It seems that as hot rodders and hot rodding has evolved there is a greater understanding of a high performance engine being a matched set of components and systems as opposed to being a big grab bag of the most aggressive parts available. Sure, we all still have the temptation to order the biggest camshaft off the bottom of the sheet or maybe snag that tunnel ram when a dual plane is the better idea but what about exhaust? This video from Dynatech takes us through some of the basics of matching your tubes to your power range and potential. A set of huge stepped headers looks cool on everything but in reality it could actually be working against you if not matched to your application.
Moving air in and out in the most efficient manner possible is one of the keys to creating the most power out of your engine. Believe it or not, sewer piping sized components on either end of your mill don’t directly equate to the most efficient way of doing that. There are concerns about scavenging, velocity, and some very dramatic effects on horsepower and torque if you get it wrong.
Dynatech makes great headers for applications that range from mildly modified late model cars to dragsters and the reason that they have been successful is because they engineer their products to perform the best in the intended applications and they make sure that their customers understand what parts and pieces will work best for them. This video gives you an idea of that and it’ll even teach you the “golden rule” of header design.
