Pacemaker headers

[DavidPartay]

Just wondering what the best type of Pacemaker Headers would be?

My car is an N/A S1 V6 manual. I've got a Redback 2.5" exhaust and I'm getting the VS S/C V6 CAI this week hopefully.

I want to increase the bottom end and from what I've heard I'm supposed to get Headers of a certain size, not extractors because extractors don't make a difference on the V6 Buick?

Thanks guys

[Dezza]

well for a start extractors and headers and the same thing its just amercans call them headers we call them extractors or the other way round but yeah exactly the same

[jack.mc]

and I'll tell you that they do make a difference! I've got them on mine! I'm not sure what type, i thought there was only one type for the VN V6 Auto?

[lazza44]

pacemakers are good for bottom end power because the primary pipes are longer than most brands. short pipes are better for engines that create most power at high revs . There is also only one part no. that would suit your car.(ph 5019) unless u go supercharged.

http://www.pacemaker.com.au/GMH.htm#6Cyl

[Full Spectrum]

They got Pacemakers headers on ebay and they claim 10-15% increase in power.

[DavidPartay]

Thanks Lazza! I had a look at the PM site last night and saw the two different models in there. I vaguely remember in one of the later V6 Vengeance articles in SC magazine that they put in the 5/8" ones and lost a little bit of power because they didn't have the turbo in already, and there was a reference to an N/A engine working better with the 1/2" headers.

Thanks everyone else as well

[1991_Vn2nV]

have a look at HM headers which are meant to give power from 1900rpm all through the rev range. Pacemakers will give you power from about 3400rpm.

[b]Pacemaker[b] extractors are made of a relatively thick material which masks the sound coming out of the extractors themselves, however because they have relatively long runners (talking about the V6 verions here) and because they flow better than stock exhaust manifolds, they usually do provide for a slightly louder and slightly deeper exhaust sound, particularly if the muffler(s) and resonator(s) in the exhaust system are free-flowing. The difference in sound and deepness is often not even noticable.

HM Headers on the other hand are made of a relatively thin material, and are not made via a casting process. They are made of either mild steel or stainless steel. All of these things result in a set of extractors that are alot noisier than most other brands of extractors and than the stock exhaust manifolds. You can very clearly hear the sound of the exhaust gases travelling through the extractors themselves, and the exhaust sound of the car is louder/noisier and deeper. High revs are not left out - they are louder and more painful to hear (i.e. very noisy).

HM Headers extractors provide the greatest performance boost for the widest RPM range. They are noticeably better than stock exhaust manifolds from just above idle, all the way through to high RPM levels. HM Headers don't look as "clean" as others (e.g. non-cleaned welding).

Pacemaker extractors also perform highly, however their range seems to be "bandy". They often only provide a noticeable performance gain during mid-RPM levels, with virtually no gain during low-RPM and high-RPM levels. Pacemaker extractors are of very high build quality (welds, etc).

However even the "N/A" extractors are a little bit big for a stocky V6 - the best size in my opinion for a street stocky V6 is a fraction under 1.5". Pacies are very "bandy" - once broken in they will provide a pretty high performance increase at around 3,500rpm (or say 3,000 thru to 4,000) but outside of that range they will hardly effect performance at all. Genies are similar and HM's are true Tuned headers specifically designed for certain engines.

Yes, Pacemakers are indeed Tuned Length Extractors - i.e. all three primary runners collect together, and the primary runners are relatively long. When I mentioned tuned length regarding the HM headers, I meant that they are "true tuned" extractors, for the applicable engine. HM Headers engineers their headers to exactly match the certain engine(s) that they are for. I don't know of any other brand that actually engineers all of their headers... That's why HM Headers cost $650 for a pair of relatively average looking headers - they are pretty much perfect in regards to design.

Pacies would have to be the best BUILT extractors - the welds, collectors, and bends are extremely well-made. They look very high-end and certainly flow very well, however aren't specifically tuned like HM's. Pacies cost $435 a pair, while Genie Extractors (best way to describe them is a slightly cheaper copy of Pacemakers) are a bit cheaper.

So yes all HM extractors/headers are specifically engineered while Pacies aren't. However Pacemakers are certainly of Tuned Length design/type (for the V6's).

Quote from Damir, GTS member Street Commodores. 02-01-2006, 08:58 PM