Stainless Sorsts - I'm over it!

[CalaisRider]

As some of you know I have had a three different custom exhaust systems on the Calais to date.

Last time I went full stainless throughout. Yeh its nice, looks flashy, sounds pretty good and pulls reasonable power.

So what's the issue? :mad:

I have cracked the pipes and centre muffler not just once, but a heap of times since having SS. About 8mths ago I had to replace the complete centre mufler with a new one - due to severe cracking.

Well bugger me, the car was on the hoist yesterday and found that both front and rear of the centre muffler is cracked really badly atm (despite no rash marks on it). There are also three other places where the system has large cracks in it. No wonder the sound was getting a ringy reverberence to it.

I checked with three different custom sorst shops, and all came up with the same answer. Stainless is thin and rigid, but on the downside, once it gets super hot it is prone to cracking. I assume because my car see a bit of track work and run pretty hard, that the sorst does get pretty hot at times. That would explain why I haven't had any probs rearward from the centre muffler, all the damage is in the initial HOT zone.

Anyways, I am totally over this expensive SS fad. I'm going to 3" mild steel. Not sure through who as yet.

[Carbon]

That's no good Pete. Is that the F1 you are having probs with?

Like you, I have been considering selling mine and buying an XForce 3". More reasons of trying different things. I am actually looking at another car so even more reasons to sell mine.

[galaga]

Adam
but the current car isnt finished!!!!! lol oh well a new project for me...oh I mean you to work on :)

[CalaisRider]

That's no good Pete. Is that the F1 you are having probs with?

Like you, I have been considering selling mine and buying an XForce 3". More reasons of trying different things. I am actually looking at another car so even more reasons to sell mine.



Yeh its the F1, but I don't think its the product per se; from what I gathered from cruising around to various sorst shops yesterday, it's somewhat typical of SS reaction to super high heat, and the way it expands and contracts.

When I was into 4x4s a mate of mine had a SS system and it used to be prone to cracking due to the flex of the car.

[EQUIPE-T]

lol Mr. Mufflers once said to me ( and the bloke at fatpipes backed it up ) " theres really no use in a stainless steel exhaust, for one who the forks gonna see it?, second of all, its more expensive to buy a stainless steel zorst and keep paying for it ( like you are pete ) then what it is to by a mild steel zorst " pretty much what they said when i wanted a stainless steel on the VN lol

[Ben]

deleted posts..... take it to pm if there is issues between members.....

[pvk308]

pete have you looked in to protective coatings etc like hpc or ceramic coating i know they cost abit but might help

[CalaisRider]

pete have you looked in to protective coatings etc like hpc or ceramic coating i know they cost abit but might help

:)

Yeh Steve, I rekken that would be the perfect setup. Mild Steel Ceramic Coated throughout.

I do believe that a deeper note is gained from Mild Steel than Stainless; and this deeper sound is in keeping with what I would like. You just have to tap each of the two different materials with a screwdriver of reasonable size like a tuning fork and becomes aparent that the SS has a tinnier with a more reverberant sound. Ceramic is an amazing coating, with all the full bore stuff that I have put my engine through, the Headers are still relatively as when new, just no shine anymore and hot spots where the real heat hits the header bends.

This will be the fourth Cat Back for the VE since new in October 2006 (all through Mr Muffler - yeh they probably have their fair share of my money expended to date).

Not that I'm gripeing, cause I know that I came into VE Cat Back stuff when everything was a test program of suck and see. But over time and from what I have experienced I see no real benefit of SS whatsoever if you work the car hard (unless of course its a show car - then the SS shine and gleam "certainly" comes into its own and well worth it).

:)

[pvk308]

i agree mate i tried stainless on the vk and the note was very rattly the mild steel system was alot deeper. i am interested in the ceramic coatings etc pete as i beleive the benefits could be very good will be interested to see what info you have on the subject mate

[CalaisRider]

i agree mate i tried stainless on the vk and the note was very rattly the mild steel system was alot deeper. i am interested in the ceramic coatings etc pete as i beleive the benefits could be very good will be interested to see what info you have on the subject mate

I’ve had both my shorties and tuned length Pacemaker Headers ceramic coated since the car was new, so its hard for me to compare what uncoated headers and pipe is like.

When VE cold air intakes were first being developed I got my second setup ceramic coated. In hindsight I "don’t think" this exercise was effective at all. Ceramics on pipes is mainly aimed at keeping temperature within the tube, hence increasing air/sorst flows and channelling heat away from the engine bay. I found that the CAI pipe got very hot (more so than the plastic version I had on at one stage) it simply absorbed the heat in the engine bay in city drive conditions and took quite some time to cool as the ceramic contained the heat to the pipe. With extended drive it was ok as the cool air sucked in outstripped the heat generated in the engine bay.


This mob are in Brisbane.
http://www.thermaledgecoating.com.au/

This is the Pacemaker site and the type of coating I have in place on the VE atm.
http://www.pacemaker.com.au/ceramic_coat.html

This one may be what you’re looking for as it provides good info on various aspects and applications of the product.
http://www.c-ramic.com.au/story.htm

Like you, I believe that if ceramics improves the flow in extractors and overall scavenging and throughput of exhaust gas (plus to some extent cools the engine bay), then theoretically it follows that Ceramic Coating the Cats Back would further enhance the sorst gas flow phenominon particularly on high powered cars.


:)

[pvk308]

great links thank for that mate

[CalaisRider]

:sweating: - :cooking: - :dollars:


After much agonising deliberation and hours of research I'm about to put a new 3" mild steel sorst system on the Calais-V. Not by choice, just that the current SS one is totally stuffed beyond repair...


I am definately over the Stainless Steel Cracking and Splitting thing, what a crock, and a shitload of money down the drain x 3 systems to date. :mad:


Bottom line is $$ as I'm totally over going high end and Test Muling for a "possible" gain. Todays VE power is the domain of Forced Induction, certainly not the miniscule gains by sorsts alone of days gone by. I will either be going "Hurricane" or "Pacemaker" as my cats back system (Obviously based on a Mild Steel setup). Additionally as you would expect, I am attaching 100cpi metal substrate SS cats in 4" size joining to my Pacemaker 4 into 1 headers to the L98. Time will tell if the decision was good, or not so good.

Pete

[stealthvn/mr vr ss]

have you looked at the ve x force pete?

[John]

Paint the mild steel with black high temp paint.

Thats what i did before using ceramic wrap on mine. No rust even after 4 months.

[CalaisRider]

have you looked at the ve x force pete?

:)
Yeh Brad, I looked at X Force and have seen a few fitted at Hi Torque.

My only concern with either the Hurricane and X Force or even the Pacemaker is that it may be too loud for my liking. Hurricane have twin pipes thoughout the cats back length with just two in line hotdog type centre mufflers (but Hotdogs aren't actually Mufflers, they are resonators), then at the rear they have biig resonator barrels with quad outlet.

I have heard Hurricane and X Force at lopeing/slow speeds and they seem quite loud to me, but then again I have rarely heard my F1 from outside of the car.

The beauty of the Mr Muffler F1 system was it's sound is quite tame in daily drive and no drone, but yodeled well at high revs. The best of both worlds with not much unwanted attention.


;)
Thanks for the tip on mild steel John

.