Shorty headers give some torque and small HP gains at lower RPMs over stock exhaust headers, and fall off quickly at mid to high RPM's where engines make there best power. Long tube headers provide good torque and HP gains throught the entire RPM range; best gains are met at cruising RPM range. Best bang for your investment. So you bet, they are the best choice for maximum torque and HP gains.

I have however used shorty headers when I had a crack in one of my stock exhaust manifolds. One stock exhaust manifold (new) was more than a set (pair) of shorty headers for the particular vehicle in question. So, I replaced both stock exhaust manifolds with the shorty headers. They are easier to install, but I agree that the long tubes are the best for performance; just more work to install. Modifications to the stock down tube exhaust pipes the long tube headers connect to usually means a trip to a welders shop to complete the installation of long tube headers.