Some facts about Tri-Y Headers vs 4 into 1's

Kooks Headers · 12-06-2013, 03:29 PM

Kooks headers and Exhaust has been in the business since 1962. We are three generations of family deep and are still run by the man who founded it all. We can say that we have been through it all; from motorcycle exhaust, to street cars, drag cars and are now the only spec approved header of NASCAR. We have literally taught our competition everything they know about headers and are continually pioneering different header and exhaust combinations to fit and perform the absolute best. We invite anyone to come take a shop tour of our 50,000 square foot facility and see the Kooks Advantage first hand! With our years of experience we have built Tri-Y headers in the past, but based off our experience we do not feel these are the best fit for your average enthusiasts looking to get the most out their application. Kooks Headers are designed to be the best performing, best quality, and best fitting headers on the market.

Tri-Y Headers or 3-collector headers are designed for maximum performance for a specific engine combination, desired engine RPM, race track, etc. For a Tri-Y header to have the proper effect the cylinder firing order must be properly paired so that the next firing cylinder is separated. Sequential pairing is optimum, example the LT-1 firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 so pairing of the 1 & 5 and 3 & 7 cylinders on the passenger side and the 2 & 4 and 6 & 8 cylinders on the driver’s side would be the proper sequence. You also need to have the proper primary size for the engine displacement and application. The collectors also need specific convergent angles (7-20 degrees) for optimum efficiency and cannot be a random bend angle. We have seen horsepower and torque numbers dramatically affected by these angles in Tri-Y headers. In our testing we have found the primary head pipes (First Section) must be between 17” – 21” in length for proper pulse scavenging, anything more than this has shown no increase in performance.

The data we have collected over the years proves the Tri-Y design does have advantages in race applications with the right vehicle and the right engine combination on the right track. Most professional teams will have several sets of headers and engine combinations for different tracks and conditions.

Testing performed by top NASCAR engine builders on a 650hp LS engine in a K & N race car showed that a Tri-Y header versus a 4 into 1 header in a side by side comparison with all factors being the same, proved the horsepower and torque numbers were within 1 hp across the entire RPM range. The reason we went with the Tri-Y on these cars is for packaging in the car and ground clearance. These are not factors in a production street car.

Running a Tri-Y on a SCCA World Challenge car (No cats and side exit exhaust) where the engine stays in the 4500-8000 RPM range constantly, the Tri-Y really shines. Keep in mind these are custom built headers in a race application that are built to exact specs for the engine combination and race track.

Running a Tri-Y on a production street car where the design of the primaries and merges is limited by the restraints of the car is not optimal. Also with a Tri-Y header there is no one size fits all too truly see the benefits of this style header. A street car with modern technologies like cylinder deactivation, catalytic converters and typical driving styles, a 4 into 1 header with the correct size primary tubes and length is the optimal choice.

If anyone wants a custom set of real Tri-Y Headers built around their exact motor specifications, driving or racing style or anything else please contact us. We will be more than happy to accommodate you.

Keep Kookin' with Kooks

Stingray949 · 12-10-2013, 08:47 PM

Tri-Y's suck IMO. Plenty of dyno sheets out there showing 4-1's outperform the Tri-Y marketing gimmick.

Pfadt is still unable to produce a dyno sheet showing how a Tri-Y header is superior to a 4-1. Vengeance racing did a test recently and gained power over the Pfadt header with a 4-1 setup from ARH.. I'm sure a Kooks header would yield similar results.

I buy horsepower, not hype. Clearly, the only thing a Tri-Y header does is add to more hype in an already shady and non-transparent industry.

DocHolliday · 12-11-2013, 06:08 AM

So in leymans terms (I'm not at all schooled on this issue) but it sounds like for a custom designed set of headers for a specific engine and driving application the Tri Y may be the best design by a small margin. However, for a "one size fits all" daily application on a standard production vehicle the 4-1 design is the better way to go?

12-06-2013, 03:29 PM	#1
Kooks Headers Drives: 2013 SS Camaro Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Statesville, NC Posts: 29	Some facts about Tri-Y Headers vs 4 into 1's Kooks headers and Exhaust has been in the business since 1962. We are three generations of family deep and are still run by the man who founded it all. We can say that we have been through it all; from motorcycle exhaust, to street cars, drag cars and are now the only spec approved header of NASCAR. We have literally taught our competition everything they know about headers and are continually pioneering different header and exhaust combinations to fit and perform the absolute best. We invite anyone to come take a shop tour of our 50,000 square foot facility and see the Kooks Advantage first hand! With our years of experience we have built Tri-Y headers in the past, but based off our experience we do not feel these are the best fit for your average enthusiasts looking to get the most out their application. Kooks Headers are designed to be the best performing, best quality, and best fitting headers on the market. Tri-Y Headers or 3-collector headers are designed for maximum performance for a specific engine combination, desired engine RPM, race track, etc. For a Tri-Y header to have the proper effect the cylinder firing order must be properly paired so that the next firing cylinder is separated. Sequential pairing is optimum, example the LT-1 firing order is 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3 so pairing of the 1 & 5 and 3 & 7 cylinders on the passenger side and the 2 & 4 and 6 & 8 cylinders on the driver’s side would be the proper sequence. You also need to have the proper primary size for the engine displacement and application. The collectors also need specific convergent angles (7-20 degrees) for optimum efficiency and cannot be a random bend angle. We have seen horsepower and torque numbers dramatically affected by these angles in Tri-Y headers. In our testing we have found the primary head pipes (First Section) must be between 17” – 21” in length for proper pulse scavenging, anything more than this has shown no increase in performance. The data we have collected over the years proves the Tri-Y design does have advantages in race applications with the right vehicle and the right engine combination on the right track. Most professional teams will have several sets of headers and engine combinations for different tracks and conditions. Testing performed by top NASCAR engine builders on a 650hp LS engine in a K & N race car showed that a Tri-Y header versus a 4 into 1 header in a side by side comparison with all factors being the same, proved the horsepower and torque numbers were within 1 hp across the entire RPM range. The reason we went with the Tri-Y on these cars is for packaging in the car and ground clearance. These are not factors in a production street car. Running a Tri-Y on a SCCA World Challenge car (No cats and side exit exhaust) where the engine stays in the 4500-8000 RPM range constantly, the Tri-Y really shines. Keep in mind these are custom built headers in a race application that are built to exact specs for the engine combination and race track. Running a Tri-Y on a production street car where the design of the primaries and merges is limited by the restraints of the car is not optimal. Also with a Tri-Y header there is no one size fits all too truly see the benefits of this style header. A street car with modern technologies like cylinder deactivation, catalytic converters and typical driving styles, a 4 into 1 header with the correct size primary tubes and length is the optimal choice. If anyone wants a custom set of real Tri-Y Headers built around their exact motor specifications, driving or racing style or anything else please contact us. We will be more than happy to accommodate you. Keep Kookin' with Kooks __________________ Kooks Custom Headers Call us! 866-586-KOOK (5665)

12-11-2013, 06:08 AM	#3
DocHolliday Drives: '14 Blade Silver Z51 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 559	So in leymans terms (I'm not at all schooled on this issue) but it sounds like for a custom designed set of headers for a specific engine and driving application the Tri Y may be the best design by a small margin. However, for a "one size fits all" daily application on a standard production vehicle the 4-1 design is the better way to go? __________________ Say When

12-10-2013, 08:47 PM	#2
Stingray949 Drives: 2014 Corvette Stingray Z51 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 56	Tri-Y's suck IMO. Plenty of dyno sheets out there showing 4-1's outperform the Tri-Y marketing gimmick. Pfadt is still unable to produce a dyno sheet showing how a Tri-Y header is superior to a 4-1. Vengeance racing did a test recently and gained power over the Pfadt header with a 4-1 setup from ARH.. I'm sure a Kooks header would yield similar results. I buy horsepower, not hype. Clearly, the only thing a Tri-Y header does is add to more hype in an already shady and non-transparent industry.