Shorty Exhaust header upgrade question

[JTDFW]

Exhaust Header questions.
I have a 2021 RAM 1500 Limited truck with a Hemi 5.7L engine in it. Love the truck, but now after about 45k miles, I have that infamous exhaust header leak. I went to the dealership and it is covered under a 60k PowerTrain warranty, but the parts are back-ordered. Instead of going back to the flawed stock design, I was thinking about upgrading. I decided to go the route of replacing the stock exhaust headers with new Shorty Exhaust headers and currently I have the stock exhaust. Before I go to an exhaust shop or performance shop I figured I would ask some questions from the gurus here in this RAM forum. I do not want to replace my entire exhaust system but just the stock exhaust headers at the front of the engine, using stock placement and mid-pipe. I have seen many brands such as BBK, JBA, AFE, Kooks, FlowTech, and many others but some do not offer shorty exhaust headers for my year of the truck yet.

I am sort of leaning toward the BBK as it seems many have used them. Are there others that are better built that will not cost me 1,000 for the set?
So from those who have actually swapped out the stock exhaust headers, what would you recommend to do and what to buy?

This is what I was thinking of purchasing below:
Did I miss anything and do I really need that extra Fel-pro Manifold gasket as others suggested? <?
> BBK 40150, Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi 1-3/4" Shorty Headers Polished Silver Ceramic 19-23
or the BBK 4015, Ram 1500 Truck 5.7 1-3/4 Shorty Exhaust Headers Titanium Ceramic 19-23
> FEL-PRO Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set, Part # MS 97083
> Stage 8 MOPAR Hemi V8 Header Bolt Kit, part # 8916
What else would you recommend?

Also, will an exhaust for 2019 also fit my 2021?

 

[ricksomerville40]

I'll be following this thread - I have a 2017 Ram 1500 5.7 with warped exhaust manifolds / broken bolts and I'm wondering if switching to shorty headers will solve this problem. As you mentioned there are many brands and styles. I'm hoping to get a recommendation for headers.

 

[Highway]

I had 2 broken manifold bolts on each side and i replaced them with JBA shorty headers. I wasn’t concerned about performance gains just no more broken bolts. I went with rimflex gaskets per suggestions on this knowledgeable forum and i have had zero problems. Some of the bolts are a little tricky tightening up on the shorties but with a 3/8” ratchet wrench and 3/8 and 1/8 drive sockets and extensions it wasn’t bad at all. Had to tweak the dipstick tube a little as well

 

[DILLIGAF]

AFE Shorties
Remflex Gasket
ARP Bolts

 

[JTDFW]

I am thinking of maybe switching from the BBK over to the AFE headers. So I read where it comes with gaskets but many are recommending other brands. So Should I also get the FEL-PRO Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set or the Remflex Gasket or is the one that comes with the AFE HEaders good? Also, do you still use the heat shield from OEM ?

 

[JHoward]

I am thinking of maybe switching from the BBK over to the AFE headers. So I read where it comes with gaskets but many are recommending other brands. So Should I also get the FEL-PRO Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set or the Remflex Gasket or is the one that comes with the AFE HEaders good? Also, do you still use the heat shield from OEM ?

What @DILLIGAF suggested and you won't be using the factory heatshields.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I went with the JBA titanium ceramic coated shorty's with a pair of SRT 3-later gaskets and 16 x SRT bolts.

I then had a thick heavy bead of ultra copper RTV put on the collectors where they connect to the cats to ensure no leaks at that connection point.

I've had them on for several months now and no leaking, no issues, no codes.
While LT headers will net much better gains in torque, they aren't a direct bolt on mod, and sometimes they require tuning as well to optimize their potential.

Nonetheless, the shorty's do contribute to a bump in torque and moreover are a significant flow improvement over the stock choking manifolds. And you won't need to worry about the dreaded cracked or leaking manifolds ever again.

I would also consider getting a new y-pipe installed too. This is a huge improvement in flow and opened everything up as well. The stock y-pipe has a pair of 2.5" pipes smashed together and stuffed into the collector and it's a major choke point for the HEMI.

I had one custom made and it's night and day improvement over the stock garbage that was in there.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

BBK have been known to fail over time, also fitment is hit or miss. JBA has been known to have their welds fail over time and fitment is not good at all. They normally (not all the time but very often) hit the steering knuckle.

AFE is the way to go for shorties! The AFE hardware is very good. I wouldn't spend the money on different hardware. For the gaskets the AFE ones are good but many do go with the Remflex ones.

message me for a quote on headers, I would be happy to help.

 

[Wild one]

Exhaust Header questions.
I have a 2021 RAM 1500 Limited truck with a Hemi 5.7L engine in it. Love the truck, but now after about 45k miles, I have that infamous exhaust header leak. I went to the dealership and it is covered under a 60k PowerTrain warranty, but the parts are back-ordered. Instead of going back to the flawed stock design, I was thinking about upgrading. I decided to go the route of replacing the stock exhaust headers with new Shorty Exhaust headers and currently I have the stock exhaust. Before I go to an exhaust shop or performance shop I figured I would ask some questions from the gurus here in this RAM forum. I do not want to replace my entire exhaust system but just the stock exhaust headers at the front of the engine, using stock placement and mid-pipe. I have seen many brands such as BBK, JBA, AFE, Kooks, FlowTech, and many others but some do not offer shorty exhaust headers for my year of the truck yet.

I am sort of leaning toward the BBK as it seems many have used them. Are there others that are better built that will not cost me 1,000 for the set?
So from those who have actually swapped out the stock exhaust headers, what would you recommend to do and what to buy?

This is what I was thinking of purchasing below:
Did I miss anything and do I really need that extra Fel-pro Manifold gasket as others suggested? <?
> BBK 40150, Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi 1-3/4" Shorty Headers Polished Silver Ceramic 19-23
or the BBK 4015, Ram 1500 Truck 5.7 1-3/4 Shorty Exhaust Headers Titanium Ceramic 19-23
> FEL-PRO Exhaust Manifold Gasket Set, Part # MS 97083
> Stage 8 MOPAR Hemi V8 Header Bolt Kit, part # 8916
What else would you recommend?

Also, will an exhaust for 2019 also fit my 2021?

Save your money on the Stage 8 bolts,odds are you won't be able to get all the locking tabs on,and if you ever have to remove the headers,you'll want to strangle the guy that sold you the bolts,plus they also have a rep of rattling which can cause your knock sensors to pull timing.The bolts that come with most header kits are more then suficient,as most header gaskets only call for 20 lb-ft of torque. Remflex 6022 gaskets are about the best gasket you can use on a set of headers,as they don't require constant re-torquing like a multi-layer gasket does

 

[Floodload]

I installed the shorty header and wrapped them. Towed travel trailer and half way thru trip had problem shifting into park then back to drive. After stopping at dealer and a lot of trouble shooting the inside of shifter cable was melted. I replaced cable and wrapped it with a heat sleeve. No problems since. Wrap heater core lines too as they are close to headers. Good luck