I am looking at getting my wife an 05 excursion, v10 of course. She want a small lift (thinking OME) and some more perfromance from the truck. I was thinking exhaust, chip, and maybe an intake (most likely just a new filter) and possibly headers.

The headers are a bit price so are they really worth it? I put some on my 05 f150 5.4 and really think they were a waste of time and money. I might have picked up a few horsepower but for what they cost and the complete P.I.T.A. it was to install them, they were not worth it.

I wanted a real world numbers on the headers and which ones were used.


thanks
micky

 

Just like your 5.4L, headers are more of a waste than anything. I'm sure someone will chime in saying that thier "banks headers gave them 50+ more HP". They are lying to themselves because they need the entire banks setup (cat-back, headers, intake, y-pipe, ottomind tuner) to get the 50 hp boost Banks claims.

I have cheap ebay headers ($120 shipped) and they work fine for me with the other upgrades I have performed.

 

I have a stock intake, TorqueTubes, Y-Pipe and the Monster Exhaust. It definitely made a difference and is very much worth it. The headers alone was worth the money because of the 5/8" flanges, and Ford's tendency for manifolds to leak. It is much easier for me to tow now with the 3.73s, and unloaded, it's downright wicked. In 3rd and cruising, I barely have to twitch my right foot to get 10 digits over the speed limit. Will the headers alone work, probably. You will see some gain, but they are worth the price alone because of the quality and the fact that you won't have to worry about leaking manifolds anymore.

My advice, go for the Banks Powerpack system minus the tuner and even the intake if you want. It's very much worth it.

 

I'd look into the link below, it'll take some time but you'll get what your looking for...
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...-2v-dynod.html

I'd drop Mike an email about what your looking for, he'll more then likely have a solution for you, his customer service is, well unbeaten.

 

And by the by, Banks nor anyone else here will ever try claim 50 HP on headers alone, it's 56 HP and 67 lbs. ft. with the full PowerPack package, which the Ottomind Tuner. It is reasonable to believe that you could make that or more with a full exhaust, intake, and a tuner, from say, 5 Star Tuning since they seem so popular on here.

 

Ebay header flanges measure .667". Banks, 5/8= .625".

Headers alone net you just about nothing without other components being upgraded. Flange leaks wont happen no matter what header you buy since they are all better than the stock log manifold.

I don't believe in spending money on "quality" alone. If a high priced "quality" part gets me the same gains as an off-beat brand, then off-beat it is. My ebay headers have been kickin for almost 4 years now. Yes they got ugly at one point but I painted them with high heat paint and they look good again.

Barely twitching your foot and getting 10mph is a characteristic of all V10s.

Trust me, I've been though most brands including JBA and Hedman, the Banks headers are no different.

If you want something cheap, reliable and works, try this;

1. Ebay headers.
2. ebay y-pipe.
3. Magnaflow high flow cat (summit racing)
4. Flowmaster 3" in/out 70 or 40 series.

I also have a tuner with a couple different custom tunes that helps everything work to its capacity.

TeamMudd has bashed the ebay headers in the past for leaks and cracking. You must understand, they CONSTANTLY soak thier trucks in water and mud. Hot headers + cold water = cracks. I dont care what brand you have.

 

One big thing that needs to be brought up in this argument is whether the headers you choose are "smog legal" in your residing state. I don't believe the e-bay headers are and the e-bay Y-pipe had a disclaimer last I looked. On the other hand, my Thorley headers passed visual and tail pipe with ease.

 

I have yet to find a State Inspection station that actually checked for CARB #s. AZ being one of the toughest states to pass emissions didn't even notice. Most of them just make sure that you have components installed. I believe the good old state of California is the only one that actually checks CARB certs at inspection stations.