[1999DakotaRT]

With the addition of the Spintech longtube headers from ProZen Motorsports, there are now three sets of longtube headers available for our trucks so I felt it would be appropriate to have a comparison thread where people can state their experiences with each. (Ease of installation, performance gains, fitment[ie: 4x4, manual trans, etc.] or anything that could be potentially useful to other users.)

I'll begin by throwing up the basic information regarding each:

Maker: John Mercedes / Southeast Performance
Website: Southeast Performance Longtube Headers

Option 1:
Price: ~$700
Primary Size: 1 3/4"
Collector Size: 2.5"
Ceramic Coated: Optional, $??? Extra
O2 Bungs: Yes
Included: Bolts, Gaskets, Y-Pipe
Optional: Jet Hot Coating, Custom Cometic Header Gaskets, X-Pipe

Option 2:
Price: $Call John
Primary Size: 1 3/4"
Collector Size: 3"
Ceramic Coated: Optional, $??? Extra
O2 Bungs: Yes
Included: Bolts, Gaskets
Optional: Jet Hot Coating

Maker: KRC Performance / Hooker
Website: KRC Performance Longtube Headers
Price: $899.00
Primary Size: 1 5/8"
Collector Size: 3"
Ceramic Coated: Yes
O2 Bungs: Yes
Included: Bolts, Gaskets, CNC Billet Adapter Plates
Optional:

Maker: Spintech
Website: Spintech Longtube Headers

Option 1:
Price: $789.95
Primary Size: 1 3/4"
Collector Size: 3"
Ceramic Coated: Optional, $200 Extra
O2 Bungs: Yes
Included: Gaskets, Collector Port Plate
Optional: Ceramic Coating

Option 2:
Price: $899.95
Primary Size: 1 7/8"
Collector Size: 3"
Ceramic Coated: Optional, $200 Extra
O2 Bungs: Yes
Included: Gaskets, Collector Port Plate
Optional: Ceramic Coating

***Information provided may be invalid or out of date and is subject to change without notice. Contact individual suppliers for the most accurate/up-to-date information. Please PM me if any of this information is incorrect or new options become available.

 

[sick 660r]

damn I should have waited and went with spintechs option 2:rant:

 

[1999DakotaRT]

damn I should have waited and went with spintechs option 2:rant:

Yep... They're a little bit bigger than the KRC/Hookers... but they're also damned expensive too!

 

[Mopar4Life]

Spintechs aren't long tubes and JM's are the cheapest of them all, about $700. I have a pic.

 

[slammedR/T]

Spintechs aren't long tubes and JM's are the cheapest of them all, about $700. I have a pic.

These Spintech longtubes make the JM's look like 70's a-body knock-offs

Are you paying attention???? Spintech has just come out with the long tube for our trucks.JM's are a joke the spintechs WILL be the way to go 3" collector>2.5" collector 1 7/8" primarys>1 5/8" primarys nough said.


DEPUTY

 

[SinCity R/T]

I owned a set of the Hooker long-tubes when KRC was charging $699 for them instead of $899. I was very happy with the powerband they gave. I had them installed at the same time as a transmission swap so I was told it wasn't too bad, but I think that any long-tube header is going to have various installation issues just because of the limited space available.

 

[WeezyRT]

Spintechs aren't long tubes

They just released their longtubes.

 

[TrueblueR/T]

I have had experience with the hookers {the originals not KRC's} and was verry pleased.. The long tubes and the 1 5/8" dia helped keep the bottom end strong and I know of at least 1 R/T that is in the 11's with them..I figure that if I continued to Tune on the 360 I could be there also..However i have decided to go big with the new block so these are my new choice

2" primarys 3 1/2" collectors primary length 32" collector length13"..I do not know for sure that they will fit my truck,,they have no 02bung and are not sold for street use.. when i get them and make sure they will fit I will let everyone know.. also sold in 1 3/4 1 7/8 and stepped 1 7/8 to 2..

 

[1999DakotaRT]

I owned a set of the Hooker long-tubes when KRC was charging $699 for them instead of $899. I was very happy with the powerband they gave. I had them installed at the same time as a transmission swap so I was told it wasn't too bad, but I think that any long-tube header is going to have various installation issues just because of the limited space available.

I was afraid of that after hearing about all the tight fits with the JM's. I had kind of hoped that the KRC's or Spintech's were easier to install. Hmm.. In that case this may be the route I'll take too since when its cold out, my transmission whines worse than my x-girlfriend.. :jester:

 

[1999DakotaRT]

I have had experience with the hookers {the originals not KRC's} and was verry pleased.. The long tubes and the 1 5/8" dia helped keep the bottom end strong and I know of at least 1 R/T that is in the 11's with them..I figure that if I continued to Tune on the 360 I could be there also..However i have decided to go big with the new block so these are my new choice

2" primarys 3 1/2" collectors primary length 32" collector length13"..I do not know for sure that they will fit my truck,,they have no 02bung and are not sold for street use.. when i get them and make sure they will fit I will let everyone know.. also sold in 1 3/4 1 7/8 and stepped 1 7/8 to 2..

:jawdrop: Holy crap those are huge! Please do keep us updated; if they fit, I'll add those babies to the list!

 

[RagingRedR/T]

I have the KRC/Hookers and I'm pleased with them. It's hard for me to really compare them to stock or otherwise simply because I put them in when I did my engine swap. Now that everything is over and done with, they sound great when I uncork the exhuast and the install wasn't bad at all (again, done with engine swap so.... it better be easy).

You can see 'em in the vids in my sig.

 

[Chuck]

These Spintech longtubes make the JM's look like 70's a-body knock-offs

You know, thats the first thing I though when I got my sets. "You know, with the slip fit connectors, the tri-Y collectors, the O2 bungs, the ceramic coating... why, these look just like the headers that were offered for the Dodge Dart way back in the day." I consoled myself by saying I must be imagining things.

Just wait til I get John on the phone... this is the last straw...
:jester:

 

[thumpinhard25]

Im very pleased with my JM longtubes. Yes install was a pain, part of this is because of the entire removal of the supercharger and brackets. I think that the hardest part was actually having to cut off the old exhaust system. Im pretty thick headed and heard you can install the headers without jacking the motor. Once i gave up on that idea, finally jacked up the motor, and removed the collector, i had little problem getting them in. Overall i love the design. They look great, sound great, and make good power. I do wish i wouldnt of taken apart my daily driver, in the rain, cold, and driveway. 4 jackstands, 2 people, and a computer with this site, and it should go some what smoothly. Just a note to anyone thinking about installing these. LISTEN to the people on here, do ALL the extra little things the first time and it wont take a year to install. Do it my way of one thing at a time and trying to get them in, youll be thinking of selling the truck by the time your through.

 

[rtspeeddemon]

I run the JM headers and love them. Bitch to install but making great power with them.

 

[rtdkota]

Well, I'm the test mule for the Spintech headers. It's been a long process to get these, but I am picking up my truck next week and will have 100+ miles of initial impressions to get an idea on how they do.

I will have a dyno completed of the truck for a true comparison (100% non-biased) between the Mopar headers, factory cat->3" Magnaflow -2 x 2.5" rear exit vs. Spintech LT headers w/Spintech true dual exhaust.

Previous numbers were 303 rwhp, 335 rwtq.

New numbers will be ??? :huh:

News @ 11

Sam

 

[1999DakotaRT]

Hi, we have two designs of headers.

just some info for your list:

The headers are 1 3/4" primaries with a trick torque producing collector. proof of how it works are on the dyno's made by those in the group but we have 408's making 600 hp with them.

we also have a second set of 4 into 1 design custom headers. these are 1 3/4" primaries and have a 3" custom Merge collector.

hope this helps.

Got some more information and another longtube header option from Southeast Performance for everybody! I honestly had no idea they had a model with 3" longtubes! Anybody have them!??

 

[1999DakotaRT]

Well, I'm the test mule for the Spintech headers. It's been a long process to get these, but I am picking up my truck next week and will have 100+ miles of initial impressions to get an idea on how they do.

I will have a dyno completed of the truck for a true comparison (100% non-biased) between the Mopar headers, factory cat->3" Magnaflow -2 x 2.5" rear exit vs. Spintech LT headers w/Spintech true dual exhaust.

Previous numbers were 303 rwhp, 335 rwtq.

New numbers will be ??? :huh:

News @ 11

Sam

Sweet, I look forward to hearing about it! :mullet:

 

[sick 660r]

Got some more information and another longtube header option from Southeast Performance for everybody! I honestly had no idea they had a model with 3" longtubes! Anybody have them!??

He just sent a pair to be jet hot coated. I think im going to sell the 2.5" ones I have now and get a set of spintechs or the 3" JM's. There a 4 to 1 design insted of the 4-2-1 desing 2.5" ones.

 

[Tanky]

You guys need to remember, in exhausts, bigger isn't always better. if I have a factory motor, per se, would I benefit more from dual 2.5" piping or dual 3.5" piping? Motors do need to maintain some back pressure. Dodge motors aren't exactly high revving motors to produce the high HP, but more high torque monsters. From what I've seen, some manufacturers are forgetting this and listening to hype, and throwing on high pipes.
Whats funny is Scott Q tried that initially with Hooker headers IIRC. The CEO laughed when he requested 1.75" piping.

Now, with that said, one thing I need to point out is KRC headers aren't true LT headers for lat emodel Magnum motors, but a mere conversion using adapter plates. Scott used the same trick on his mid lengths.
If Spintech has LTs, I hope they are truely made for our trucks, not adapter plate conversion kits. Yes, I have the JM long tubes and was the #2 prototype truck on these, Glen Renzoni being the first...and these were in development for years.

Finally, unless someone is really bored, and rich, their is no way possible to test the advantages of HP/TQ given from each header, which yeilds the most. Thats like askign which muffler gives the most. I don't know anyone thats going to dyno, change to header 1, dyno, change to header 2 and re-dyno especially given 3-4 pulls to get a baseline and in same weather environments. It comes down to personal tastes.

I still need to dyno mine but its apart due to too long pushrods shutting down #7 cylinder. Should be back up in the next week or so.

 

[Chuck]

You guys need to remember, in exhausts, bigger isn't always better. if I have a factory motor, per se, would I benefit more from dual 2.5" piping or dual 3.5" piping? Motors do need to maintain some back pressure.

A correction here... carbureted motors need a certain amount of backpressure maintained unless the carburetor is jetted to compensate for an increase or decrease in the backpressure. A modern fuel injected motor will be able to respond to a change in backpressure by adjusting the injector pulse.

Now, with that said, one thing I need to point out is KRC headers aren't true LT headers for lat emodel Magnum motors, but a mere conversion using adapter plates. Scott used the same trick on his mid lengths.

True, but the topic here is the power comparison between the headers and not whether they have a bandaid approach or not. At the time those headers came out there was no vendor willing to sink money into designing a long tube specific to our trucks. The KRC adapter plates were designed to allow the use of an off the shelf header (Hooker SuperComp 5803, to be precise) with our chassis configuration. Personally I don't care for KRC and everyone knows that, but I think the adapter plate was a good short term solution. Typical for KRC, they decided their solution was worth a premium price at $799 (at the time) and they neglected to tell people that it was an off the shelf header with an adapter, instead leading people to believe that this was their special design. A Dakota owner could have gotten the same package by ordering the headers from Summit for about $300 and then taking a gasket to a CNC shop and using it for a template to make their own 1/2 inch plates.

If Spintech has LTs, I hope they are truely made for our trucks, not adapter plate conversion kits.

I do too. I think the time for band aid approaches to our trucks is gone. With hundreds of thousands of these things on the road there should be no shortage of proper parts designed just for us.

I don't know anyone thats going to dyno, change to header 1, dyno, change to header 2 and re-dyno especially given 3-4 pulls to get a baseline and in same weather environments.

Right. Unless one of the truck magazines or Mopar Muscle gets into it, it isn't going to happen. Even if it does, there's going to be a tiff over whether the PCM was tuned properly, were all other things equal, etc. Ultimately its still going to come down to the same thing it always was, and thats cliques of people supporting their preferred vendors. As always, the new guys are going to be the ones who have the hardest time, as they have to sift through years of thread arguments trying to figure out what the science is at the bottom of the holy wars.

I'm glad that Spintech is offering these parts, because it means there's more choice out there for the DD drivers. The more new parts, the more interest in our platform, and the more companies will take a serious look at us. As I mentioned before, there are hundreds of thousands of these trucks out there, and most of them are off warranty now, many are paid off, many are on their third or fifth owner. They're ripe for customization, and I think there's eventually going to be a wave of that, driven by new products.

Unless of course the gas prices make us all ride scooters.