Which Long Tube Headers...help

[TonyJ5150]

First post...been reading thru all the threads...tons of great info...thank you! I have decided to purchase either Kooks or ARH long tube headers, pairing them with their catted X pipe. I just cant decide on which to go with. Information on the vendors sites about material is scarce from what I have found.
Do both use the same material, and what about included gaskets and header bolts...I like that Kooks includes Stage 8 fasteners and Cometic gaskets...and has that vibration thingy...Not sure if ARH supplies any of that or has that vibration thingy...

So can anyone contrast the 2 systems based on material used, design, included hardware and quality.

Thanks in advance.

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[superman07]

After 2 days with an off road pipe sans any dampening, I am really leaning toward the system that has the vibration dampeners provided it can eventually be mated to the stock system at the axle.

 

[stanglife]

Both companies make a good product. I like Kooks because they seem to follow OEM thinking with the vibration dampers and all.

 

[superman07]

Lund is looking at my data logs now and I may have got some bad gas, some of my perceived vibration could be from that however regardless of timing retard the vibration is real.

The stock Cat pipe has vibration reducers also attached, I wonder if those can be purchased and clamped on to further smooth the system out.

 

[Johnb-5.0]

Both companies make a good product. I like Kooks because they seem to follow OEM thinking with the vibration dampers and all.

I also prefer kooks system, but at the moment American Racing is the only one available at this time.

 

[Myshelby3425]

I also prefer kooks system, but at the moment American Racing is the only one available at this time.

Lethal performance has the Kooks listed for sale, is there a wait time?

 

[Johnb-5.0]

Lethal performance has the Kooks listed for sale, is there a wait time?[/QUOTE

Yes....ordered mine on March 16th still waiting.

 

[NvrFinished]

I like that Kooks includes Stage 8 fasteners and Cometic gaskets...and has that vibration thingy...Not sure if ARH supplies any of that or has that vibration thingy...

Can someone elaborate more about this "vibration thingy" for lack of a better term? I was leaning towards ARH over the Kooks but now not so sure. I just checked the Kooks site and didn't see anything in their description of the product about this.

 

[Johnb-5.0]

Can someone elaborate more about this "vibration thingy" for lack of a better term? I was leaning towards ARH over the Kooks but now not so sure. I just checked the Kooks site and didn't see anything in their description of the product about this.

Picture of the kooks mid pipe.

 

[Myshelby3425]

You have to cut up your factory exhaust with the kooks system unless you use their full system with exhaust. American Racing connects to factory exhaust with no cutting.

Also which would be the ideal header tubing diameter for the GT350? They make 1 3/4", 1 7/8" and 2".

 

[Johnb-5.0]

You have to cut up your factory exhaust with the kooks system unless you use their full system with exhaust. American Racing connects to factory exhaust with no cutting.

Also which would be the ideal header tubing diameter for the GT350? They make 1 3/4", 1 7/8" and 2".

On the ARH website, its only showing 1 7/8 for the direct connection setup.

 

[Epiphany]

Can someone elaborate more about this "vibration thingy" for lack of a better term? I was leaning towards ARH over the Kooks but now not so sure. I just checked the Kooks site and didn't see anything in their description of the product about this.

They are "Tuned Mass Dampers." In this case they are affixed to the exhaust midpipe via welded brackets that then allow the dampers themselves to be bolted to the brackets. Their job is to reduce the amplitude of vibration created by our beloved 5.2L engine. You can see two of them in place on the stock pipe assembly located between the cats and the flex sections of pipe.

Looks like Kooks located theirs in similar proximity to the originals (relative to the body of the car).




An interesting read from Roush on related matter.
https://www.roush.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/07NVC-217.pdf

 

[NvrFinished]

They are "Tuned Mass Dampers." In this case they are affixed to the exhaust midpipe via welded brackets that then allow the dampers themselves to be bolted to the brackets. Their job is to reduce the amplitude of vibration created by our beloved 5.2L engine. You can see two of them in place on the stock pipe assembly located between the cats and the flex sections of pipe.]

Ok, so are these tuned dampers by Kooks unique only to the 5.2 Voodoo then?

 

[Epiphany]

Not sure what you're asking for.

The dampers are an engineered response to resonance. The level of vibration was deemed unacceptable without them, hence their inclusion on the GT350. You can find them at work on plenty of other cars as well, including certain year/engine Mustangs. You won't normally see a header manufacturer using them however. The fact that you do in this case is rather telling.

 

[TORQUEJUNKY]

I could call Nick at ARH and voice our interest in long tubes with dampeners. I'm sure he'd be onboard if he knew potential customers opted out of purchasing his system because of the lack of dampeners. Seems simple enough for him to weld on this dampeners.

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