Ram 1500 Headers Guide: Shorty vs Long Tube by Brand

Headers replace the stock exhaust manifolds on your Hemi with tubes shaped to let each cylinder breathe easier instead of fighting through a cast log. RideBuildList earns commissions from some retailer links.

On the Ram 1500, the right header depends entirely on which truck you actually have: a 2009 to 2018 Gen 4 (DS) 5.7L Hemi, a 2019 to 2024 Gen 5 (DT) 5.7L Hemi, or a 2021 to 2024 TRX with the supercharged 6.2L Hellcat V8. Find your section below before you look at price or brand. A header built for a stock 5.7L and a header built for a supercharged Hellcat are not two competing options, they're two different jobs.

One thing worth saying up front: none of the twelve headers in the Ram 1500 catalog right now publish a tested, claimed, or estimated horsepower or torque figure. That is normal for headers, since gains usually get measured with a full exhaust and tune, not a bare manifold swap, but it means every comparison below is about design, fitment, and build quality, not a promised number.

If you have the Gen 5 (DT) 2019 to 2024 5.7L Hemi

This is where almost the whole catalog lives, and the options split into a few levels of commitment:

• Direct-fit manifold: aFe Power BladeRunner Ported Ductile Iron Exhaust Manifold Ram 1500 (Dt) 19-24 V8-5.7L Hemi is a ductile iron replacement shaped like the factory manifold, so it bolts up to the stock exhaust path with no extra plumbing. It's the smallest step up and the easiest install in this guide.
• Shorty headers: BBK Performance Dodge Ram 1500 Truck 5.7 1-3/4 Shorty Exhaust Headers Titanium Ceramic 19-24 and BBK Performance Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi Shorty Headers Polished Silver Ceramic 2019 To 2024 are the same BBK shorty design in two ceramic finishes, titanium versus polished silver. Shorties still bolt back into the stock exhaust, no Y-pipe required.
• Short tube: aFe Power Twisted Steel 304 Stainless Steel Short Tube Header Dodge Ram 1500 (Dt) 19-24 V8-5.7L Hemi is aFe's step up from a shorty-style manifold without going to a full long tube design.
• Long tube, bare, built for top end: Kooks Headers Kooks 2019-Current Ram 1500 5.7L 1-7/8" Headers runs a larger 1-7/8 inch primary aimed at power higher in the rev range, which fits a truck that already has an intake and a tune. It's headers only. Kooks is explicit that its long tube headers do not bolt to the factory Y-pipe, so a Y-pipe is a required extra purchase unless you buy one of the bundles below.
• Long tube, bare, built for low-rpm torque: Kooks Headers 1-5/8in x 1-3/4in Torque Series Stainless Headers runs a stepped 1-5/8 to 1-3/4 inch primary aimed at exhaust velocity lower in the rev range, which Kooks markets as the better pick if the truck is still doing truck things like towing and daily driving rather than built purely for top end power. The same spec is also listed through a second retailer as Kooks Headers Kooks 19-20 Ram 1500 5.7L HEMI 1-5/8in x 1-3/4in Stainless Steel Torque Series Headers. Either way it's headers only, same Y-pipe requirement as above.
• Long tube with a Y-pipe already in the box: Kooks Headers Kooks 19-20 Ram 1500 5.7L HEMI 1-7/8in x 3in SS Long Tube Headers w/ 3in x OEM HIFLO Catted Y-Pipe, Kooks Headers 1-7/8in x 3in Stainless Headers with Catted Y-Pipe, and Kooks Headers 2019-2024 Ram 1500 5.7L HEMI. 1-7/8" Stainless Headers & Ultra-GREEN Y-Pipe kit. each bundle a catted Y-pipe so you're not placing a second order. They differ in which Y-pipe ships (HIFLO-catted versus Ultra-Green catted) and which model years the listing covers, so check the fitment on the part page against your truck's build date before you buy, because the catalog shows some inconsistency between listed year ranges on these three.

If you have the Gen 4 (DS) 2009 to 2018 5.7L Hemi

The catalog carries exactly one option for this generation: Kooks Headers 1-7/8in x 3in Stainless Long Tube Headers, a 1-7/8 to 3 inch stainless long tube header. The same rule applies here as above. Kooks states this does not connect to the factory exhaust, so a Y-pipe is a required separate purchase, and right now there is no lineup to compare for this generation, just this one listing.

If you have the TRX 2021 to 2024 with the supercharged 6.2L Hellcat V8

Kooks Headers Kooks 2021+ RAM 1500 TRX 6.2L Headers is the only TRX-specific header currently in the catalog. It is not interchangeable with any of the 5.7L parts above. If you're shopping for a TRX, this is a single-option listing, not a comparison, at least until the catalog adds more.

A legal note, not legal advice

Headers and Y-pipes that remove or relocate catalytic converters raise real emissions and street-legality questions, and those questions vary by state. Kooks' own product pages for several of these parts carry language restricting them to racing vehicles used on a closed course, and don't list a CARB Executive Order number for them. That's the seller's own language, not a statement from RideBuildList, and whether a given header is street legal for your truck in your state is a question for someone who practices in that area, not for a buyer's guide.

What the install actually costs you in time

The direct-fit manifold and the shorty headers run roughly 4 to 8 hours as a shop job, based on the install time the catalog lists for each. The long tube kits, especially with a Y-pipe going in at the same time, run closer to 8 to 14 hours. This isn't a driveway job for most people. Headers sit tight against the engine, work happens in a hot engine bay, and the truck usually needs to be on a lift. Budget for a shop visit, and budget for a tune afterward if you're changing more than just the manifold.

What's worth it and what to skip

If you want a cleaner exhaust note and an easy bolt-in with nothing extra to order, the direct-fit manifold or a shorty gets you there without adding a Y-pipe to the shopping list. If you already have an intake and a tune and want the biggest real change in how the engine breathes, a bare long tube header is the honest next step, but go in knowing the Y-pipe is extra and the fitment narrows by model year. The mistake to skip is ordering a bare long tube header without first checking whether you also need a Y-pipe. That's how a single header order turns into two orders and two trips to the shop.