Ceramic -vs- Stainless Steel headers

[Marc-OS]

I've been looking into getting a new header for my car, and I've decided to buy a DC-Sports 4-2-1 header. The question is, what is the difference between Ceramic and Stainless steel headers? (besides the price)

[highbrid]

the price
:frog:

[spy54]

i think it is only the looks

[eightysix]

Itz all about the looks there really isent no diffrence.

[91zc]

Ceramic headers can crack at the welds and rust also. I have seen the DC sports ceramic header crack on the welds by the flange on motor. They also rust a bit too, not as much as a painted header but they still do rust. HTH

[flylwsi]

ceramic coated headers are not stainless. that is why they rust. they are cheaper b/c the steel in the header is not cheaper. a full stainless header will not rust at all. a ceramic coated stainless header would be the ideal setup if money aint a thang...

this is the reason a chikara steel header is so damn cheap and then the ceramic coated is more $, and so on to stainless...

so buy the nice stainless... it'll last longer, and it gets that sweet ace purply thing at the head... from the heat... i love that... like the hks titanium tip exh... ohhh yeeeah

[pvang31019]

ceramic=mild steel
stainless=what else....duh

[Someguy]

Most companies seem to sell cheap, spray-on, ceramic headers, as aposed to something like Jet-Hot:

http://www.jet-hot.com/

A good ceramic coated stainless steel header will out-perform an uncoated stainless header by keeping the exhaust gasses hotter for longer, which means the exhaust gasses will flow faster, which leads to better scavanging.

[flylwsi]

exactly...
but most of the cheap headers that are ceramic coated are mild steel, not a stainless header...

so the ideal is a jet hot coated s/s header in the color that matches your car... hehehe... and my car is yellow!

[VTECseoul]

& yellow is not a racing color...the ceramic coated headers are supposedly keep engine bay cooler, by keeping all the heat in the pipes. Stainless Steel is for rust resistance, not rustproof, & durability. the heat purpling is cool though.

[swoosher21]

go with the stainless. you will only be payin a few bucks more. i just put the GReddy 4-2-1 two piece on my 94 accord ex. it feels great. definitely noticeable. you can feel the torque differences and hp gains along with the AEM CAI and GReddy EVO cat back. thats just my opinion, but you will love having that opelescent color of the stainless headers.

[moyerek]

Are you going for looks or performance?

The stainless steel headers will last the longest and never rust but will turn blue or purple due to exhaust heat. If you like the look of stainless and don't want it to blue you can always get the insides ceramic coated with JetHot or any other aftermarket coating. This will prevent the pipes from turing blue and the ceramic coating will trap the heat creating cooler engine bay temperatures and improving exhaust flow. If you like the look of ceramic I would look into purchasing steel headers and getting them coated inside and out. I have had complete steel exhaust systems coated in JetHot and never had them rust, stainless is really for the looks.

My Choice. I always like the look of stainless and coating the inside really makes a difference...looks and performance.

[white97ex]

how much does it cost to have a header jet-hot coated?

[vtecattack]

One is chiney and one isnt. Ceramic keep their original color and stainless change colors. Stainless looks better even with the color change.

[pushVTEC]

Ceramic will rust, stainless steel wont. Stainless steel is more durable than the ceramic will be. if you get nasty winters or lots of rain, it will pay off to get the stainless steel header.