Are The Upgrades Worth the Money

[Magnum PI]

Hey guys I recently purchased my 6.2 about two weeks ago. I have been reading a lot of threads and doing some research on performance mods. What I'm interested in is SW long tube headers with cats and SW cat back exhaust. Not sure if y or x pipe is there a difference in hp? Also Volant CAI. Possibly the five star tuner which I haven't researched yet but read that the people that have them rave about it. I'm not sure if some of you guys or gals have the same set up? What are the pros or if any cons? I figure the parts will run around 4k more or less. I love working on cars since high school so I didin't calculate labor since me and my brother would tackle the job. But what troubles me is justifying the cost. Since the truck already has 411 hp knowing it's not to the wheel but when you floor it the truck moves pretty dams well for it's weight. It's not going to be used for drag racing but smoking some ricers is also fun once in a while. Have not been off roading yet but hopefully soon. So do these upgrades make of roading better or funner ? Or is just so you can say hey my truck has more balls than your stock raptor. Sorry for the extra long thread. Any opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thnx.

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

offroad = suspension, suspension, suspension

 

[Sliver Raptor]

I have SW headers and a Corsa exhaust with a CAI as my 'power mods' I definitely love my exhaust set up but honestly it is mainly for the sounds. I make very good numbers on the dyno but for the money you honestly are just paying for the tone as far as headers go. The numbers in my sig are RWHP so just take into account 20% loss and youll have a ball park of hp at the crank.

You are driving a truck so you arent really in need of more hp unless you just like whipping around and in that case get a blower (supercharger). Headers have been my favorite mod yet but it has maybe 5% due to the added torque in power. Though I will say who ever states that you cant break the tires loose on a raptor is lying lol... can be fun at times.

Added note on the headers they are a PITA to install so expect to nearly match the part cost on installation. If you do it yourself goodluck, I tried and just said screw it after about 5 hours.

 

[Icecobra]

The one thing I have noticed is there is no lack of power in these from the factory. So I do see people doing things to get more power ( I dont know why). The suspension is why I bought this and yet thats where most eveyone is dumping money... I prefer things it does not have and needs VHF Radio, Winch, lights better tires and wheels, bed racks, bed liner, tint on the front windows, factory radio bypass for cameras in motion. These are just my opinions and things I would start with.....

 

[RLTW]

I have SW headers and a Corsa exhaust with a CAI as my 'power mods' I definitely love my exhaust set up but honestly it is mainly for the sounds. I make very good numbers on the dyno but for the money you honestly are just paying for the tone as far as headers go. The numbers in my sig are RWHP so just take into account 20% loss and youll have a ball park of hp at the crank.

You are driving a truck so you arent really in need of more hp unless you just like whipping around and in that case get a blower (supercharger). Headers have been my favorite mod yet but it has maybe 5% due to the added torque in power. Though I will say who ever states that you cant break the tires loose on a raptor is lying lol... can be fun at times.

Added note on the headers they are a PITA to install so expect to nearly match the part cost on installation. If you do it yourself goodluck, I tried and just said screw it after about 5 hours.

SLIVER, I like to wrench and installed a supercharger in my s2000 so I have some mechanical skill, what about installing the headers was so difficult, tough angles and lack of space? what made you give up?

 

[Sliver Raptor]

SLIVER, I like to wrench and installed a supercharger in my s2000 so I have some mechanical skill, what about installing the headers was so difficult, tough angles and lack of space? what made you give up?

The mechanical side isnt difficult at all, I would call myself pretty mechanically inclined for 22, did alot of work on my old mustang. Auto hobby shop on base, lift her up and good to go. It is just a total bitch removing the exhaust, all the shielding and metal plates as you work your way to the engine bay. It isnt hard at all just lots and lots of stuff has to come off which just takes time. You eventually run out of space very easily when removing the shields in the engine bay and actually get to touching the header.

I would have had to jack the motor up some just to get a good access point on them. Then the actually swap which I didnt get to just had too many things to worry about. It is very very easy to have a leak in your header seal once you put it all back together and then you got to do it all over. Honestly it sucks to pay for 8 hours of shop labor but I couldn't afford to have my truck not running for a week since I could only work on it during the weekend.

It is just a PITA but it is doable if you are okay spending an entire weekend just to hope you dont have a leak. I love my headers but having a shop do them and tune them and have it all 'right' the first time was well worth it in my book.

Honestly I'd say just go for it and worst case you stop and just get someone to do it. You get to see alot of stuff that is unseen and missed on the truck. always like lifting mine up and seeing why it works how it does and I always find something new... and alot of dirt and grass.

 

[firematt422]

I'd like to get headers... but I can't justify the cost. You are absolutely right about the 5 star though. Highly recommend it. It's not so much about the HP gain as throttle response. The tune takes out the stock lag in throttle response. A few days after loading the tune you will also notice a huge improvement in the shifting pattern. When you hit the gas, the truck doesn't sit and "think" anymore before finding the right gear, it just knows where to go.

I can't say for certain whether headers are worth the cost, but the 5 star definitely is.

 

[DrippinRaptor]

I'm trying to decide between the 5 star and livernois tunes.

 

[WarSurfer]

Considering CAI/full exhaust/tune equals ~475bhp, my opinion is that it is worth it. I came from a RRSS and I was a tad disappointed in the power. With full exhaust and a tune, you will notice a big increase in SOTP power and throttle response. I plan on adding gears to the mix and then focusing solely on suspension.

 

[Jackemuphigh21]

I installed my own headers and it took me pretty much a weekend to do. There are a LOT of tricky bolt situations. Starter is one of those. you do indeed have to raise the engine about two inches per side while installing each header. And the dipstick is a PITA to get routed back in properly. But honestly I love the headers. Not sure that I would want to race to do the install again but i'm very happy with the results.