A little stuck on a which pipes SS or mild. How have your mild steel headers held up?

[Dwight]

I have mild steel ceramic coated headers and side pipes. They cool a lot quicker (to the touch) than other pipes. They advertise that the ceramic coated pipes hold the heat inside so that it can be blow out the end of the pipe. Hype or fact? I do know they cool to the touch a lot faster than others. I like them better than chrome, paint, etc.

Dwight

[Bobcat]

On stainless steels , there are many different grades , all with different resistance to corrosion and hardness/strengths. As a general rule , the lower the number ( 316 SS for example , compared to 416 SS ) , the better the corrosion resistance , but 416 is a stronger steel . 17 -4 ph stainless is a strong stainless that approaches "regular " steel in strength , but is not as good as 316 on corrosion . We used the 17 - 4 ph on hydraulic cylinder rods in the offshore area as we need strength and some corrosion resistance .
One thing you have to be careful of is to not clean any stainless with a wire brush or anything like that as you will deposit the mild steel on the stainless , which will then rust .