Ceramic coating necessary when buying headers?

[grey5.0beast]

I just wanted to get you guys' opinions, as I plan on ordering some soon.

Is it necessarry to get ceramic coating on a car that never has and never will see salty roads or snow, and is well maintained? I am on a budget, so everybit helps me out and I was wondering i fi could get away with 140 buck painted headers over the 230 dollar ceramic ones. Thanks

 

[mob]

I went with the stainless steel fms shorties, I co uldnt afford the ceramic coated, ceramic coated is worth it DEFIANTLY but for me being in a hurry needing headers asap I just went with SS. Theyll get surface rust and look like crap, I heard cc also keeps the engine bay temps down, but oh well. Ive only had them on for 2 days but I like my SS fms shorties.

Oh and dont worry about painting them, its a waste of time.

 

[grey5.0beast]

i think I am gonna go with summit brand ceramic coated, 229.95, with strut tower brace included sub total comes to 339.90. hmm... now is it worth it to drive the about 8 dollars in gas there and back over the 10 dollar handling fee and get em installed over the weekend... I say yes!

 

[jtfairlane]

I just wanted to get you guys' opinions, as I plan on ordering some soon.

Is it necessarry to get ceramic coating on a car that never has and never will see salty roads or snow, and is well maintained? I am on a budget, so everybit helps me out and I was wondering i fi could get away with 140 buck painted headers over the 230 dollar ceramic ones. Thanks

Necessary is a totally subjective idea in the world of cars. Is it necessary for you to be installing aftermarket headers?

I have two sets of aftermarket headers in two different cars, a set of full length Hooker Super Comps in my '65 Fairlane, and a set of Ford Motorsport shorty headers in my '89 mustang.

Both of my sets of headers are ceramic coated. It is more expensive, and while it isn't "necessary", I wanted the ceramic coating for a few reasons. First, longevity of the header. Ceramic coating is the best protection against corrosion for headers money can buy. Once paint burns off on non-coated headers, which is usually very quickly, the steel will start to rust. Most headers are made of a good enough quality steel that the headers won't rust through and create exhaust leaks for a long, long time...but they will look nasty if aesthetics means alot to you.

Second reason is underhood temperature. Prior to my Ceramic Coated Hooker's on my Fairlane, I was using cast iron hi-po manifolds. Cast iron manifolds typically run a lot cooler than plain painted headers, but I can say from experience that the ceramic coating on my headers keeps them running even cooler than the iron manifolds did, which at least with long tubes ensures a longer life span for my starter, plug wires, and other temperature sensitive items that close to the headers.

If you're just interested in performance and not how the headers will look 1, 2, 5, etc. years from now, go with the non ceramic-coated ones. My personal preference is when I do a modification, I want it to be the last time I do it, so I want any part I install to hold up for the long term, so I go with ceramic coating.

 

[z2o_what]

for $230 i would get ceramic

painted headers rust quick, had some flotecs on a camaro and the factory paint melted off after an hour of driving.

i got chrome bbk's on my mustang and they took a lil less then a year to turn blue and there is a good bit of surface rust around the collector areas (lts) but i live in West Virginia where every thing rusts.

 

[grey5.0beast]

And I heard froma few local ppl that summit brand stuff is awesome, cuz they get it contracted out so name brand ppl manufacture the goods, they just don;t carry a name brand, which makes it much cheper, this true?

 

[RsStanG1987]

I had ceramic headers the **** chipped off then they rusted. Ford Racing sucks ass.

 

[Shakerhood]

I had ceramic headers the **** chipped off then they rusted. Ford Racing sucks ass.

My FMS Ceramic Coated Headers are about 6 years old now, but they have lots of pits that have tiny rust spots and the edges of the flanges have chipped and flaked off too, but for 6 years, what the hell.

 

[stykthyn]

spend the money and get the coated ones

 

[jtfairlane]

And I heard froma few local ppl that summit brand stuff is awesome, cuz they get it contracted out so name brand ppl manufacture the goods, they just don;t carry a name brand, which makes it much cheper, this true?

If by name brand people you mean no-name chinese aftermarket manufacturers than yes Summit Racing brand parts are made by name brand people.

I will not be so bold as to claim that every Summit Racing brand part is chinese made, or of poor quality, but I would not hesitate to say that the overwhelming majority are and without much if any quality control.

FordMuscle did an article recently on aluminum AN fittings, comparing various brands, no surprise Summit Racing was the worst.

I love Summit Racing (the catalog, not their brand of parts), but I would never install a Summit Racing brand part on either of my cars. My .02.

 

[Henceforward]

I should have bought ceramic shorties... Oh well.

They look cool after a few weeks, but then after a few years they look blah.

I'll snap a better picture tomorrow if you need it.

 

[fox-gt]

Spend the extra money imo.

 

[Deleted member 87397]

i think I am gonna go with summit brand ceramic coated, 229.95, with strut tower brace included sub total comes to 339.90. hmm... now is it worth it to drive the about 8 dollars in gas there and back over the 10 dollar handling fee and get em installed over the weekend... I say yes!

I'd roll down there with you if I you were going on Saturday.

 

[85ragtop]

If you get the Summits post some pics.

 

[genericstang]

i got the FMS ceramic coated stainless steel. hated spending the money, but they are a nice piece. got them through summit for like 315 or something i dont remember.

 

[Strype]

Is it necessarry to get ceramic coating on a car that never has and never will see salty roads or snow, and is well maintained?

No. But they'll stay cooler and look better with ceramic coating. I've always just used standard shorties

 

[RsStanG1987]

The last headers i had on the car i just sold were chrome BBK equal lengths. The chrome never flaked off and they were still shiney till the day the car left. I drove the car a lot too. Maybe it just depends on the company.

 

[trents99]

A friend of mine bought the Summit CC shortys and the driver's side rubbed the block down by the ball flange. May have been just his set but just giving you a heads up.

 

[grey5.0beast]

I'd roll down there with you if I you were going on Saturday.

Yeah, I am gonna make a trip down sat. morning. Gotta get some cash out before I go...

 

[grey5.0beast]

Well if what rsstang says is true, I think the bbk chromies are the same price as the coated summits. Lemme check.