Headers for Stock 5.0

I'm doing research for my near future purchase of 1 5/8 shorty headers. My car has stock internals, but has offroad 2.5 inch x-pipes with 40 series flowmasters. I also have K&N filter, Pro-m 75mm MAF, 65mm TB and EGR, so I stuffed the stock intake manifold with as much air as possible, and I have msd cap/rotor kit, ford racing 9mm wires. I would like to purchase either summit, mac, or bbk. Which of these is the best for my stock 5.0?:scratch:
 
  • Sponsors (?)


BBK unequals here. love em! i dd my car, rain or shine. Right now my body is rotting away and my BBKs look brand new.

the only thing i'd recommend you do with BBKs is check the flange. mine only had 3 spot welds on them, and when you really get cranking on it to seal a stupid exhaust leak, they may bend. mind did. had to pull it all back out, shell out the $$$ for new gaskets, chop off the flanges, and hammer them down flat. then i welded the living piss out of em! solid as can be now!
 
Just keep the stock headers on, they are the BEST headers for stock 5.0's.
Once you get above 260RWHP then you can change them

You will notice a low end torque loss if you change them. YES! You will gain a little up top but not enough to notice. Again, just keep them on and put the money towards another mod.
 
Rule of thumb for stock 5.0's

AOD = 373's

5spd = 355's

gears have debated to death on here. I thought most people chose 4:10's for autos and you could go 3:73 or 3:55 for the 5 spd cars. I have 3:73 and love them and from what I have read if you have had 3:73 for awhile you will not noticed much difference between 3:73 & 3:55 :shrug: .

by the way 1 1/2 primarys are the best for shorty headers on a stock/mild motor. equal length shorties will get back some of the torque but they suck to install and take up alot of room. long tubes are the best gainers though.
 
gears have debated to death on here. I thought most people chose 4:10's for autos and you could go 3:73 or 3:55 for the 5 spd cars. I have 3:73 and love them and from what I have read if you have had 3:73 for awhile you will not noticed much difference between 3:73 & 3:55 :shrug: .

by the way 1 1/2 primarys are the best for shorty headers on a stock/mild motor. equal length shorties will get back some of the torque but they suck to install and take up alot of room. long tubes are the best gainers though.

I put in 410's after my 373's and went 2 tenths slower in the 1/4.
 
gears have debated to death on here. I thought most people chose 4:10's for autos and you could go 3:73 or 3:55 for the 5 spd cars. I have 3:73 and love them and from what I have read if you have had 3:73 for awhile you will not noticed much difference between 3:73 & 3:55 :shrug: .

by the way 1 1/2 primarys are the best for shorty headers on a stock/mild motor. equal length shorties will get back some of the torque but they suck to install and take up alot of room. long tubes are the best gainers though.

So, overall, because this decision is a bit stressful :bang: , equal length will be even better for stock than unequal length? One or two guys will say that for stock or slightly modified mustangs, it is bad for low end, while a lot of them say that they are great. How much low-end will I loose, if any? I appreciate the advices all of you guys are giving, but when some say it's good, while a few say it's not that good, it gets pretty hard to decide wether to do it or not.
 
So, overall, because this decision is a bit stressful :bang: , equal length will be even better for stock than unequal length? One or two guys will say that for stock or slightly modified mustangs, it is bad for low end, while a lot of them say that they are great. How much low-end will I loose, if any? I appreciate the advices all of you guys are giving, but when some say it's good, while a few say it's not that good, it gets pretty hard to decide wether to do it or not.

you are making it harder than it has to be, we went through this in tech. you are going to a larger primary tube so you are giving up flow velocity for flow volume, this will drop off some of low end torque and give you hp on the top side(are you still with me). they say 1 5/8 are for more modded 5.0's and stay with 1 1/2 headers for stock/mild 5.0's but try and find 1 1/2 headers. I didn't notice it to much but I have alot of mods, okay maybe still mild :D . going crazy over a set of shorties and thinking it's a big gain is nuts and spending huge dollars on shorties is the same nuts. the stock headers like I said over tech already gave the H.O 7-10hp over cast iron headers just the contours of the tubes suck. sooo get headers with a flange summit, ford racing , brothers, bbk are all going to do the same period!!! the only difference will be fit, some will go on nice some will be a pain. If you want a gain from headers and can deal with the tight fit and such then go long tubes, you get hp, torque improvements.

so to sum it up, you are going to lose low end torque..yes. you will gain upper range hp..yes. all the aftermarket unequal length headers do the same for gains, some are made crappy, fit crappy but still do the same.

here you go..
ford racing..fit the best, most people like them, no other issues or complaints.

bbk's ..alot of people on here use them, look good, chrome pits and gets rusty, some guys have had problems fitting to h-pipes, but most like them.

summit...good bang for the buck. no bad reviews yet. they stand behind thier stuff.

Brothers..don't know they just started making thier own headers.

MAC..individual flanges offer sealing problems, leak prone but still people like them. nio big fitting issues

JBA..good stuff, huge dollars.

pick a budjet, pick your headers.

stay away from flowtech, pace setter...junk..junk.

hope this helps.Best of luck to ya :nice:

:flag:
 
you are making it harder than it has to be, we went through this in tech. you are going to a larger primary tube so you are giving up flow velocity for flow volume, this will drop off some of low end torque and give you hp on the top side(are you still with me). they say 1 5/8 are for more modded 5.0's and stay with 1 1/2 headers for stock/mild 5.0's but try and find 1 1/2 headers. I didn't notice it to much but I have alot of mods, okay maybe still mild :D . going crazy over a set of shorties and thinking it's a big gain is nuts and spending huge dollars on shorties is the same nuts. the stock headers like I said over tech already gave the H.O 7-10hp over cast iron headers just the contours of the tubes suck. sooo get headers with a flange summit, ford racing , brothers, bbk are all going to do the same period!!! the only difference will be fit, some will go on nice some will be a pain. If you want a gain from headers and can deal with the tight fit and such then go long tubes, you get hp, torque improvements.

so to sum it up, you are going to lose low end torque..yes. you will gain upper range hp..yes. all the aftermarket unequal length headers do the same for gains, some are made crappy, fit crappy but still do the same.

here you go..
ford racing..fit the best, most people like them, no other issues or complaints.

bbk's ..alot of people on here use them, look good, chrome pits and gets rusty, some guys have had problems fitting to h-pipes, but most like them.

summit...good bang for the buck. no bad reviews yet. they stand behind thier stuff.

Brothers..don't know they just started making thier own headers.

MAC..individual flanges offer sealing problems, leak prone but still people like them. nio big fitting issues

JBA..good stuff, huge dollars.

pick a budjet, pick your headers.

stay away from flowtech, pace setter...junk..junk.

hope this helps.Best of luck to ya :nice:

:flag:

thanks.:nice: I get it. Is 1 1/2 bigger than 1 5/8's? I thought it was smaller than 1 3/4's. I'm going to be specific on what I have now. I have a 2 1/2 X-pipes with no cats and flowmasters. I have K&N filter, 65mm throttle body and EGR, Pro-M 75mm mass air sensor calibrated for stock injectors, msd cap and rotor, ford racing 9mm wires, smog pump delete, and I will advance my timing to possibly 13 to 14 degrees with 93 octane fuel. I now have stock 3.27 gears, stock AOD trans and stock headers. I already filled the stock intake manifold with the most air as possible. Longtubes will be better for stock engine then? Just curious. :D