I noticed the post about headers for a 302, and am interested in knowing how much of an improvement any of y'all have experienced with regards to towing. I'm pulling about 6000 pounds with the truck in rolling hills and do need to see a significant improvement to justify the cost.

My plan (in order of installation) is something like what follows:

1. Headers
2. New high flow cat and muffler.
3. Chip

1&2 probably at the same time.

I can't decide if I want a dual exhaust or not. I have been told by experts that if a dual exhaust is desired, I'd have to reduce the size of the pipes to keep the torque up for trailer pulling. Or go with a single, larger, pipe.

I have been told there is no advantage to a dual exhaust with these trucks, and that a single pipe will do just as well for less cost. Can anyone back this up?

Concerned about heat--towing tends to bump the temps up.

Again, just wanting to know about how much of an improvement can be expected. If these add-ons will do the job for about $1000, then I'll hang onto the truck longer. If not, I'll have to suffer for another couple of years before buying another truck.

Thanks for the help,
-Mike

 

Exhaust mods will help, but IMO most gains in regards to towing are had just as quickly with a good cat back system. Headers do increase flow rates, but the majority of gains are at higher RPMs which you will not benefit much from when towing.

Also keep in mind the gear ratio of your truck. With 3.31s and stock size tires on my '95, I'm turning about 2300 revs with OD locked out when I'm going 60 mph.

I don't tow often, but when I do it's usually vehicles or boats and often quite heavy. Not long ago I towed a 38' offshore boat for a short distance.

My .02 on the mods that will help you most, and give you good bang for the buck.

1. Cat back system
2. Solid ignition upgrades
3. Intake
4. Bumped timing or chip

On my truck the single best bang for the buck and best towing mod has been the Jacobs ignition. It helped low end considerably, bumped mileage enough to pay for itself and was easy to install. The intake mods helped more at higher revs but can be noticed at cruise RPMs in drive. The exhaust (Gibson side swept) seems to help some at cruise revs, but not a large amount. In my case I also put on a three piece set of underdrive pulleys from Ford Racing. These only cost $100 and have been proven to reduce drag and deliver power. I don't run a chip, but bump timing about 4 degrees with regular gas and 6 with premium. In the winter I sometimes have to back down with the regular gas, but it's fine with premium. I've done more playing with the timing using regular, so I'm probably just pushing the limits with an extra 4 degrees on regular.

Towing, the truck is way stronger than it was stock. On lighter loads I could run OD on if desired, and sometimes do on flat roads.

Either way, I would suggest doing the back end of the exhaust first regardless of any other mods. You can always put the headers on if you need more.