Chevy Silverado 1500 Long Tube Headers by Generation

Long tube headers are the biggest exhaust job you can bolt onto a 5.3L or 6.2L Silverado 1500 without opening up the engine. They replace the factory manifolds, the castings bolted straight to the cylinder heads, with free-flowing tube sets that let exhaust gas get out faster. If you've already done an intake, a tune, and a cat-back on your Silverado, headers are usually the last bolt-on step before you're looking at cams or boost.

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Headers are not a universal part. What fits a 2014-2018 Silverado 1500 does not fit a 2019-2026 truck, and a 5.3L header does not bolt to a 6.2L. GM changed the cylinder heads and manifold routing between the K2XX generation (2014-2018) and the T1XX generation (2019-2026), so buy by generation and engine first and brand second. That one check saves you a return shipment.

2014-2018 Silverado 1500 (K2XX)

The older generation has the thinner lineup in our catalog, three options total, and most of them are built for the 6.2L V8:

• American Racing Headers 1-3/4in Long Tube Headers w/ Catted Y-Pipe (K2XX-era 6.2L), a 1-3/4 inch long tube set with a catted Y-pipe, built for the K2XX-era 6.2L.
• Kooks Headers 1-3/4in x 3in SS Long Tube Headers, a stainless 1-3/4 by 3 inch long tube set, also 6.2L only.
• Stainless Works 1-7/8in Long Tube Headers, Performance Connect (catted), a 1-7/8 inch long tube set and the one option here that covers both the 5.3L and the 6.2L.

If you're running the 5.3L in a 2014-2018 truck, Stainless Works is currently the only header in our catalog built for your engine. Worth knowing before you spend time comparing brands that don't even make one for you.

2019-2026 Silverado 1500 (T1XX)

The newer truck has a much deeper lineup, and it splits cleanly by engine.

5.3L V8 options:

• American Racing Headers GM Truck 5.3L 2019-2026 Long System (1-3/4in primaries, catted Y-pipe), American Racing Headers' long system with a catted Y-pipe.
• American Racing Headers Silverado 1500 1-7/8in Long Tube Headers with Catted Y-Pipe, a Silverado-specific 1-7/8 inch long tube set, also catted.
• BBK Performance 1-3/4in Shorty Headers, Titanium Ceramic, a titanium ceramic shorty header, the cheapest option in the lineup by a wide margin.
• Kooks Headers 1-5/8in x 1-3/4in Torque Series Shorty Headers, Kooks' Torque Series shorty header.
• Kooks Headers 1-7/8in Header & Catted Connection Kit, a full 1-7/8 inch header and catted connection kit from Kooks.
• Stainless Works 1-7/8in Long Tube Headers, Factory Connect (catted), Stainless Works' Factory Connect long tube, catted.
• Stainless Works 1-7/8in Long Tube Headers, Performance Connect (catted), Stainless Works' Performance Connect long tube. This one is dual-listed because it also fits the 6.2L below.

6.2L V8 options:

• American Racing Headers 1-3/4in Long Tube Headers, Catted Y-Pipe (6.2L Long System), American Racing's long system built for the 6.2L.
• Kooks Headers Kooks 19-22 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 6.2L 1-7/8 x 3 Header & Catted Y-Pipe Kit, Kooks' 6.2L-specific header and catted Y-pipe kit for 2019-2022 trucks.
• Kooks Headers Kooks 19-22 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 6.2L 1-7/8 x 3 Header & Green Catted Y-Pipe Kit, the same Kooks kit built with a green-coated catalytic converter instead of the standard one.
• The Stainless Works Performance Connect set listed above in the 5.3L section also fits this engine, so 6.2L owners have it as a fourth option without a separate SKU.

Long tube vs shorty, in plain terms

Most of what's listed above is a long tube header: the tubes run the full length from the head to a Y-pipe further back, which is where most of the flow gain comes from. The two Kooks shorty headers and the BBK shorty in the 5.3L lineup are a smaller, cheaper piece that bolts closer to the head and ties into more of your factory piping. A shorty is a lighter install and usually a lighter bill. Long tube headers are more work and more money, and they're what most serious builders mean when they just say "headers."

What the horsepower numbers actually mean

Of the thirteen headers in our catalog for this truck, twelve publish no horsepower or torque figure at all. Their listings use phrases like "more horsepower and torque" with nothing attached, so we're not inventing a number that doesn't exist. The one exception is the BBK shorty header listed above in the 5.3L lineup, marketed as adding "up to 14 hp" in the manufacturer's own copy. That's a claimed figure from BBK, not an independent dyno test, and the catalog flags it that way on purpose. Treat every number you see on a header listing the same way: ask whether it came from a dyno sheet or a marketing paragraph before you let it sway the decision.

Catted, and why that matters

Every header listed here ships with a catted Y-pipe or is built to connect into your factory catalytic converter setup rather than deleting it. That matters because removing catalytic converters is a federal issue and often a state one too, and running without them can also affect your warranty and your ability to pass inspection depending on where you live. This isn't legal advice, and emissions and warranty rules vary by state and by dealer, so if you're not sure where a given header leaves you, that's a question for an attorney or your state's emissions program, not a buying guide. What we can tell you is what the seller claims about each product. We can't tell you whether running it is legal where you live.

Before you buy

Check three things against your own truck before you order anything above. First, confirm your exact engine and model year, since a 6.2L header will not bolt to a 5.3L and K2XX parts don't fit T1XX trucks, full stop. Second, check whether the header is a full long tube system or a shorty that still leaves part of your factory piping in place. Third, check whether it's built to connect to the cat-back you already have, or whether you'll need an adapter pipe in between. A header swap is a moderate job best done on a lift, not a driveway afternoon. Pair it with the intake and tune you likely already ran first, and for most 5.3L and 6.2L Silverado owners, headers are the step you reach for last, not first.