cermic coating on dp/exhaust

[AutostradaVR4]

what do you guys think? i really dont know a whole lot about it. Do you think its worth it? what does it cost to get, say, a downpipe ceramic coated? I assume the purpose is just as heat insulation?

before i get , the question isnt neccesarily for me. a friend of mine is about to buy a ceramic coated Helix flex up-pipe, never used, $200....they go for $175 new non-coated. For his WRX. I guess the guy said he paid $100 to have it coated. Seems kinda steep to me, but i really dont know much about it. So i was hoping you guys could shed some light for me.

i know this isnt neccesarily 3/s related...but when it comes to automotive knowlegde, this forum has never let me down!

[Linebckr49]

yes, ceramic coatings are for heat insulation. however, its also to make the exhaust pipe look pretty. more so the latter than the former. i've seen guys put high temp ceramic paint on their front turbo headers, but i've never even questioned them as to whether or not the rear turbo header had the same paint job....why? b/c i assume its NOT painted, b/c no one will ever see it.

as Igovert will probably tell you, a downpipe is a downpipe, they only differ in design as to the best way to get the exhaust out through to the air.

so a ceramic coated downpipe just seems overkill. if it were me, i wouldn't buy something for its ceramic coating if i'm not gonna see it when the hood is popped. (actually, i could care less about aesthetics, function over form, FTW!).

EDIT: and one further note, since exhaust gases get really hot (especially on turbo cars, i.e. ur friend's WRX), all exhaust header coatings i've seen start to peel after a while. if ur friend is really worried about heat from exhaust gases, tell him to get some exhaust heat wrap, a heat sheild, or a vented hood. otherwise, he's just in it for aesthetics.

[talskinyguy]

Do you know how turbos work? Ceramic coating can be for looks, but most of the time it is for 2 big reasons, keeping under hood temps down and not melting things near the headers, and keeping heat in the exhaust to more efficiently run the turbo(s).

This can also be accomplished by wrapping them, but be prepared to crack your headers if you choose to wrap them.

[Linebckr49]

Originally Posted by talskinyguy

Do you know how turbos work? Ceramic coating can be for looks, but most of the time it is for 2 big reasons, keeping under hood temps down and not melting things near the headers, and keeping heat in the exhaust to more efficiently run the turbo(s).

This can also be accomplished by wrapping them, but be prepared to crack your headers if you choose to wrap them.

yes i know how turbos work. i guess i've just seen more people go with exhaust wraps rather than dishing out big bucks for ceramic coatings.

i am curious, why do you say headers will crack if you wrap them?

[zzzybil]

thinking about coating manifold or whatever will protect my components from heat damage.......this is fairly new car and turbo kit killin warranty sooooooo anything that saves me from needing to replace / avoiding cooking anything _component wise has my attention !!!!! no fugly wraps will do - new manifold like ART - don't want anything thats going to peel either !!..........
so many forums - anyone with good info feel free to rank any options you think of ------ hit me at yahoo if no answer
kit will be tuned and pick up in week or so .......ExCiTeD !!!

[2old]

It looks like the wrappings do theirs jobs a little too well and create hotspots in the header which cause cyclic thermal stresses at the welds which lead to cracking.

Ceramic coatings work better if the coating in on the inside of the header because that way it insulates the metal in the header from the exhaust.

Edit: also I think insulating the downpipe is pretty frivolous because you need the exhaust to be hot before the turbo and not after.

[Polygon]

I agree with 2old but I would like to add that wraps can also trap moisture. I would coat the header and hot side of the turbo. Anything else would just be waste of money unless you are having heat issues with something near the pipe.