They make them thinner than the stock exhaust manifolds and seem they wouldnt be as duarble over the years, or am I just full of misinformation. Lets say, I got hooker long tube headers of SLP shorties tommorow JET HOT coated or cermatic coated from factory, how long would they last on my car.

PS. not sure if this would have anything to do with it but I live in California and it take A LONG TIME for stuff to rust out here, would the external atmosphere cause premature rust or wear?

 

dont u have emmisions? LT's wont pass except for FLP's are they are 1300.00

 

yeah, Long tubes a no-no here, I was just using an example

 

Generally speaking thick cast iron factory headers are more durable, inexpensive to make and relatively trouble free. That is why manufacturers use them. Too bad most don't flow well and are heavy.

There is a wide range of materials and level of quality construction used on aftermarket headers. Some are very cheaply made and designed and use mild steel. Most of those will not last very long under heavy use and poor environmental conditions. How long depends on many factors.

There are several high quality, well designed headers using 409 or 304 stainless steel on the market that I believe may outlast the average expected life of the car their installed upon. Aftermarket headers tend to require a bit more care and maintenance.

Moreover, I've seen some fine custom made, mega buck stainless steel headers designed to be used without gaskets on race cars that I would think could last into the next century.

The bottom line is if you purchase a quality set of headers, have them ceramic coated they should serve you well for a long time.

 

I bought my JBA shorty's used 2 years ago, so they have quite a few years on them, and look as good as new, altough they are coated.

Travis