That and they are located in a well ventelated area... but every little bit helps.

 

Well, starting in late June, this car will be living in Hawai'i. I am doing everything I can to keep temps down and safe in my engine compartment. I have decided to send the header to Swaintech to have their thermal barrier coating applied. The $175 it costs is not an issue, and I can ship free from work. Wrapping the header would be a total PITA that I am not willing to do, as well as not being as good as coating it.

And I don't care what it looks like per se, but I don't want to damage it.

 

^^^^^^^^What he said. This is what I'd go with.

 

Swain is (from what I can tell) a MUCH better service at about the same price. Besides, I burned right thru the Jet-Hot coating on my GT-4's manifold. It looks like *** today.

 

I've never heard of this "Swain" so you very well may be right. I'd actually like to get some feedback since I am getting a Cusco header soon and want to get it coated.

 

Well, I have heard nothing bu good things about them. Check out their site at www.swaintech.com. I read an article in Grassroots Motorsports about their coatings as well. I will post pics when I get it done. The header is getting the flanges re-welded now.

 

^^^^^I'm going to get them to do some condoms for me just to be safe.

 

I think getting it coated is a good idea. My car's Borla header is at Jet Hot now. It was on the car a while and yes it's thrown a few different CEL's relating to the problem of losing too much heat . The reason I didn't coat it right away is because of all the rumors about cracking and voiding the warranty with coatings. Now I'd rather just get it done to prevent CEL's and keep heat down. As a sidenote I put the original Y-pipe back in which is the first time it's been used with the Random Tech catpipe and custom Magnaflow catback. The sound is driving me nuts. It's still deep and throaty, but it sounds like an inline now, no growl, no distinct sound. I know Borlas aren't the best and don't last forever, but when this one dies I'm gonna just get another one and coat it too. To me the sound is worth far more than the 3% gain in HP.

 

HELLO? VOIDED WARRANTY? HELLO?

...I'm astonished nobody has mentioned this. Borla is known for their 'million mile warranty,' but you'd be forfeiting it as soon as you coat it. As is, many of them end up cracking (I'm not so sure the ver. 4 mod. fixed the problem) - and coating it may make it more susceptible.

I'm not telling you not to coat it, but I just thought this needed to be considered.

 

I agree with you Scoob, but like it was mentioned it's important to keep the heat away from the engine bay. To me it's more important than the warranty which is another reason I had it coated (finally). Also the coating should help the header to last longer (in theory anyway). It's the inside coating of the pipes that's supposed to help in this area. It's supposed to keep the heat out of the pipes. I've been told that if only the outside is coated or wrapped the car is protected, but the heat in the header can't dissipate and will speed up it's break down. Even stainless can oxidize. The theory is the hotter the header gets the more the molecules of the metal it is made of will spread apart and make it easier for oxygen (also referred to as oxidation or rust) to penetrate it. I'm not saying it's fact, but I've heard that coating the outside of the header protects the engine, oil filter, and other components effected by exhaust heat and the inside coating protects the header itself. It should slow the breakdown/fatigue of the header material. It seems logical to me anyway, but once again this isn't fact just what I've been told. I don't know if it would help prolong the header from cracking though. I guess for that only time will tell.

 

How much does coating the inside cost? That all makes sense to me- but if you don't have the $$$ to do the inside and just do the outside, I can see how that would put more stress on the header. And as is, you don't need them to last forever- because of the warranty. So, coating it (inside and out) may end up saving you return hassles down the line and be good for your car's performance, but you're also spending money and losing the warranty if it decides to crack, in which case you're out the cost of the header + the coating (barring any repair possibilities)

So I think the safe bet is to leave it and keep the warranty- unless you really think the heat is a problem- if so, I'd invest some money in a good inside/out coat.

"and .98 is your change, have a nice day."

 

I think Jet-Hot only does both inside and outside. It cost me $175 which includes return shipping, but it cost me another $28 to ship it there via UPS. This was for the Sterling though. It's their cheapest coating because it's only good up to I think 12 or 1400 degrees. The other coatings are good up to 2400, but I thought that was overkill for a N/A car. I thought Swaintech was actually more, but I could be mistaken. You could check them out if you'd like at www.jethot.com or www.swaintech.com depending on who you want to go with.

Happy Motoring

 

Coat it! The effects of not coating it can by crappy, and if anything the coating will hold the header together longer than if it didnt. If you are unsure, go to an exhaust shop and have it rewelded, then coated. Coating won't mess with it unless its already jacked up. Without coating you are just messing with your engine.

Austin