Best Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi Headers (2009-2018): Buyer Guide

If your 2009-2018 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi has a tick at cold start, a tired throttle response, or you simply want to free up the 10-15 horsepower the factory cast manifolds are choking off, a set of bolt-on shorty headers is the single best $500 you can spend on the truck. We sell more BBK and aFe Hemi Ram headers than any other category for this generation, and at our Tampa, FL shop we’ve installed every option in this guide. Below is the honest, no-fluff breakdown of the four best Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi headers, what they actually flow, what they cost to bolt on, and which one fits your truck and budget.

Why upgrade the exhaust manifolds on a 5.7 Hemi Ram?

There are two reasons Hemi Ram owners come into our Tampa shop asking about headers. The first is power. The factory cast-iron exhaust manifolds on the 5.7 Hemi are restrictive log-style manifolds designed for emissions and packaging, not flow. Replacing them with mandrel-bent tubular headers smooths the path from the head to the cat, drops back pressure, and frees up roughly 10-15 wheel horsepower and 15-25 lb-ft of torque on an otherwise stock truck. Pair the headers with a cat-back exhaust and a cold air intake and the gains stack to around 25-30 rwhp.

The second reason is the 5.7 Hemi cold-start tick. Many 2009-2018 Ram 1500 owners—especially in cold-climate states—notice a sharp, ticking sound that fades after a couple of minutes of warm-up. The number-one cause is a hairline crack in the factory cast-iron exhaust manifold near the broken-off head bolt or at one of the runner welds. Replacing the cracked manifolds with a fresh OEM unit costs more than a set of shorty headers and only buys you another 50,000 miles before the new casting starts the same process. A set of mandrel-bent steel or stainless shorty headers is a permanent fix that adds power as a bonus.

Shorty vs long-tube headers: which should a daily-driven Ram run?

If you’ve searched the Hemi forums, you’ve seen the long-tube vs shorty debate. The short version for a Ram 1500 daily driver: shorty headers are the right call, and that’s why every product in this guide is a shorty.

Shorty headers replace the cast manifold and bolt to the factory mid-pipe and stock catalytic converters. Install runs 2-5 hours, you keep federal emissions compliance (outside California), no tune is required, and you net 10-15 rwhp on a stock truck. Long-tube headers extend the primaries down past the factory cat location, force you to delete or relocate the cats, demand a custom mid-pipe, and almost always require a tune to clear codes and tune fueling. They’re worth +25-35 rwhp but they’re a $1,500-$2,500 commitment by the time everything is bolted up—and your Ram is no longer street-legal in most jurisdictions. For a Ram 1500 you tow with, daily, or take on the highway, shorty wins on cost, install time, and legality.

The 4 best Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi headers in stock at NLP Performance

We rank these by best fit for the typical Ram 1500 owner—daily-driven, mostly stock, lives outside California. Three are direct fits for the 2009-2018 fourth-generation Ram (DS chassis, the truck most folks searching for "Ram 1500 Hemi headers" actually own); the fourth is for the 2003-2008 third-generation crowd who still ask about headers all the time.

The BBK 4014 is the part most Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi owners end up buying, and there’s a reason. The 1-3/4" tubing is large enough to support a future intake, cat-back, or even a bolt-on supercharger without becoming the choke point, and small enough that low-RPM exhaust velocity stays high for towing duty. The titanium ceramic coating is what makes the 4014 a Florida and Gulf Coast favorite—it shrugs off humidity and salt better than raw steel and stays gunmetal gray instead of going rusty-orange after a season. BBK includes header bolts and gaskets, but the supplied gaskets are average; we recommend swapping in Mopar OEM (PN 5037634AC) or Remflex graphite gaskets for a leak-free seal.

Mechanically the 40140 is the same header as the 4014—same 1-3/4" mandrel-bent tubing, same 3/8" laser-cut flange, same install procedure. The only difference is the coating. The silver ceramic finish has more visual pop in the engine bay if you do hood shots or open the hood at meets, and it reflects more under-hood heat than the darker titanium variant. If you’re a function-only buyer, save the $66 and grab the 4014. If you’re building a clean engine bay, the 40140 looks like a $1,200 part for half that.

The aFe Twisted Steel is the premium pick on the list. The tubing is 16-gauge 409 stainless steel—not coated mild steel—with hand TIG-welded joints and a 4-into-1 mitered merge collector that improves scavenging at higher RPM. The 1-5/8" primary diameter is smaller than the BBK’s 1-3/4", which sounds like a downside but actually keeps exhaust velocity higher off-idle, helping low-end torque and throttle response. aFe claims +20 hp / +30 lb-ft for this design—a touch above the BBK shortys. The trade-off is price: at $1,128 it’s more than 2x the BBK and only fits 2009-2016 (not 2017-2018). If you live near salt or intend to keep this Ram for 200k+ miles, the stainless construction is worth the premium.

If you’re running a third-gen 2003-2008 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi (the truck launched the Hemi nameplate’s revival), the 4009 is your direct equivalent of the 4014. Same construction, same tubing diameter, same coating—just engineered for the third-gen DR/DH chassis flange pattern. We see a steady stream of buyers picking these up for trucks crossing 200,000 miles where the original cast manifolds are finally cracked through. Same install considerations as the 4014: header bolt swivel, penetrating oil, and a fresh set of OEM gaskets.

Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi Header Comparison: BBK 4014 vs aFe Twisted Steel

Pros and cons: BBK Titanium vs aFe Twisted Steel

BBK 4014 Titanium Ceramic Shorty Headers

aFe Twisted Steel Headers (48-42001-1)

How to install shorty headers on a 5.7 Hemi Ram 1500

Shorty header install on a fourth-gen Ram 1500 is a 2-5 hour DIY job in the driveway, or under 2 hours on a lift. The actual labor is straightforward; what eats time is the passenger-side bolts that live behind the steering shaft and a few studs that often snap on trucks with cracked manifolds. Here’s what to plan for:

Tools you’ll want: 3/8" ratchet, header-bolt swivel socket set (M8/M10), 6" and 12" extensions, torque wrench, penetrating oil (PB Blaster or Kroil), a good O2-sensor wrench, and ideally a tie-rod separator if you have to drop the steering shaft. Spray every manifold bolt with penetrating oil the night before—Ram exhaust studs are notorious for snapping. Have a stud extractor and a couple of replacement studs on the bench before you start.

Process: Disconnect the negative battery cable, jack and stand the truck, remove the front O2 sensors with a deep-flank wrench, unbolt the mid-pipe from the manifold flange, work the manifolds out from below (driver side comes out cleanly; passenger side may require dropping the steering shaft), install fresh OEM Mopar 5037634AC or Remflex gaskets, and torque the new BBK or aFe headers to factory spec (15-22 lb-ft on M8 bolts in three passes, working from center outward). Reinstall the O2 sensors with a dab of anti-seize, reconnect the mid-pipe, drop the truck, run it up to operating temperature, and re-torque the bolts after 100-200 miles. The exhaust will smell oily for the first heat cycle as the coating cures.

Pairing Ram 1500 Hemi headers with the right supporting mods

Headers are best installed as part of a Stage 1 bolt-on package, not in isolation. Each part stacks gains the others enable. The order most of our Tampa customers follow:

Cold air intake — A high-flow intake feeds the engine more air to match the freed-up exhaust. K&N’s 03-08 Hemi intake kit is a popular pairing for the older trucks; for 2009-2018, drop-in K&N panel filters are a budget-friendly alternative.

Cat-back exhaust — A 3" mandrel-bent cat-back finishes the path the headers started. MBRP, Magnaflow, and Borla all make Ram 5.7 cat-back systems. Expect another 5-8 rwhp and a noticeably more aggressive tone.

Custom tune — Optional with shorty headers but worth another 5-10 rwhp if you stack with intake and cat-back. A handheld tuner like a DiabloSport Trinity 2 or HP Tuners license lets you dial in fueling, timing, and the rev limiter to match the new airflow.

Bolt all three on with the headers and a typical 2009-2018 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi makes 25-30 rwhp / 30-40 lb-ft over stock—noticeable in passing power, towing grunt, and throttle response.