ARE HEADERS WORTH THE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT?

1. Exhaust header

An exhaust header is an aftermarket automotive part designed to improve vehicle performance. The small gain in performance facilitated by an exhaust header is important to high performance drivers who often make other modifications to their vehicles in order to increase speed. These modifications include the installation of larger intake vents for the engine. An exhaust header modifies the exhaust system to prevent back pressure, meaning that the cylinders do not have to work as hard to push exhaust out as they do in a traditional system. There are different types of exhaust headers depending on the needs of the drivers, with some tuned for low performance and others aimed at high performance on the open road.

In a conventional exhaust system, after the cylinders combust, they push the exhaust out into the exhaust manifold, which routes the exhaust out of the vehicle through the exhaust pipe. However, the exhaust manifold can create a back pressure which pushes against the cylinder, meaning that it has to exert more energy to push the exhaust out and prepare for the next firing. As a result, some efficiency can be lost.

An exhaust header works differently, essentially creating a miniature exhaust pipe for each cylinder and routing the exhaust to a centralized collector which is much larger. The pipes of an exhaust header are bent to fit under the hood and cut to the same length so that the exhaust gases will arrive sequentially in the collector as each cylinder fires. This eliminates the back pressure problem and allows the cylinders to operate more effectively.

And you have two basic options when choosing headers: long tube or short tube.

2. Long tube exhaust header

For long tube exhaust headers, the exhaust pipes are much longer and merge farther out. Because of this, each design impacts back pressure in the exhaust system in a different way.

Longer port pipes result in lower exhaust back pressure. This means improved oxygen intake and a boost in horsepower. But don’t go thinking that long tube headers always outperform short headers. It’s not that simple. Horsepower and torque output depend on the RPM range.

Long tube headers build a ton of power in the mid to high RPM range. They are the best option for high-rev vehicles, and track terrors. But they aren’t necessarily street legal, depending on emission standards. And usually, long tube headers are difficult to install. All the extra room they need inside the engine compartment may call for some costly reconfiguration.

3. Short tube exhaust header

What sets them apart is the length of the exhaust port pipes. For short tube exhaust headers, the port pipes actually merge into a single exhaust pipe in a much shorter distance.

Short headers perform best in the idle to mid-RPM range. This makes them the perfect headers for vehicles that rely on low-RPM power, like a daily commuter or a work pickup that sees a lot of towing and hauling.

After knowing the differences, one can choose them according to demands.