Headers and Tune?

[JCHemi]

Hello everybody I need some help. I’ve found conflicting info on the internet about headers and tuning. I have a 2017 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi. Currently I have a K&N Series 77 cold air intake and Flowmaster American Thunder 3 inch tubing exhaust system installed. I am looking for headers but don’t know which ones (short vs long tube). It is a daily driver. I think I want to go with long tubes. After installing either type should I get a tune like a Diablo sport device? Also what would be a good price for a shop to install the headers?

If more info is needed about my setup or anything let me know.

 

[Dan Topp]

My vette guy that did a Procharger on my 19 ram is recommending that I get the stainless works 1-7/8 long,no emissions here so I definitely want true duals whatever it takes to do a decent crossover and x pipe. Not in a big hurry but I would rather consult with him before ordering.The heads of the manifold bolts will fail im told for ram and GM

 

[MADDOG]

Short tube headers tend to provide more power (torque) lower in the RPM range than long tubes. Long tube headers help with more HP at higher RPMs, say at the end of the 1/4 mile vs. at the starting line.

Given that most of your driving will not be up there close to redline, and the fact that a short tube header won't really hurt you at higher RPMs, I'd suggest the short tube units. They are also easier to install in my experience.

A tune will definitely help. It's not a mandatory thing with headers but even without headers they do make a difference especially with a custom tune. I think one of the bigger parameters that really makes a difference is your air/fuel ratio numbers.

I'd suggest a Diablosport programmer that accepts custom tunes. HemiFever, Jay Greene & Diablotoona are three good sources for custom tunes.

Good luck with your mods.

 

[crackerjack1957]

Not a Ram/Mopar but another proven example of shorties vs long

Of course, every engine is different, but in this case, the long-tube headers outperformed the shorties. At the peak, horsepower jumped from 313 to 324 (an 11hp increase) and torque climbed from 329 to 346 (17 lb-ft), however, at 3,600 rpm, torque was up about 30 lb-ft, and just past the power peak (5,700 rpm), horsepower was up 15 hp. In fact, horsepower and torque were up across the entire curve.

Long Tube vs. Shorty Headers - Pipe Dreams

When it comes to classic hot-rodding tricks, one of the very first things enthusiasts do is modify the exhaust for better sound and performance. The tradition s

www.motortrend.com

 

[Jwithing]

If you have the money, Long tubes for sure. Stainless works if you want to go true dual as stated above. Otherwise ARH are the other popular high quality product. You will want to get them ceramic coated and/or wrap them as well. JBA long tubes is a cheaper option and can come ceramic coated, but you get what you pay for. I have the JBA and just saw this past weekend that the ceramic coating has started to flake off in a few spots after 3 years. An aftermarket ceramic coating should last longer if done well. Cerakote is a top notch popular option for ceramic coating.

Ceramic coating will protect the headers from the elements/rusting and slightly lower heat temps. Wrapping will also protect and lower temps much more. A bad wrap job can trap the elements against the headers accelerating wear and rust, especially if not ceramic coated. All really depends on how much money you have and how long you plan on keeping your truck to protect your investment.

 

[Jwithing]

Oh, and in regards to price, installing longtubes on these trucks is not fun. I want to say 6-8 hours for most IIRC. I did mine myself and had several nightmare scenarios occur, so I think mine took 60 hours or so lol.... I should probably find those posts to reminisce lol.

IIRC shop prices were around $1k 3 years ago give or take a couple hundred dollars.

 

[seabrook]

my last truck i did jba lt's and an etune- made a HUGE difference!!!

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

Long tubes will offer much more power. Shorties will offer an increase in power but nothing like the long tubes. The other factor with shorties is you keep the restrictive stock y pipe which will hurt higher rpm hp.

Message us for a quote on anything. We offer LTS and shorties. For long tubes we recommend ARH or SW. For shorties we recommend AFE or Kooks, or for a less expensive lower cost option JBA.

 

[Jwithing]

my last truck i did jba lt's and an etune- made a HUGE difference!!!

Agree, LTs made a noticeable difference throughout the powerband and I already had a hemifever tune. Most noticeable was mid powerband on the highway, just feels like it keeps pulling harder, longer.

 

[seabrook]

Long tubes will offer much more power. Shorties will offer an increase in power but nothing like the long tubes. The other factor with shorties is you keep the restrictive stock y pipe which will hurt higher rpm hp.

Message us for a quote on anything. We offer LTS and shorties. For long tubes we recommend ARH or SW. For shorties we recommend AFE or Kooks, or for a less expensive lower cost option JBA.

to me after the jbas id do arh it just a little more and the quality is way better. fwiw i never had a problem with the jbas

 

[seabrook]

Agree, LTs made a noticeable difference throughout the powerband and I already had a hemifever tune. Most noticeable was mid powerband on the highway, just feels like it keeps pulling harder, longer.

stop it ur gonna make me buy some lol

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

to me after the jbas id do arh it just a little more and the quality is way better. fwiw i never had a problem with the jbas

ARH are MUCH BETTER quality in comparison to JBA.

 

[RedSRT4Me]

Long tubes are one of those things that ignorance is bliss. You can speculate and theorize about short tubes vs long tubes, 1 3/4 primaries vs 1 7/8 primaries and the list goes on about debatables but once you have a set on this Ram platform there is no going back.

Since the heads flow so well 1 7/8" primaries make the most power everywhere in the power band. Not only do you have hi flow heads, dual runner intake manifold and variable cam timing add to that as well.

Long tubes with a tune are the best bang for the buck horsepower/torque wise before forced air in my opinion. Say 2.5-3k on the LT/ tune vs what 6-7k on shelf forced air kits.

My own personal setup I did aFe 1 3/4 primaries, 3" catted y-pipe and something unique to aFe they include a 3.5" downpipe that connects from the y-pipe to the muffler. If I could do it again I'd go 1 7/8's simply because you can never have too much horsepower. But going from 3/4 to 7/8 won't happen unless I had to.

 

[Dan90]

My recommendation would be ARH long tubes with a custom tune, Jay Greene, Hemifever, etc. depending on who is accepting new clients. I would reach out to the tuner prior to purchasing a diablo sport or HP tuners device to find out which they prefer to use.

If you want to go shorty header route I would suggest Kooks, no tune needed but it will help.

Whether you install shorties or long tubes you are in for a 6-8 hour task. Not overly difficult and can be done but the spacing is tight and just takes time.

If you are interested I have a set of JBA shorties in the titanium coating that have never been installed. I'd give them to you for a steal. PM me.

 

[David_Jacobs]

I installed 1 7/8” Kooks headers with HPTuner tuning and MMX NSR cam. Works really well now, I originally had a Diablo tuner with a well known email tuner that wasn’t a great experience.

I installed the kooks header to avoid the dreaded log manifold bolts breaking again. The dipstick was a ***** to get through the headers. If I had to do it again, I’d go Kooks 1 3/4 headers.

 

[JCHemi]

Alright so I’m going with ARH long tubes. The is my first vehicle I’m upgrading so sorry for #2.
1. 1 3/4 or 1 7/8? What’s the difference in performance?
2. For getting a tune like Hemifever I have to get in touch with them to see if they will send me a tune on a Diablo or something else?

 

[David_Jacobs]

Alright so I’m going with ARH long tubes. The is my first vehicle I’m upgrading so sorry for #2.
1. 1 3/4 or 1 7/8? What’s the difference in performance?
2. For getting a tune like Hemifever I have to get in touch with them to see if they will send me a tune on a Diablo or something else?

1 3/4 if you not going forced induction, 1 7/8 if you are for maximum scavenging.
2 I’d go email tuner if it’s a simple tune you after. I got one of those tunes with my cam and I had to do a lot of work afterwards to get it right. The email tunes will get you out the starting blocks. Mine was initially setup with Diablo but I bought HP tuners which is a much better platform IMHO.

 

[Wild one]

1 3/4 if you not going forced induction, 1 7/8 if you are for maximum scavenging.
2 I’d go email tuner if it’s a simple tune you after. I got one of those tunes with my cam and I had to do a lot of work afterwards to get it right. The email tunes will get you out the starting blocks. Mine was initially setup with Diablo but I bought HP tuners which is a much better platform IMHO.

Chris Zelinsky of Player 3 Performance tuning on the south side of Edmonton is a pretty decent HP tuner,if you're still fighting your tune.He tunes my truck,and it runs low 12's at Castrol,with a best of 12.02.Quite often he does tunes in Airdrie and Calgary during the summer,if you want it on a dyno,then you have to go see him though.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

Alright so I’m going with ARH long tubes. The is my first vehicle I’m upgrading so sorry for #2.
1. 1 3/4 or 1 7/8? What’s the difference in performance?
2. For getting a tune like Hemifever I have to get in touch with them to see if they will send me a tune on a Diablo or something else?

1. 1-3/4 for naturally aspirated and 1-7/8 for supercharged or big cam and stroker build, high HP.

2. Talk to your tuner and choice and see what device they prefer to use. They will send the tune over email and you move the file into the programmer.

 

[David_Jacobs]

Chris Zelinsky of Player 3 Performance tuning on the south side of Edmonton is a pretty decent HP tuner,if you're still fighting your tune.He tunes my truck,and it runs low 12's at Castrol,with a best of 12.02.Quite often he does tunes in Airdrie and Calgary during the summer,if you want it on a dyno,then you have to go see him though.

Thanks,
Over the past year I’ve experimented a lot with my engine and trans tune to the point I’m fairly comfortable with making changes. Mine runs awesome now, but there were many, many lessons along the way!