Budget VS Longevity; Stainless Mufflers & Exhausts

[OutlawDrifter]

Originally Posted by Marv D

If for no other reason than that 'ring' of an exhaust note that seems to come from a stainless system. Have 3" stainless borla's on 2 vehicles now.

this, in my opinion, is due in part to having a thicker wall, especially in the case of 304 stainless. any heavy wall pipe will give you a more distinct sound.

i agree with mild/aluminized pipe. moisture seems to collect in mufflers, and for that reason i like using stainless in that area. i used coated headers on my ls build and absolutely love them, the rest of the exhaust pipe is aluminized and painted with hi-temp rattle can paint. after almost 4 years the headers still look new and the exhaust pipes have some minor rock chips etc. ceramic coatings get my vote over stainless for sure.