Headers on Terminators, from what I remember reading, don't typically add much power so it's good you don't care about that. You will need to get O2 extenders. I'm also not aware of anyone that makes a catted "shorty" midpipe. FYI you have to get a shorty pipe to fit the LT headers. As long as the car has cats and a tune to pass emissions you should be set for the emissions test. If they don't do a visual inspection for cats you can get by with an "emission" tune.

 

SLP has a catted midpipe for their longtubes, but thats probably a bit too much for someone looking at 350 for a set of mac longtubes. If you are wanting a different sound just change your midpipe and mufflers, longtubes is a lot of work for not a lot of gain.

 

The title of this thread is best headers for an 03/04 Cobra. So i am going to answer that. Long tube Kooks!

 

x10000

 

I've heard that a lot of people leave stock manifolds on 4v's, but I kinda feel like I'm half-assing the exhaust if I don't put headers in there. I know of a shop that builds hotrods and they're gonna hook me up with labor, so I figure, why not?

And PA doesn't do visual on cats, but I've heard that some machines will fail a car because the rear o2 sensors are turned off. If I can get concrete evidence to disprove that, then I won't worry about cats.

 

Ive got JBA shortie headers...they were on the car when I got it.

Car sounds amazing though with the bassani x and flows

 

Does anyone know if the MAC headers are one of the brands where you have to remove the passenger side header to drop the trans? I'd like to avoid that if I can, but I'm not looking to break the bank on a set of longtubes that I'm only adding for completeness and sound.

 

I dropped my trans right out between the MACs, didn't have to loosen or remove either of the headers.


It sounds silly but one of the reasons I put on long tubes was so I could swap out midpipes easier if I ever wanted to. It took me about 5 minutes to get my Prochamber off the LT's once the car was up in the air. Switching mid-pipes really sucks with stock manifolds. And if you're like other Mustang owners, you change your exhaust more than you change your underwear.

Other reasons for me doing it was I got a good deal on a Prochamber/Ceramic LTs/O2 extensions package and the motor was already out of the car, so it was a lot easier to install. I don't know if I'd go through all the trouble of putting them on if the motor was in the car.

 

I believe it is one of those brands. Although now that I think about it I'm pretty sure you can remove the trans from the bellhousing on a T56 so it wouldn't be as bad as say a 5 speed 4V where you have to remove the whole transmission.

 

heard macs were good for cobras and mach 1s

 

AMH or Kooks

everything else is compromise

 

For what's it's going to do (Get the heat away from the engine and lower the boost about a 1-2#'s) Mac has the best bang for buck. The only way I'd be getting Hooker's or kooks would be used. Also Ceramic Coating is a must.

 

Personally, you don't need to bother with them. If you must, Bassani middies or Kooks LT's. Shorties will give you 0-5 hp (says my tuner, and it only makes sense) and the middies or long tubes with a bigger blower can award no more than 20. A lot of money and work for not much gain IMHO.

If I did them, it would be for bragging rights that I did the install (it's not easy), the looks, and the sound. lol

 

Most Terminator model Cobra owners leave them stock. There are WAY better mods to spend your $ on and get a lot of impact. I have only seen a VERY small # of owners change them and that is usually with a really built motor beyond the stock bottom end. My $00.02

 

The best (meaning longest lasting) and most expensive are Stainless Works, ARH, Kooks and SLP (I prefer Stainless Works). BBK, MAC, Hooker, Flowtech and JBA mids will all make the same power but won't last forever like the first three wwhich are made of stainless steel.

If it were my car I would leave the manifolds on and change the mufflers.

 

My train of thought was that I want to change the mid pipe, and I'm gonna get it tuned either way. I have a shop that's gonna hook me up on labor (1/3 of normal labor costs), so if I'm in there changin the midpipe, why not complete the exhaust with a set of headers. Maybe its me, but I'd always have a feeling of incompleteness knowing I screwed with the exhaust and left stock manifolds on. Guess I'm weird like that lol

 

^I'm the same way lol!

 

If I were keeping my car headers would be my next mod......once you make up for the drop in psi they provide I would expect 35ish hp from them....

 

Yeah, when you're running a KB. Most people never see gains from them because they're not pushing enough power. As power goes up, so does gas flow, so you see more gains from them the higher power goes. Just putting that out there.

...also I'm probably going to go with a MAC LT setup for mine.

 

The car already has a smaller pulley on the stock Eaton, hopefully I don't loose too much boost. I figure if I'm gonna do anything to the exhaust, I'm gonna do the whole thing at once and check it off my mod list.

 

dont go cheap. you'll just kick yourself later. Kooks, american racing headers or stainless works is the only way to go!

You dont need headers anyway! My buddy made 700 rwhp on e85 with 21 psi on his 2.3 whipple car with stock manifolds.

 

Yeah, you don't need them with a Whipple and E85. :lol

Not to mention those are pretty good numbers for a 2.3, E85 or not.

 

I was kinda looking at this as a 'down the road' mod. I have a lot of mods planned out for the car, and one of the first on my list was to get this POS stock cat pipe off the car. I really don't feel like buying a second mid pipe if I wait to do the headers. I'm shooting for somewhere close to 700 at the wheels. I already knew about dropping the k member to do the install...maybe it'll give me a reason to upgrade that

 

Slippery slope isn't it? It starts off as a little mod, next thing you know...

But if you're going to push for 700, maybe do a K, get a new midpipe, you might as well.

I know a tubular K is in my future, just haven't decided if I'm going to do it with the engine swap or wait till later.