I should be getting my car soon and was talking to the guy that will be making my headers. We know that they will be ceramic coated, but should I use stainless or just steel? Does it matter with the coating? Also, any suggestions on heat reduction in the engine area? The ceramic coating should help. I hate the looks of wrapping them, since I want the engine area to look primo.
Headers - Stainless or Not
- Thread starter mksetter
- Start date
I have regular carbon steel exhaust pipes and mufflers on my SL-C. They were ceramic coated and still look really good after a year of driving. So there's one data point. 
I've also had stainless exhaust on other cars, and thought they were great as well.
If your car is normally aspirated, regular steel with a ceramic coating will probably be fine, based on my experience. If your engine is forced induction, I'd use stainless, being careful in the design as SS can expand more under high temps. When using stainless, a lighter gauge can be used compared to regular steel, dropping a little weight.
Like you, I hate the look of header wrap, at least on headers.
I've also had stainless exhaust on other cars, and thought they were great as well.
If your car is normally aspirated, regular steel with a ceramic coating will probably be fine, based on my experience. If your engine is forced induction, I'd use stainless, being careful in the design as SS can expand more under high temps. When using stainless, a lighter gauge can be used compared to regular steel, dropping a little weight.
Like you, I hate the look of header wrap, at least on headers.
I would go stainless if you are having them built. Materials are about 50% more, but that will be small compared to labor.
My dad worked for Smokey Yuinick and like after the 2nd or 3rd dyno pull the motors would lose 20hp bolt on another set of headers it would come back they found out that the steel headers were scaling inside from being red hot and starting the oxidizing process and killed flow stainless didn't do that plus stainless is a poor conductor of heat so it has less radiant heat given off
Is that your Manta Mirage in your profile pic?
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
I've not cut open my steel headers, but Jet-Hot assured me that they were able to coat the inside of the tubes as well as the outside on the pseudo-Mclaren headers. So far, still beautiful, and max body surface temp after cool-down or at idle (on bodywork 4" above the headers) is about 175º F (about what I've observed parked in summer sun).
If I had to build them again, I would probably go with SS. I built my own headers, so labor cost exclusion made the materials-only price difference between SS and mild steel considerably higher, than for those folks that would include labor in the cost of having a set made.
If I had to build them again, I would probably go with SS. I built my own headers, so labor cost exclusion made the materials-only price difference between SS and mild steel considerably higher, than for those folks that would include labor in the cost of having a set made.
Before cermicoating came out, I would say go SS but now Carbon with cermicoat its pretty much a bullet proof deal having them coated inside and out will help to keep the heat inside the pipes for better performance and help keep the engine bay cooler.
SS may start to crack as well as they get older.
SS may start to crack as well as they get older.
I used to own a ceramic coating company I have seen some of the other companies out there ( along time ago like 10 plus years) and they only sprayed down the tube as far as you could see. I made a tool to actually spray in a cone pattern as you pulled it up through. It makes a huge difference that being said I would still make them out of stainless and coat them. You could do it yourself I can tell you where to get the product and how to apply it. Rod Brace 515-202-8090
