Kooks Custom Headers has given the Camaro and LS engine platform crowd some love here at the SEMA Show this year, highlighting a pair of header kits for the late-model Camaro SS and the LS swap crowd.
For the Camaro, Kooks has unveiled new 1-7/8 and 2-inch primary headers for the 2016 and later, 6.2-liter LT1-powered Camaro SS models, constructed of stainless steel and featuring a complete 3-inch system back to the pair of Black Quad exhaust tips (available polished or black). Not only do these headers and the accompanying exhaust system look and certainly sound great, but the two primary sizes open up the door to even more significant horsepower possibilities with the Camaro.
“The 1-7/8 gives you that nice blend between the 450 horsepower that the car makes stock and the 600 horsepower that it will eventually make after you do some bolt-on’s,” says Kooks’ Chris Clark. “If you want to go with the 2-inch, we recommend pairing that with a bigger motor, like a big-stroke 460 and a bigger power adder…something with more than 15 pounds of boost.”
Like many of their exhaust systems, the Camaro is packaged with Kooks’ 49-state legal, ultra high performance Green Cats — a catalytic converter design that can withstand impressive levels of horsepower.
“We’ve seen over 1,000 horsepower with the Green Cats without failing. We haven’t had many people go over that threshold with them…for a street car that kind of power is astonishing,” Clark says.
The exhaust system nets a 40 horsepower improvement at the tires right out of the box, according to Clark.
In addition to the Camaro outfit, Kooks has already launched a new set of headers that the LS swap crowd will love, which are universal in design to permit swaps into any number of make and model vehicles. “We’ve used 18-gauge, .081-inch wall thickness on these headers, and it’s unbelievable how beefy they are. We’ve fit them so far on Datsun’s, Nissan Z’s, and all kinds of vehicles; these headers were fitted on a Fox body Mustang, and the only thing we haven’t confirmed fitment on is the Firebirds, with the way their firewall is. From trucks to Cadillacs to Corvettes, they fit virtually everything,” Clark states.
The 1-3/4-inch primary headers are Tig-welded, and an optional V-band can be purchased with them; and at a cost of $1,000, they won’t break the bank to complete your run-of-the-mill or completely off-the-wall LS swap project.