[ZeroC]

So to start i have had 3 sets of tsp headers in different cars
First set was in my 2011 camaro ss 1-7/8 fit beauty had zero problems

Second set was on my 2000 Trans Am 1-7/8 and they fit horribly needed lots of "clearance" "work" - contacted tsp they blamed the stock motor mounts makes sense - replaced all the mounts with poly - same issue had to do alot of denting on headers and body - but they eventually "fit"

Third and last set 2018 camaro ss - went with the 2 inch due to the added blower i replaced the motor mounts with bmr polys to avoid any "issues"
however they still had problems :(
they rubbed the steering shaft bolt top and bottom bolts not just the lower one they say may hit

replaced with button heads the bolts clear now but just - the upper potion of the the steering shaft just below the top bolt rubs the primary and binds up feels nice and safe when driving

the part i was not expecting was the header hitting the shear plate sits right on top and rattles like crazy

so i have to remove the driver side header and dent it which sucks since they are coated :( and im going to have my fab guy mod my shear plate to make room for the headers

next time i will do kooks or ARH

All the other threads where people say they had no issues and they fit fine had me in major cope mode lol

2 out of 3 installs sucked so take it as you will

best of luck anyway you go !

[arpad_m]

I'm sorry you had these issues, having such fitment woes sucks big time. Kooks headers are expensive, but mine fit perfectly and never caused any trouble.

[OB0001]

go with speed engineering header, have them coated with the $1k you saved and never look back

[KingLT1]

Speed Engineering are not any better. While yours might have fit fine, 3 others likely had fitment issues.

[OB0001]

Originally Posted by KingLT1

Speed Engineering are not any better. While yours might have fit fine, 3 others likely had fitment issues.

Well I can only comment on my experience, half the internet is bull Sh!t

[Megahurtz]

Kooks and ARH are pretty much the only brands with consistent build and fitment quality.

We have a lot of experience with clients trying to save a buck and bringing us off brands to install. It's been such a problem that we have had to implement policies where the customer is advised they will pay for any additional labor due to fitment or quality issues from the parts they bring in. We also charge more for non name brand header installs simply because they take more work to "massage" them into place.

Trust me, it isn't worth it. 1 in 4 get lucky with good fitment. The other 3 spend JUST AS MUCH in the end as they would have by just buying ARH or Kooks up front and not having issues.

[OB0001]

Way to many parts changers not enough mechanic's. also mirrors society, kids that have no problem solving skills

[GreyGhost702]

I've had AR Headers that had fitment issues on my '08 GT. Just because you pay the most doesn't mean the part will be perfect. Any part that's hand made, especially. Long story short, I ended up gifting those ARH's to a friend not long after, and bought a set of Pypes LTH's, which were Kooks knock-offs. They fit perfect and ran them for 5 years 'til I sold the car.

I have a set of $599 headers on my Camaro. Out of the box, had a flange issue on the LH header. Took them to a local machinist and had them squared up in an hour or two. He felt bad to even charge me $100 it was such an easy adjustment. Tipped the guy $50 on top of it for doing them right away. Had an exhaust shop weld a set of V-band's on the collectors and matched the mid-pipe. Another $120. So I guess you could say I'm in them $870. They're the best fitting headers I've ever installed, and I've removed and installed them twice now, solo. And they fit tight to the car so I'm not worried about speed bumps. I'd definitely do another set. But I may be premature, they've only got about 1,000 miles on them so far in total.

Nothing wrong dealing with a cheap/knock-off brand if you're willing to do adjustments as needed. It's just exhaust, in my book it's not a critical part, so I don't mind pinching pennies there.

@MHz, if you're putting so much labor into a cheap set of headers that they price out at a set of expensive headers, that's a FUBAR set of headers. I've ground the welds out of a set of BBK headers for a buddies SN95, trimmed the primaries, and rewelded them to the flange and it that didn't take more than 2 hours, beer included. It was very common for the BBK's to have fitment issues, and the usual cause behind most of those header fitment issues is tube length off the flanges being too long. At least, in my experience. It's not fun to take headers apart like that, but it's not a huge job either. The real bitch is when a primary bend wasn't made with enough or too much angle. It can be fixed, just won't be as pretty. Cutting into the middle of a run and welding in a new section sucks.

[KingLT1]

Agree...I put Speed Engineering on my Yukon. Had to dent them in spots for clearance but for the price I can't complain. That's the life of modding vehicles. Don't want issues then don't mod it.