I think for what little you gain, spending more than $500 on headers is ridiculous. I wish people could just figure this **** out for you 4x4 guys.

 

I see both sides of this arguement and I agree... wtf is everyone doing. budget 4x4 headers would fly off the shelves. For a build that is nto a max effort by any means a budget header may fit the bill...

that being said, I bought ARH with more in mind and planned for down the road. I have installed top dollar headers, and I have installed budget headers. They can't even compare. My ARH are top quality, and you absolutely without question get what you pay for.

Talk to Roger...

 

Well I decided to pull the plug on TSP headers. In an email they said that they would fit a 4wd truck as long as I used the Pacesetter y pipe. Now I need to find a catback. I have it narrowed down to a few options:

CGS
AFE
Magnaflow
Corsa (I want their touring but can't find one..)
Bassani custom setup on magnaflow pipes

Has anyone ran the CGS or AFE catbacks? Preferably with longtubes and an ory?

 

I just installed the this
Flowmaster 817395 Cat-back System 409S- Dual Same Side Exit - American Thunder - Aggressive Sound

Sounds and looks amazing. Consider this catback, I can go take pic and video tomorrow if you want

 

I actually just ordered the borla version of the GM performance parts touring catback. You can get it from summit racing for just under 500 shipped. I hope it sounds good with the headers.

 

I'm in the same boat here, ~500-550 for OBX & tri-y or about 2.5x for ARH, which I would of course prefer.
I didn't quite understand your post, did you end up going TSP with a pacesetter Y?

 

Yes. In talking with TSP they said their longtubes would fit the 4wd setup no problem but their off road y wouldn't. He said that the pacesetter would mate right up to the TSP headers and clear the 4wd stuff just fine. I don't have mine in yet (they won't be shipped until the middle of April) so I can't confirm or deny that yet.

I'm gonna look it over real well when I get it and if it doesn't fit, I will have it cut and modified to fit. I also have a 3" to 4" Flowmaster merge collector I am thinking about putting on. This will help flow and scavaging over the terrible looking merge that comes on the standard pacesetter y pipe.

*EDIT* When it came down to it, I just wasn't comfortable spending the same price on the OBX/Calspeed headers (Calspeed told me nothing they make will fit 4wd, and they made it sound like they had no intentions of doing anything that will either) as I would on the TSP or ARH setup. Trust me, I searched high and low trying to find the right option. I think the TSP and pacesetter combo will work great and keep as much of the exhaust stainless as possible.

 

First winter on my pacesetters, have it on the lift now and the coating is starting to disappear from the bottom of the collectors. It's nothing crazy though I wouldn't hesitate to run them again for the money. It's a pretty easy process to build some custom pipes to interface with the factory exhaust. I'm not running cats I just got some 2.5" u-bends, cut, mock, tack and welded.

Up by the heads where people can see everything looks 100% legit. I'm guessing road/salt spray killed the bottoms, not to mention the burnies and aggressive driving I've done this winter......

 

A friend of mine had a set on his camaro and after the first winter they were so badly rusted that another winter would have rusted through them. Just not something I really wanna deal with.

If I lived further south I would have gladly spent a couple hundred less on a set of them.

 

FWIW. I have the OBX headers on my 4wd. I cut the Y-pipe and brace on and fitted an X-pipe, this gave me the clearance I needed on the driver's side for the front drive shaft.