Exhaust Upgrade - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

ninety_sixer · 09-12-2002, 19:28

Hi guys,
just a quick question for you all, i'm getting a 2.5" system made for my car, telstar tx5 v6. i've rung around to get quotes, and two are charging the same price, but one guy said he uses aluminized steel(?) and another uses 14 gauge mild steel. i asked the second guy(14 gauge) what the difference is, and he said the aluminized steel is only aluminized on the outside so it still burns out from the inside, you just can't see it.

what's the better option here?
i like the second guy better, and i think he does a better job, but if his materials are inferior, i think it would be safer to go with the first guy. any ideas?

cheers
luke

Hoon · 09-12-2002, 20:12

Well, has price got anything to do with it? Cause if not, I'd be getting a stainless steel job if I was you. Last a hell of alot longer and looks sexy when it turns brownish gold from the heat.

However, if you got the strain on the budget, I'd be looking at bloke number 1. But I'd be getting him to throw in some mandrel bending over the rear for nix.

ninety_sixer · 09-12-2002, 20:18

hoon,
both guys quoted $420 plus exhaust tip, i asked about stainless steel, got told that a stainless steel muffler alone will cost $240, plus everything else, so yeah, probably out of price range.

what's the difference between aluminized and 14 gauge though?
cheers

Hoon · 09-12-2002, 20:36

Well, going by my days working in a smelter, the aluminized exhaust will just put an outside coating. This will stop the OUTSIDE elements from attacking the piping with rust. However, the insides are not protected, even if they are coated, due to the heat of the exhaust. It will have a 5 year bench life on a car.

When you talking about 14 gauge piping, your talking about the thickness of the pipe. The thicker, the more the pipe will "resonate" and give it a more deeper drone, especially if you get one of those rounded tips that point back inside the exhaust. However, the thicker the pipe, the heaver it'll be, and more strain will be put on your mounting brackets and rubber supports.

Try and push him for mandrel pending over the rear, it doesn't sound like much, but to get the flow out of the system, it'll work great. Mandrel bending the extractors/headers to the muff really doesn't do jack squat. It'll never hurt to ask if you can get a better deal.

You can always try a different exhaust shop!

ninety_sixer · 09-12-2002, 20:59

why the mandrel bent over the rear? why would i only get the mandrel bent from the muffler back?

i'm not getting the extractors/headers done because they are already top of the range apparently, they came standard with stainless steel headers.

any other hints/tips/ideas?

ps. thanks for the help hoon!!

MondeoST24 · 09-12-2002, 23:04

Ideally get mandrel bends all the way through the system- just ask to have a look at a right angle mandrel bend vs a crush bend and you'll see why.

Most exhausts on newer cars have sharp bends in them below the passenger compartment floor, I can't understand you saying not to bother with mandrel bends except for the rear section, Hoon????

Hoon · 09-15-2002, 18:54

Well, my car for example only has one bend, then muffler, then goes straight, then over the axle, so I usually don't bother with the first bend....depends on how your car is really...

MondeoST24 · 09-15-2002, 19:55

OK- the last two vehicles I've had exhausts done on were the total opposite- bends everywhere under the floorpan! Would have been a lot cheaper if it was simple like yours!

Hoon · 09-15-2002, 23:30

good hey? :D

ninety_sixer · 09-16-2002, 22:12

well,
paid my monies, got my exhaust upgraded to 2.5". looks sweet as, sounds pretty damn loud, hoping that it will die down/deepen just a tad as the muffler burns in, didn't really notice anything on the drive back from the exhaust shop to work, but i'll be out and about cruising tonight, probably waking up suburbs left right and centre!!

also turns out that the stock cat that was in there was totally buggered!! the outflow end had major cracks through the inside(the mesh bit?) and the inflow end of the cat (again, the mesh) had totally disintegrated!!! there was just a big fat hole there with strands of mesh just hanging on to the edge.

but anyway, all done and done, so hopefully everything goes well.
thanks for everyones advice.

cheers
luke