Exhausts - mild steel or stainless

[Grahame at work]

Hi,

I know that stainless exhausts last a life time and I've read about the relative costs -

but

in the Fury store it says "Fabricated in UK using mild steel (not stainless steel) for a less noisy ride"

What does that mean?

Can someone explain please?

Regards Grahame

[bigdaddycain]

Most stainless stell items are made of a larger bore, which in essence can make a more of a roar under load,mild steel exhausts are generally of the same diameter, with the same capacity silencers,which are quieter in operation.

I have a stainless exhaust, with a 4" bore, but with a near standard size rear silencer, which in practise is only fractionally louder than the standard bongo item.

[Muzorewa]

One other thing to note with stainless exhausts is that they are generally made from thinner gauge material. They are guaranteed for life against corrosion, which of course is fine because they won't rust, but they can fracture easily with vibration, and your guarantee won't cover that.

[scanner]

One other thing to note with stainless exhausts is that they are generally made from thinner gauge material. They are guaranteed for life against corrosion, which of course is fine because they won't rust, but they can fracture easily with vibration, and your guarantee won't cover that.

No, but the Sale of Goods Act does.

Guarantees are not usually worth the paper they are written on and in any case, cannot take away your statutory rights.

[Grahame at work]

Thanks gents,

Has anybody had a stainless exhaust system fracture?

and

Has anyone had one of the 'longlife' stainless exhausts fitted that was tailored for 'quite' as opposed to 'mild sport'?
If so how does it compare with the original mild steel version?

Regards Grahame

[Muzorewa]

I have, on an old Land-Rover - I had a stainless exhaust made and it had a good flexi on it as well, still fractured after a year or so. Easy to repair but a pain nonetheless.

[Veg_Ian]

It depends on the warranty I suppose. I had a Powerflow Stainless full system exhaust on my Townace for 5 years and it was still going strong when I swapped it for the Bongo. No problems whatsoever. In order to keep the warranty vaild I had to take it for an annual free inspection. One year they pointed out that one of the hangers was iffy so they replaced it free of charge. A fracture would have been covered as well.

[helen&tony]

Hi
Muzorewa is right....stainless is VERY prone to stress fracturing along lines of vibration. I was chatting to a highly skilled toolmaker about getting a stainless steel chassis fitted to my landrover , as it was looking like the thing had been used for launching boats in the sea.....he explained this phenomenon of stress cracking, by illustrating that whilst sawing sheet stainless in a vice, it is possible for the sheet to crack along the line you are cutting, and a crack will eventually extend in a straight line from the cut. He used this example to suggest that the failure of some stainless landy chassis was due to this vibration phenomenon. The same MAY occur in an exhaust
As Ian points out, as long as you go to a reputable firm that inspects anually, you may have no worry, but like Ian, most people sell the car while the guarantee is in force, and I bet it is not transferrable
Having said all that....I still want one!!!
Cheers
Helen

[Veg_Ian]

With Powerflow the guarantee was for the vehicle not for the owner.

[bigdaddycain]

I've had many a stainless system fitted to various cars down the years, i must admit i've never had one crack...but i have had a few removed prematurely by speed bumps!

I've heard only good things about the longlife systems... They seem a nice bit of kit.

[mikeonb4c]

I've had many a stainless system fitted to various cars down the years, i must admit i've never had one crack in my stainless steel exhausts...but i have had a few removed prematurely by speed bumps!

I've heard only good things about the longlife systems... They seem a nice bit of kit.

Do try and complete your sentences BigDaddy (I've done this one for you in red font) or people might get the wrong end of your stick

[bigdaddycain]

Well spotted mike

[cheffy34]

I've had many a stainless system fitted to various cars down the years, i must admit i've never had one crack in my stainless steel exhausts...but i have had a few removed prematurely by speed bumps!

I've heard only good things about the longlife systems... They seem a nice bit of kit.

Do try and complete your sentences BigDaddy (I've done this one for you in red font) or people might get the wrong end of your stick

Nice one mike made me chuckle

[HOWIECLOLA]

Grahame,

If you have time, take a trip to Turrif Tyres.
I've had a couple of stainless systems fitted by them and they have always been very good for service, advice and price.