Anyone have Headers with the NPP exhaust?

[Bill 1ss/rs m6]

So I have a 1ss with the NPP exhaust. I was thinking about getting a catback but heard of people with the NPP going with Headers first/instead? I'd like to hear peoples opinions of that setup. Also if I were to go that route which headers should I get? What size, brand, ceramic coated? I need a bit of education..... Also, would I absolutely need a tune? Why? I appreciate any info!

[pnwdan]

Originally Posted by Bill 1ss/rs m6

So I have a 1ss with the NPP exhaust. I was thinking about getting a catback but heard of people with the NPP going with Headers first/instead? I'd like to hear peoples opinions of that setup. Also if I were to go that route which headers should I get? What size, brand, ceramic coated? I need a bit of education..... Also, would I absolutely need a tune? Why? I appreciate any info!

I have headers with NPP. Speed Engineering 1-7/8 headers to be exact. Best value in headers ( in my opinion of course ). Just about every name brand is good. You cant lose with any of them. I am running w/o cats so thats why I chose SE. If i had to have cats I would probably have went with Texas Speed. I didnt see a need to pay top dollar for something like Kooks.

I also will never change my exhaust setup. I love having the NPP and being able to open or close them when I want.

EDIT: yes you will want a tune. You wont get any gains without one and you will probably end up getting a CEL at some point to. Headers are the single most significant bolt on mod you can do to gain power.

[SoFlaZ]

I have the same setup as you 1SS w/ NPP. I got some TSP 1-7/8 catless headers uncoated (Great price and fitment) and kept the NPP exhaust but I added the 3 way DIY switch for the flaps and I couldn't be happier. Even my friends with 5.0 mustangs like the sound, it gets loudddd.

Coating does keep engine bay temps down and you can touch them minutes after running but its more personal preference. If you autocross race that may be a good idea tho.

Tuning, I ran about a month before I got my tune and it was fine but did have a check engine light because I had no rear o2's in the pipes, I can't speak for the high flo cat versions. You maximize the potential of the headers with a tune, you will feel the power increase but tuning does the trick. I got it from Dynosteve here on the forum, I highly recommend especially for bolt-ons. Without major mods like heads/cam/blower I can't justify a local Dyno tune.

[metrogdor22]

I have a 2SS with NPP exhaust and TSP catless longtubes. I kept the factory NPP exhaust so I could install a Forza exhaust controller and manually make the car quiet or loud. Though with a cam and catless longtubes, "quiet" is a very loose and relative term.

With the valves closed, it's about as loud as your average Mustang with Roush axlebacks. When them open, I think the volume and note can best be described as "offensive".

With the valves open there is an annoying drone above 1700 RPM. With them closed it's still audible but easy to talk over.

I had a local shop install the cam and headers at the same time, so I can't say much about the install except that the shop had to bang them a little for clearance. The same shop also did the tune, which I would highly recommend. For basic headers, an email tune is probably enough, and a real dyno tune should only be a couple hundred bucks. You won't gain much, if any, power without a tune and could throw a CEL. It wouldn't be detrimental but if you're going to spend $500-1000 on headers, you might as well get a tune.

[Bill 1ss/rs m6]

Can I use my factory cats or should I get the high flows?

[pnwdan]

Originally Posted by Bill 1ss/rs m6

Can I use my factory cats or should I get the high flows?

Without question either high flow or no cats

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[Bill 1ss/rs m6]

I figured as much. Thanks!

[larry_g]

I agree with everyone above...no regrets. I went with high-flow cats and it stills sounds way better than it it did stock. I have a three-way switch so I can leave them open except when leaving early in the morning or coming home late at night because I don't want to be "that" neighbor.

[xc_SS/RS]

Yes, it's stoopid loud and awesome. I've got headers, no cats, and the NPP catback

You'll need a tune cause the headers and no cats will throw your fuel trims out of whack and it'll likely run fairly lean. Plus you'll have to tune the rear oxygen sensors out.

Id suggest whatever brand of header you can afford/are willing to spend money with. Brand doesn't really matter, but the more expensive options will fit better, come with a better warranty, and sometimes offer ceramic coating at less cost.

Ceramic coating is the way to go in my opinion. I've got my headers cerakoted with their 2000 degree coating and it definitely works. Keeps heat in the pipes very well even after two years

[Coz3z3]

I'll through my .02 cents in. I just put headers on mine this past winter and have NPP. I went high flow cats. I also did the popular fuse pull to keep the butterflies open all the time. I did that on the stock exhaust and thought about putting it back for the headers. But, ended up just leaving it out and it is loud, but nothing that is bothersome to me. As far as the drone, I feel it is not a whole lot of change from before. Nothing I can't handle. Also I haven't been able to drive it a ton yet so it could get worse

[pyroguy]

If my car had come with NPP exhaust I would have saved myself a lot of money instead of buying a catback. NPP with long tube headers is music to my ears.

As for your questions:
1 7/8" headers (unless you plan on big power later then 2")

Ceramic coating the headers keep engine bay temps down which is nice. My buddy and I did a side by side of stock manifolds vs. ceramic coated LT's and the difference was
500*F for stock vs. 400*F for ceramic coated LT's.

Brand is based on whether you want cats, warranty, American made vs. Chinese, etc. Here's a quick "cliff notes on headers".
Brand:
High priced: Kooks, ARH, Stainless Works
Mid priced: OBX, Texas Speed, Stainless Power
Budget: Speed Engineering
What you get:
High priced: Lifetime warranty, made in America, best quality control, great tech support.
Mid priced: Typically 2 year warranty, made in China, decent quality control, decent tech support.
Budget: No warranty, made in China, likely will have to "massage" (dimple) a tube or two, minimal tech support, no high flow cats as a kit option.

Yes you will absolutely need a tune. You can drive around for a little while without it, but it is advised against doing a bunch of hard pulls to prevent extra engine wear. However, it's not like driving around after installing a cam or forced induction.

[IWANTA(ss)]

Stainless power 1 7/8 with hfc npp and GPI SS4. Originally planned to go the atak after cam swap no need at most I’ll take the cats off for the track other wise it’s perfect. Gotta a clip of it on the Dyno if you wanna hear.

[zz430camaro]

NPP with Kooks 1-7/8 headers and hi-flow cats here. It sounds great with no drone at all. A cam helps a lot too, makes it even louder. I would get ceramic coated headers, its worth it to me, just looks better. When I had mine our for head work, I had mine coated and glad I did it.

[Avenging Orange]

I'd say your best education would be to read through the thousands of threads in this section on the same topic. Bottom line, long tubes require a tune. Performance exhaust always starts in front. Stock duals flow exceptionally well for naturally aspirated engine. Stock cats must come off and hi flo or straight pipe must be installed. All popular brand headers will flow and perform pretty much the same.