Really happy I stumbled on this thread. Was going to go cheap LT route, but have definitely decided on JBA ceramics now. Think Steeda motor mounts will be necessary on an 07?
Watch out. JBA offers 2 versions of their ceramic header's. They have 'silver ceramic'...and also
'titanium ceramic'. The titanium ceramic are slightly more expensive.... they are also....'battleship grey' in color. The titanium ceramic version is what I have on my 2010 GT ( + M90 blower, oem 73mm pulley)... the titanium version is good for an extra 100-150 deg F. Zero rust and no discoloration on the ceramic. The LT's and mating hi flow catted H is the one mod that actually did something. Previously I had VMP do a 94 tune for me... b4 the LT install and a subtle improvement. After the LT install, the difference was blatantly obvious... it then pulls like a mofo. Ran slightly lean, so had VMP do a slight tweak on the 94 tune. Then onto the dyno. With the roush 91 tune it was 435 crank hp / 400 ft lbs at the crank. After the LT install, ( + VMP 94 tune) it is 482 crank hp / 470 ft lbs..at the crank. And that's with just 5.8 psi boost.
Even out of boost, it pulls a LOT harder. I have an automatic, and with the oem 1500 rpm stall converter, instant tq...right from idle to 6 krpm, without going into boost. It's like the entire package finally came together. Previously I had installed the FRPP twin 62mm TB + 94 tune..and was under whelmed. Then in went the DSS-DS + Eaton tru-trac LSD + WL watts link. At the time, I bought 2 x identical JBA LT packages, one for myself, and one for a local buddy, who has a NA 08 GT. Same deal on his NA 08, the LT's..with a good tune, and correct AFR, work damn good.
The oem eng mounts are ok, and come with heat shields. JBA said to replace em with steeda eng mounts..which I did. ( note oem eng mount heat shields are re-used). It's a one shot deal..so the LT's and eng mounts installed at the same time. The steeda eng mounts are superb quality..and come with 4 x red poly mounts and 2 x black poly mounts. The black ones are a slightly stiffer durometer. For max effect, one red and one black are used on each mounting assy. What I end up with is a better eng mount overall, vs oem. The oem hydra gel filled, marsh mellow mounts will result in eng moving / flopping side to side as you get on / off the gas pedal. Eng is trying to lift on driver's side, and down on pass side. The steeda mounts result in zero to minimal eng movement. The steeda mounts also give u the option of oem eng ride height, or lower the eng 1/4" - 1/2" - 3/4". We used the 1/4" eng lowering option. That worked great..and zero issues with steering shaft clearance on the LT's.
Eng bay temps dropped a measured 40 deg F. After taking the car to do some errands, I get into the blower abt 3 blocks from home on main drag, wind it up in 2nd gear, pinned into the seat....then slow down, and back in driveway. Eng off, lift hood and I can push down hard with my fingers onto any of the 8 x primary's and not burn my fingers. Everything else under the hood was hot..except the 8 x primarys. That's where the heat redux is coming from, no more blazing hot oem exhaust manifold. That + new hi flo cats reside beneath seats, instead of base of eng bay. That was summer time. More testing done, so it's repeatable results.
The original plan was to just install the smaller 2.49" blower pulley... 3 more psi.. ( and mating larger 90 mm idler). With the LT's and oem 2.785" pulley, what I ended up with is a hair less hp, and a hair less peak TQ, (but greater tq from idle to 3.5 krpm)..vs the smaller blower pulley. The blower only works in blower mode, but the LT's work good in NA or blower mode...which is exactly what I want for a street car. If you do install any brand of LT's, buy new oem exhaust gaskets, don't re-use the originals. They are dirt cheap at AM, or any where else..and are D shaped. JBA offers either a 2.5" or 3.0" collector. I used the 2.5"..since the next section aft is the catted H, also in 2.5". Next section aft of the jba catted H is the oem 2.5", and goes from output of H midsection.... and up and over the axles. With everything 2.5", then it makes for a plug and play install. For my hp level, the 1 5/8" primary's are ample.
Merry Xmas to all of you, take care..and stay safe over the holidays.
