I am in the market for a set of headers for my Y2K F250.I am leaning towards teh Thorley setup but theh Cheapies on Ebay look nice.I am looking for the maximum bang.The Thorley setup gets rid of that stupid 180degree Y pipe ford used.My main thing is Maximum MPG but max horsepower ain't too far off(thinking about a functional Ram air hood next).

 

Full lenght headers will give the most power, but if you stay with single exhaust it probaly would suffice to go with the ebay headers. I have a set and they are great headers.Be prepared for a hard install though.Get longer bolts and some good quality copper or other gaskets since you dont want to have to change gaskets down the road.Check my gallery for header pics.Get a custom y-pipe made at your local muffler shop.

 

i had to get bolts with different lenghts so that i could finish the installation, it took like 4 hours of actual work to do it, what made it easy for me is that i like to get everything thats in the way out of the way, any way feder skirts had to go, shock brackets, steering linkeage had to go, the hardest part was to lign up the new egr tube orifice with the pipe, that was a pain in the neck but we finally got'r done after a few bends and a cuttin torch(for heat only), i would recomend(what i should have done) is to set the header in with two bolts, then draw the spot where the pipe has to go using a sharpie then make the mods thsi will make it a lot easier

 

Speaking of headers, does anyone know if they void the factory warranty? I have been told by people at the dealership that they don't void the warranty, but I wanted to see if anyone else had any experience dealing with this issue. Thanks.

 

Becarful of the headers on ebay that one side has a 360 turn in one of the tubes. Have no idae why it was done. If you see the headers you will know what I mean. I have banks headers on my rig and no twists and turns like that. Nice and smooth and all are equal length.

 

Those bends are probaly so they will tie in where the stock manifolds did.

 

It is very possible that Ford could find a reason to void the warranty. They could argue it changed the fuel/mix to a point. Ford can make a case that any changes or add ons can void your warranty.

After saying that, I have the Banks Powerpack kit on my 03' V10. I installed it myself last summer when the truck had 23K on it. Now at 40K, have had no issues what so ever.

Plus, I am going tommorow to get my truck inspected. In Massachusetts, what I did is Illegal. So I am going to the Ford dealer for the inspection sticker. WHY YOU ASK? because they sell and install all the Banks kits on trucks. So this dealer installs headers and full exaust on V8 and V10's and all the other stuff on diesels.

 

Boxcar
Do you have the ottomind and chip with the banks?

 

No I did not get the chip. The banks chip has a very mild tune to it. A diablo chip would be best if you were going to chip it. The ottomind chip just advances the time for high octane fuel. A diablo chip or even a superchips tuner will do alot more and also firm up the tranny shifts. If you want to firm up the shifts with banks, you have to get the trans command. Ottomind and Trans Command is about $600. A diablo chip is $200 or so and a tuner is just over $300. So you can see it is cheaper to go elsewere for the power.

 

Just to chime in with a semi professional opinion on headers and Ford factory warranty or ESP. By them selves and IF you retain some form of proper location O2 sensors and cat then it is very unlikely that changing the cast exhaust header for a tube welded ones will have any possibility of harming the motor.

For the past 5 years way too many folks have posted their personal experiences getting, installing, and tuning the exhaust and not one of them has posted a thing about failed motor component and warranty problem. ( my hidden point is that an extra 10-20HP anit much to be worried about)

That is not to say that Ford is not on good ground to deny a claim... just that I believe the header change to be so benign as to not cause any harm so there are no claims to begin with.

I am sure Z71Killer and a few others would rapidly point out that headers alone do not make more power. But they are an important part of the complete flow dynamics of increasing gas motor effeciency.

Properly applied, a better flowing intake, throttle body, programing, exhaust flow, and gear/tire selection can do wonders for most motors. But any one of those components by itself is basically a waste of time and money.

As is my nature.....if you do significantly manage to find the formula to get more than 45 extra HP out of these V10s then I highly recommend serious trany upgrades. Especially if you are running the 4R100...Brian at BTS knows the tricks to make these tranys handle over 1000ftlbs torque.

 

Regarding the Banks Ottomind chip, does it require 91+ octane fuel? I thought that it was tuned for only 87. I am considering it, but not if it requires more than regular gasoline. The reason I am asking this in the V10 forum is that it can be included in the Banks PowerPack. Thanks.

 

I dont see much point to getting a chip that does not firm up tranny shifts and runs on 87 octane. The 87 octane setting does not do much for power. I MIGHT get some more mpg's out of it. The ottomind chip is very pricy and really doesn't do a whole lot. And those power numbers that banks will give you like 56 rear wheel HP with the ottomind chip, YA RIGHT! All that power with 87 octane. Never gonna happen. I am not entirely sure about the tuning of the ottomind, but I would bet it is for 91+ octane.

If it were me, get the powerpack without the chip. Look to diablo or superchips for tranny firmness and if you want more power. Banks will cost you double to do the same thing that a SCMT will do.

 

Thanks. One more pretty simple question. The truck I have on order is a 6-speed manual transmission. All chips are compatible with manuals, just as much as automatics, right? I also don't want to spend much money on gas, so being able to run 87 octane is key - even if I don't get nearly the power I could with 91+. If I remember correctly, the SMCT has only modest gains in 87 octane mode. I am assuming this is the case for all tuners/chips. Thanks.

 

If you have a 6-speed manual, a chip is not going to do that much for you at all. Most of what a chip would do, you can do yourself with your arms and legs in a manual.

 

Well sais Fredvon4. I had a 2001 f350 v10 and had all the upgrades, chip, larger mass air flow sensor, throttle body spacer, larger throttle body, headers, and airraid cold air intake. I also went from 3.73 gears to 4.10 gears with 35" tires. I can honestly say that the single biggest improvement in noticable performance were the chip and cold air intake. The larger mass air sensor , and throttle body were added next with only a slightly noticable increase, mostly at higher rpm, the headers were done last with also just a slight increase in mid range, but a very noticable increase at 5000+ rpm. The truck ran incredibly strong at these higher rpms. would love to try these mods on the new v10 with the 3 valves per cylinder. Just my 2 cents!