Installation Time
(approx) a Day
Difficulty Level:
Light to Moderate mechanical skill required.
Installation Guides
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Jake here for American Muscle. And today, I'm taking a look at the BBK 1-5/8-Inch Tuned Length Shorty Headers in Titanium Ceramic, fitting 1996 to 2004 Mustang GTs. If you're looking to up your exhaust game, make more power, and get your SN95 to sound a bit cooler all at the same time, then these shorty headers are definitely going to appeal to you. These are an excellent choice for the Mustang owner who wants to take their build to the next level without blowing out their budget.I always like to preface headers with this sort of thing, and by now you've probably heard the long tube versus short tube header debate enough times to make your head spin. But still, it's worth rehashing. And if you haven't though, the quick version of the tale is that long tubes give you higher peak horsepower and torque numbers overall, and they do it higher in the rev range. Whereas short tubes or shorties like we have here make a bit less overall power, but their gains show up lower in the rev range. They also, in the case of these ones from BBK, don't require you to do any additional mods or tune your car.So these are going to do a couple of things, one of which is change of the sound. Now, that's not to say they'll make your 4.6 sound like a flat-playing crank Ferrari engine or anything, but it is going to get you some cool noise and it's going to be a little bit different. What you should expect is a smoother, deeper tone down low with a much more pronounced race car type of wail as you rev the engine out. It's a pretty cool sound. It's definitely something that's a little bit different than what you would hear out of a stock 4.6. And it's not hard to make these engines sound good, but these are certainly going to help.Now your results may vary too depending on which exhaust you have on your car. But since these are short tube headers, they keep your factory catalytic converter location, meaning that you can run these with an otherwise completely stock exhaust, cats included. You can also run them with any other aftermarket catback system for that matter. So, if you're still shopping for an exhaust, these are going to make whatever sound profile your system comes with a bit deeper, a little bit louder, and just generally more pronounced.However, the big reason you're going to want to get these is because of the power. BBK claims about 15 horsepower and 15 pound-feet of torque over stock with these. Though again, your results may vary depending on what else you have done to your car and the condition that it's in. Now we're not going to be testing these on our dyno to verify exactly, but it's safe to say you can expect a noticeable gain no matter what. And that is thanks to the fact that these are far less restrictive than your factory manifolds.Those basically shove all the exhaust gases into small ports and then immediately funnel them into the collector and out the cats and exhaust. What BBK has done here is what they call a tuned length setup, basically meaning that they've made these primaries in such a way that the exhaust gas has traveled the same distance to smooth out the flow and the sound before everything hits the collector. So, no matter what cylinder it's coming from, it's going to travel about the same distance. These are what are commonly referred to as equal-length headers. Hence the kind of weird-looking setup on either side here. It's because they have to extend these pipes to make sure that everything travels the same distance.Now BBK has taken the time to make sure that these primaries are the same length and that optimizes flow similar to what again, is done in traditional long tube headers. Now, these aren't going to make quite as much power as long tubes, but they're not all that far off. Nom again, these are going to help your engine breathe better, especially down low. They're great for a car that you drive on the street regularly as well.The construction here is all 1-5/8-inch mandrel-bent CNC-machined steel tubing. You've got these hefty 3/8-inch laser-cut flanges for strength and a snug fit on the front too. Now, these come right out of the box exactly as you see them here on the table and in my hand. You've even got a bung for your O2 sensor here. Now, these are also finished in a titanium ceramic coating, and this finish means that the headers are going to be durable, and they're not going to corrode or rust like stock manifolds or plain headers would. That means they are going to last you a lot longer and they're also not going to discolor.Now, one other great thing that BB does is pressure test every set of headers so they can ensure that they don't leak. That means you can just bolt these guys right on and enjoy. You're not going to have to worry about exhaust leaks. They also come with brand-new gaskets for each side and all of the additional bolts that you're going to need so you don't have to buy additional supplies or worry about snapping a bolt off. Because if you do happen to do that, you got a new one ready to go right there in the kit.Pricing comes in at about $500 and that makes them the most affordable option in the category. Now these are going to get the job done without requiring you to spend four figures on headers or other modifications either. So, if you're looking to make some more power and get some better sound and stick to a budget, these are going to get the job done perfectly.Installation is going to get a three out of three and you should plan on setting aside a full day for this job. Now, doing headers is not for the faint of heart. Though these might look small, it's a lot of work to get them in. It's going to test the metal of your toolbox and your mechanical skills and also your patience too. Now this is a job that you can accomplish at home given the right mix of patience, time, and perhaps the encouragement or assistance of a friend. So, just be aware before diving in with both feet here, it's going to take you some time.That's going to wrap it up for our review of the BBK 1-5/8-Inch Tuned Length Shorty Headers in Titanium Ceramic, fitting 1996 to 2004 Mustang GTs. Thanks so much for watching. And as always for all things Mustang, be sure to keep it right here at americanmuscle.com.
Features, Description, Reviews, Q&A, Specs & Installation
Brand | BBK |
Header Type | Shorty Headers |
Header Primary Size | 1.50-1.75 Inch |
Header Collector Size | 3.00 Inch |
Header Finish | Chrome |
Technical Notes. These BBK Headers are CARB certified (CARB EO Number: D-245-16) and 50 state legal.
Fitment:
BBK 1615
CA Residents: WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
Installation Info
Installation Time
(approx) a Day
Difficulty Level:
Light to Moderate mechanical skill required.
Installation Guides
What's in the Box
Hardware included:Tech Guides:
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