PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Will headers gain me much on a 2005 SLE? Was looking at he Intense SLPs and was wondering if these would do much. Anybody have them? Which headers should I get?

Headers should always provide an increase in hp and torque. Not as much as in a SC engine but you should expect about a 10% boost in power from 200 to 220 hp
A side benefit will also be an improvement in mileage by 2 or 3 mpg

SLP is good cause the primary tubes are small in diameter and that will help the low end torque.

S&S Headers would be the best to get for an n/a car. The primaries are a little longer and the DP is 2.5". The FWD 3800 dyno and track record were both achieved with these.

With just headers though, your not going to see the full potential. Headers will want to move your powerband up and make more hp a little later.. But your stock valvetrain can only breath so much before the torque/hp falls off.

Any other plans? Cam? ER Rockers? If not, you may just want to go with PEMs.

95naSTA wrote:S&S Headers would be the best to get for an n/a car. The primaries are a little longer and the DP is 2.5". The FWD 3800 dyno and track record were both achieved with these.

With just headers though, your not going to see the full potential. Headers will want to move your powerband up and make more hp a little later.. But your stock valvetrain can only breath so much before the torque/hp falls off.

Any other plans? Cam? ER Rockers? If not, you may just want to go with PEMs.

PEMS? help me out here. I do have the gutted airbox, PCM, 180 stat and plugs. If you don't think I'd get anything worthwhile without doing the top end I'll probalby leave her alone for now. Thx!

PEM's are Ported Exhaust Manifolds. its the stock manifolds, with some material added to the underside and then hogged out for a better flow

Personally for the Price, you can find used Headers cheaper, and the benefits are greater

ramair68 wrote:PEMS? help me out here. I do have the gutted airbox, PCM, 180 stat and plugs. If you don't think I'd get anything worthwhile without doing the top end I'll probalby leave her alone for now. Thx!

It basically just comes down to if you plan on getting good n/a rockers (ER rockers), or a good n/a cam (GT Series). If you do, headers will be worth it.

Those rockers, cams, and headers pop up in the classifieds every once in a while on ClubGP for cheap.

ramair68 wrote:Will headers gain me much on a 2005 SLE? Was looking at he Intense SLPs and was wondering if these would do much. Anybody have them? Which headers should I get?

Tough decision to make. Thanks for all your input but it seems there's just not enough evidence that headers will make a difference. The input across the board inside and outside this forum range from: don't get headers, get Pems, to it won't make a diff on a n/a car, you have to do the down pipe to see a diff, to gotta do valves and springs, don't get Pems it's a waist, get headers, don't get headers you'll loose low end torque, get Pems cause you'll get the same results for half the price, 10-30hp gain, and on and on. I understand the there's always some opinions about products but these are just too many which would indicate not enough data to show the true differences. BTW: I thought the Bonne doesn't have a down pipe??

Bonneville definitely has a downpipe. Unfortunately in this market MOST people talk purely on speculation and theories when it comes to mods like this. A lot of people running around claiming gains in "the butt dyno" but not actually dynoing to prove it. Kind of like the FWI always winning the intake argument on here, yet that guy on here with the 13second GTP gained a tenth or two going back to a thrasher style intake AND still people disagree.

1993 sle wrote:
Personally for the Price, you can find used Headers cheaper, and the benefits are greater

$140 shipped (and your cores in return) for a fresh pair of ceramic coated PEM's or $275 (or more) +shipping for a set of used headers -on a very lightly modded L36 which is the way to go?

No I don't weld nickelrod to the underside due to the cost -point in the direction of ANYONE who uses nickel for adding to the underside of the front EM -if they are charging under $200 with this done, and with or without ceramic coating they are more than likely losing their a$$e$. Nickel is the only material any knowledgeable metal worker is th only material that will properly adhere to cast iron.

Last time I checked was about 2 years ago and the smallest amount of nickel anyone could get me was a 10' rod (not sure of diameter) and that was going to cost me $125+ IIRC (I know it was well over $100) and we all know what has happened with the value of metals with the poor value of the American dollar.

also don't forget the powerlog is not bad for mild mod i like mine except for the paint that always peeling









my exhaust manifold where ported a bit but i did feel a difference whit the front powerlog

PEM's merely open up flow, but they do nothing to help with scavenging gains in the exhaust system. Headers will bump up your torque throughout the powerband, but it'll bump it up even more at the top, smoothing out the entire powerband.

It might feel like less down low since it doesn't fall on it's face @ upper RPM, but it will be quicker. Rockers, or even better, a Cam, will make the most of them yes.

BonneMe wrote:PEM's merely open up flow, but they do nothing to help with scavenging gains in the exhaust system. Headers will bump up your torque throughout the powerband, but it'll bump it up even more at the top, smoothing out the entire powerband.

There isn't much scavenging going on in the current FWD 3800 header. The primaries would have to be over 30" to see any resonance effect as well as proper scavenging.
A good header like this would boost torque over the entire rpm band.

No doubt that the TOGs have very short length primary pipes.

The long tube headers I have on the Firebird sound much better.

That's because it's a firebird?...

1994se wrote:Kind of like the FWI always winning the intake argument on here, yet that guy on here with the 13second GTP gained a tenth or two going back to a thrasher style intake AND still people disagree.

[offtopic]
What were the 60's in each run, what was the weather like in each run?
[/offtopic]

1994se wrote:Bonneville definitely has a downpipe. Unfortunately in this market MOST people talk purely on speculation and theories when it comes to mods like this. A lot of people running around claiming gains in "the butt dyno" but not actually dynoing to prove it. Kind of like the FWI always winning the intake argument on here, yet that guy on here with the 13second GTP gained a tenth or two going back to a thrasher style intake AND still people disagree.

Start another topic of your own and I'm sure it'll be a well-used topic. This particular topic is about headers.