Opinions on JBA headers

[kbuskill]

I'm on the fence now. I've been watching some youtube vids on basic setups with longtubes and highflow mufflers and it might be too loud for me.

That is the other reason i like these... you maintain the factory cats and Y-pipe so its less expensive and the sound shouldn't really change that much. Slightly if any I would say.

Here is a video of these...

They sound kind of loud at the beginning of the video when on the dyno but if you listen to the truck when it driving on the road it's fairly tame compared to some.

 

[Onebad1983]

I saw where JBA was a PerTronix company.

Further research...

PerTronix website says...

Under the brand names Patriot Exhaust, Smithy mufflers, and VeraFlow mufflers, PerTronix supplies the Street Rod and Muscle Car markets with headers, mufflers, side pipes and do-it-yourself header components primarily through performance warehouse distributors. Doug’s Headers includes many header applications for muscle cars, SUVS, trucks and motorhomes.

http://pertronix.com/prod/ex/default.aspx

Not sure what all that means but thought I would share.

Our show/performance car (2005 Magnum R/T AWD) has a full jba exhaust system with JBA headers, performance cats (not sure if JBA or not) and a full JBA cat back system and it sounds amazing. not on a 5.3 but just would toss in my opinion. We haven't had any problems with it and right after we bought it my dad put it on the lift and did a very thorough inspection and said it was pretty much perfect

 

[GranPrix]

That is the other reason i like these... you maintain the factory cats and Y-pipe so its less expensive and the sound shouldn't really change that much. Slightly if any I would say.

Here is a video of these...

They sound kind of loud at the beginning of the video when on the dyno but if you listen to the truck when it driving on the road it's fairly tame compared to some.

That sounds really good. And those #s are just the shorty's, stock cats and cat-back.

 

[kbuskill]

That sounds really good. And those #s are just the shorty's, stock cats and cat-back.

That is correct. They don't even mention reprogramming the ECU which makes me wonder how much more power might be attained by adding a proper tune with these.

Either way I think I would like to give them a shot... just gotta find the extra money laying around somewhere... lol

 

[iamdub]

I keep reading about clearance issues with longtubes and the y-pipe replacement. Why is that?

Motor mount condition making every truck different, loose header and/or Y-pipe build tolerances, loose stock exhaust build and mounting tolerances, modified exhausts shifting the stock pipe one way or the other... There are lots of reasons.

Other than the front prop shaft (4WD) clearance issues, I think the clearance/alignment problem is mainly where the outlet of the Y-pipe meets the stock inlet to the rest of the system. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a matter of either pulling one pipe and pushing the other or adding in an offset piece. Maybe most people expect it to bolt in EXACTLY as the original came out. Considering all the variables, it's very difficult to make a one-design-perfectly-fits-all Y-pipe.

 

[GranPrix]

BTW, what's an Italian throttle mod?

 

[kbuskill]

BTW, what's an Italian throttle mod?

That is a creation of @Galante if my memory serves me.

You may not be able to do it... not sure if the PPVs have adjustable pedals... lol

 

[PG01]

BTW, what's an Italian throttle mod?

That is a creation of @Galante if my memory serves me.

You may not be able to do it... not sure if the PPVs have adjustable pedals... lol

Lmfao....

 

[GranPrix]

LoL never mind, forget i asked!

 

[iamdub]

BTW, what's an Italian throttle mod?

Classic!

You're only the second one to ask about that. Ken pretty much spelled it out. The forum's resident Italian mob buffoon, @Galante, came up with a "performance mod" that increases throttle response. It works only on those vehicles that have the adjustable pedals... You can figure out the rest. lol

 

[Drewskiii]

I run the texas-speed longtube on my yukon, i have no issues at all, hopefully soon will get it dyno tuned, street tuned at the moment.. just my .02c opinion and im on a 2/4 drop

 

[01FormulaTA]

As far as the JBAs go, IMO I wouldnt bother with shorty headers...the gains would be minimal, and most likely unnoticeable on a NA vehicle....

Ive used ARH and Kooks on multiple vehicles and never had an issue with leaks or cracking...some on here have had great success with Texas Speed headers but be aware they are just rebranded Chinese products...

Ultimately for such a heavy vehicle like the Suburban I wouldn't recommend longtubes either as all you will be doing is shifting the power band up, IE the truck will FEEL slower under normal driving conditions...especially with the 5.3

If you are wanting an increase in SOTP I think changing out your rear-end to a 3.73 or 4.10 would be a much more effective mod

Lastly, if you are just dead set on getting some headers I think it would best if you could find someone with a NNBS Tahoe or Burb 5.3 with headers and go for a ride or better yet test drive yourself so you can get a feel what the end result will be

Oh and for the best results a good tune is a must, even a tune on a stock 5.3 can make a noticeable difference...

 

[GranPrix]

Yea I'm not going to bother. $$$ spent vs gains isn't worth it to me. Slapping on an AP muffler Magnaflow copy for $49 shipped and calling it a day.

 

[kbuskill]

As far as the JBAs go, IMO I wouldnt bother with shorty headers...the gains would be minimal, and most likely unnoticeable on a NA vehicle....

Ive used ARH and Kooks on multiple vehicles and never had an issue with leaks or cracking...some on here have had great success with Texas Speed headers but be aware they are just rebranded Chinese products...

Ultimately for such a heavy vehicle like the Suburban I wouldn't recommend longtubes either as all you will be doing is shifting the power band up, IE the truck will FEEL slower under normal driving conditions...especially with the 5.3

If you are wanting an increase in SOTP I think changing out your rear-end to a 3.73 or 4.10 would be a much more effective mod

Lastly, if you are just dead set on getting some headers I think it would best if you could find someone with a NNBS Tahoe or Burb 5.3 with headers and go for a ride or better yet test drive yourself so you can get a feel what the end result will be

Oh and for the best results a good tune is a must, even a tune on a stock 5.3 can make a noticeable difference...

I understand what your saying about shifting the power band up in the RPM range which is why I liked how these shortys actually shifted it lower in the RPM range.

My Burb already has 3:73 gears and a custom tune which is why I was looking at these.

Thanks for the input and keep it coming.

 

[kbuskill]

Yea I'm not going to bother. $$$ spent vs gains isn't worth it to me. Slapping on an AP muffler Magnaflow copy for $49 shipped and calling it a day.

I understand that people always say long tubes or it's not worth the effort but when I see decent improvement on the dyno from an independent tester not affiliated with the manufacturer I tend to believe it more than if it were coming from the seller/manufacturer.

Also the reviews I have read on a lot of different sites from people that are "verified purchasers" seem to indicate that there is indeed an increase in power in the lower RPM range... which again is where you would want/need it with a big heavy truck.

I may have to be the guinea pig for these eventually if I can ever find the money.

 

[97audia4]

Anything is better than my rotting stock headers. After winter I am going to forced to get a set of shorty headers, I would rather go after market quality set and not worry about a stud or manifold warping. I will be doing a lot of towing next summer long distance and want peace of mind.

 

[Ilikemtb999]

I understand that people always say long tubes or it's not worth the effort but when I see decent improvement on the dyno from an independent tester not affiliated with the manufacturer I tend to believe it more than if it were coming from the seller/manufacturer.

Also the reviews I have read on a lot of different sites from people that are "verified purchasers" seem to indicate that there is indeed an increase in power in the lower RPM range... which again is where you would want/need it with a big heavy truck.

I may have to be the guinea pig for these eventually if I can ever find the money.

I’ve got some long tube headers I’ll be ceramic coating next week and hopefully getting on soon. I’ll probably get a tune not long after.

If there’s gains to be had with shorties and the install is easier then why not?

 

[Doubeleive]

I'm on the fence now. I've been watching some youtube vids on basic setups with longtubes and highflow mufflers and it might be too loud for me.

when I had them on nbs there wasn't much difference, maybe a slight bit louder under the hood but otherwise not much difference at all really

 

[kbuskill]

when I had them on nbs there wasn't much difference, maybe a slight bit louder under the hood but otherwise not much difference at all really

Did you have JBAs or just shortys in general???

Edit... guess I should pay more attention... I just noticed you had quoted someone else... lol

 

[Doubeleive]

Did you have JBAs or just shortys in general???

Edit... guess I should pay more attention... I just noticed you had quoted someone else... lol

the patriots shortys, the longtubes are illegal in cali, although I don't know how stickler they are on that since all they do now is plug into the computer, look at your cats and send you down the road in less than 5 minutes.