only 3-4 hp difference. For the quality and fitment that the Lemons provide for a street or street/strip car it's hard to go wrong.

I had already dulled the ceramic coating on my Lemons from getting too agressive with the timing on the last build. I'm going to wait and get the engine tuning done before taking them back to the powder coaters :D
 
#37 ·
I have a set of 1 3/4 ceramic coated Headmans on my car now, no clearance problems, and it runs great.
However, when I install the new 540 in about two weeks, I figure I will need to go to larger tubes, especially since one of the outstanding features of the 290 Air Flow Research heads is their phenominol exaust port flow.

I guess I will call Lemons, as I do not want ANY problems with installation or clearance. Or, any other recomendation for a dedicated street engine.
 
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