just got a new 2006 vette have been thinging about installing headers my question is i have been looking at the defferent brands they are LG, KOOKS, DYNATECH, AND MELROSE. my car is stock except for a halltech stinger, i do have the auto with the padle shift. my question is three of the above are stainless while one is not but is coated inside and out with jet/hot coating what are the advanatages and disadvantages between the one that is coated and the others that are not.

 

Melrose are nice because they are coated but the Dyno's I have seen on them have not produced as much HP and TQ as the Kooks nd LG's. The coating is nice looking and does reduce the under the hood temps.

I bought the Kooks 1 3/4 and have about a 20RWHP and 25RWTQ gain with just a Callaway Honker on a 05' A4 Z51. I had my Kooks headers coated by Swain Tech's white lighting and very pleased with the cooling preformance.

LG's are pretty popular and is good bet if you do not want to Drag Race as they produce max TRQ on the low RPM range and kooks produce it on th Mid to High. Good Luck.

 

The Melrose are coated because they are not stainless steel. The coating protects them from rusting. The coating also reduces temps, so that's an additional benefit, along with a slight HP increase.

If you can afford it, get the LG's and Jet Hot coat 'em.

 

Can someone explain what makes kooks better for drag racing and LG's for road racing. What rpm range's are more desirable for each application?

 

Here we go again.

 

Get some LG's or Kooks I personally have LGs and did not coat them. Also I live in Boston so I have no need to coat mine because heat is not really a problem for me. I produced what I consider to be some very good dyno numbers for a car with air intake and headers all on stock exhaust. PM me if you want more info.

 

Let us know if you have any questions- As far as the differences go-
Most Advocates of stainless steel headers are aware of the repercussions that can occur from excess engine temperatures, yet they still support their use in street cars, passing this property off as only a minor side effect. Heat sensitive components for example, spark plugs and wires, electrical parts, water pumps and other areas of the cooling system can fail due to premature wear and fatigue from prolonged heat exposure. Continuing after the engine is turned off; heat will continue to radiate from stainless steel headers due to the metals poor heat conductive properties. Not only will your under hood components be at risk from the heat, your motor’s performance will be as well. You motor requires fresh cool air for optimum performance, and by raising the under hood temps we decrease the potency of the air entering the motor, hotter throttle bodies, plenums, intakes, and heads all contribute to the final temperature of the air in the combustion chamber. By insulating the motor from the exhaust heat, ceramic coatings produce more horsepower by deliver consistent cool air to the motor.

Mild steel also flexes more than stainless, reducing the possibility for cracks.

Stainless is said to retain 25% more heat than uncoated mild steel which keeps the air hot and dense, in turn increasing exhaust velocity, in turn scavenging the exhaust from the chamber better. The inner and outer Jet-Hot coatings have been reported (Tests done by Car Craft taken from the Jet-Hot site) to reduce surface temps up to 60%, so someone could deduce from this logic there would be 35% better heat retention properties from coated mild. You could coat Stainless if you want to foot the bill. Just remember the coating won't be warrantied if the stainless cracks. I am not bashing any companies with this post. Just defending our choice for using mild steel. All of them produce good products, and you will be happy with whom ever you decide to go with.
Thanks
Chris

 

Another good reason to read the forum... It is great to have the manufacturers answer our questions.

 

Again if they were that much of a severe problem and they knew it companies such as LG and Kook which have been in the business for sometime would require that all there headers be coated. Again it all depends on your application and everything that you want. It make keep them cooler but it is like the thermostat debate. Many get coated just for the under the hood appearance because stainless will turn a purple color. I still say you have to make the decision yourself. Hope that helps.

 

love my LG's!!!!!

 

Mayo is being paid to say that


Dynatech is what I have and they leak because I put them on myself....


They all work, they are all quality, buy what you can afford and enjoy!

 

What are the cost difference from mild steel to stainless steal?

 

Me too.