Hi,
This topic is a potential can-o-worms. However, the initial message was
not too specific about which mild steel vs. stainless steel header we're
talking about.
That being said, the most important apsects of the header are the gauge of
the steel, the diameter of the pipes and the quality of flange where the
header bolts to the head.
IMHO, it's not worth spending $150 on a header if you then turn around and
spend 10 hours tweaking it to get it to fit. If you pay the money up
front, you'll get a good piece that will function well, install easily
(relatively) and last. Just remember - there's no such thing as a bolt-on
header - they all need some tweaking. The key here is whether they need an
hour or tweaking or a week.
All things considered, I'd vote for a SS header over mild steel because it
will last longer.
If you decide to go mild steel, consider that for an additional $150 to
$200 you can get it ceramic coated (inside and out). This process will
make the header work better, reduce underhood temps. and generally help it
last a long time. If money is no object, then get a stainless header and
have that ceramic coated. THe coated part won't outlast the car once it's
coated, but a mild steel header and no coating will be hard pressed to
last much more than 5 or 6 years unless all you do is long trips...
If you want to get into a debate about which features of the header make
it good, I'll gladly go there - but suffice to say that TR6 engines
respond quite nicely to properly sized header primary tube diameter and
primary lengths. You will not get ideal power from your header (generally
the desired effect from installing a header) without paying attention to
this stuff.
regards,
rml
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