cerakote for exhaust

[hermanator]

Has anyone tried to use Cerakote ceramic paint for 911 headers and muffler?
If so what were the results and what colors did you use?

[ADDvanced]

I used it on my turbo Audi. Works great, holds up great. There is nothing inherently special about 911 exhaust compared to other cars.

[hermanator]

Looks great! Was that the c-7900 titanium? Tks for the pics

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by hermanator

Has anyone tried to use Cerakote ceramic paint for 911 headers and muffler?
If so what were the results and what colors did you use?

You want the c series for exhaust, colors use to be limited but cerakote has come out with several different colors in the c series recently. It’s air dry so no baking.

[ADDvanced]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

You want the c series for exhaust, colors use to be limited but cerakote has come out with several different colors in the c series recently. It’s air dry so no baking.

Wrong. You want V series, which DOES require baking in an oven. C series is only good to 1200 deg, V series is 1800 deg and better chemical resistance.

I used "turbine coat" and am super happy with it. Order swatches, they are cheap, like $10 to ship a lot of them.

https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerakote-coating/V-171/turbine-coat

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Wrong. You want V series, which DOES require baking in an oven. C series is only good to 1200 deg, V series is 1800 deg and better chemical resistance.

I used "turbine coat" and am super happy with it. Order swatches, they are cheap, like $10 to ship a lot of them.

https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerakote-coating/V-171/turbine-coat

No not wrong just your opinion. It’s an air cooled Porsche how hot do think it’s gonna get without a catalytic converter. Think he’s got an oven laying around that will fit an exhaust? I’ve used c series several times and it’s held up fine.

[Dpmulvan]

Looks like cerakote has released a bunch of new product and new colors. Don’t remember seeing the v series before. He’s right use it if you want to pay to have it done or have an oven to bake it in.
Otherwise c series if you want to do yourself.

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

It’s an air cooled Porsche how hot do think it’s gonna get without a catalytic converter.

Many folks report 1200 to 1300F EGTs at the header/manifold on well-tuned N/A cars running @ WOT. So that's pretty much what I'd expect just out of the exhaust port, personally.

Turbos obviously run considerably - like 300-400F, or even more - hotter than that at full chat. I've seen CIS 930s with uncoated 304 stainless headers glowing bright orange on the dyno.

Gratuitous 935 dyno pull footage, just because:

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by hermanator

Has anyone tried to use Cerakote ceramic paint for 911 headers and muffler?

I had cerakote applied inside and out on the headers. Contains the heat inside the headers - and thus it goes to the turbo where the energy actually does some good.

Same idea as turbo wrap, except it doesn't look like garbage...

Originally Posted by hermanator

If so what were the results and what colors did you use?

Finish was very nice, and holding up very well years later, no road chips. Seems pretty tough. No FOD to the turbo, so obviously nothing chunking out from inside either.

Stainless that gets very hot always discolors and quickly looks horrible, regardless of quality. The header pipes on my Ducati look like they're made of mild steel...

Firm my shop uses - Performance Coatings in Auburn WA - have a custom mix that matches the grey Porsche/VW/Audi used on factory mufflers etc very well (splash of green in it, apparently).

I toyed with the idea of black, but it seemed like trying a little too hard, really...

[thetorch]

If you haven't seen the video of the Roadkill Garage guys on Enginemasters dyno test of ceramic vs uncoated vs painted vs. wrapped headers, it's worth the watch. I don't believe they tested ceramic inside the headers just outside, but the net scientific result was it does close to nothing to keep heat in the headers (~10F degrees IIRC). The only somewhat appreciable difference was using the unloveable fiberglass wrap.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-general/4667860-do-header-wraps-work-engine-masters-s7-ep10.html

If your goal is to keep the exhaust looking good and easy to clean, ceramic works great based on my buddy's 3.2 with ceramic coated headers and muffler.

[jrwilson]

So cerakote won't impact heat output to the exchangers? I was going to just do the muffler and leave the headers because I need heat.

[ADDvanced]

No, it will work fine.

[kenzinger]

I'm not an expert here by any means but I ceramic coated exhaust headers on my old jeep one time. The engine compartment got so hot in the summer you couldn't sit in the driver's seat sometimes...

The idea was to send the heat out the exhaust instead of it escaping in the engine compartment but what happened instead was that I ended up just burning exhaust valves over and over again.

I got frustrated and sold the car for nothing and it was months before I realized what the real cause was.

Curious if cerakoting exhaust headers would present a similar risk?

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[ADDvanced]

Guys, cerakote isn't an insulator. The only coating I know of designed to do stuff like that is white and ugly and thicker.

https://swaintech.com/race-coatings/race-coating-descriptions/white-lightning-exhaust-coatings/

[nickelplated5s]

Here's my dilemma. Ceracote or just go SSI? I've got a local shop that can do the baked on.

[ADDvanced]

Cerakote what? SSI is nicer than stock as far as I know. If you have the cash get SSIs or some other aftermarket exhaust.

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

Guys, cerakote isn't an insulator.

There are multiple different formulations marketed under the "cerakote" brand name for different applications. They make no "thermal" claims for many of their finishes - the "ambient cure" stuff, for example, seems to be described as basically a tough, high-temp finish.

They do also make "thermal barrier" products, on the other hand:

Does Cerakote insulate heat?
Thermal Barriers

Cerakote™ Thermal Barrier products significantly reduce heat transfer of components that operate at elevated temperatures. These coatings are used extensively in the automotive, commercial truck, heavy equipment and performance racing industries.

Is Cerakote a thermal barrier?
CerakoteTM exhaust coatings are durable, heat-resistant coatings with excellent long-term performance. Additionally, CerakoteTM ceramic exhaust coatings function as thermal barriers for thermally-sensitive applications. Thermal barrier products increase performance, reduce maintenance cost and protect against corrosion.

Cerakote™ Thermal Barrier products can alter heat transfer by up to 15% depending on the specific application.

I used a thermal barrier coating from the piston crowns, exhaust ports and headers (inside and out) to the turbo flange. Based on advice from someone who knows much more than me - as they build customer cars for a living.

My own anecdotal experience is that oil temps are consistently 10-15F lower at cruise (175-180F versus 185-190F before) - even with somewhat higher ambients. Same sender, same gauge, same FMOC. I no longer see post-boost oil temperature spikes (210-220F) I would have considered entirely normal with CIS and less boost. With boost control to 1.2 bar, or 150% factory setting.

Engine bay temps subjectively seem markedly lower, based on sticking your head under the decklid to top off the oil on a hot day, and IAT/ECU temperature logging seems to bear this out - engine bay is basically ambient as soon as the car is moving for any distance.

More power, lower oil temps. Granted, many other changes with the CIS->Motec conversion, so not a direct comparison - and YMMV. But I'm convinced - and I would do it again.

[ADDvanced]

Im talking about their general finishes; cerakote in general is such a thin finish compared to powdercoat or that swaintech finish. The thinness is why it's used on firearms and such.

[porschedude996]

Several years ago, I had a problem with the air dry line. The mixture in the spray gun cup was separating and giving me a sometimes clear looking color depth. I called thinking I had a bad batch of paint. I spoke with a guy at the company and he said put couple of 3/8th stainless steel nuts in the cup to swirl around when I painting. It worked!

[911SauCy]

Originally Posted by hermanator

Has anyone tried to use Cerakote ceramic paint for 911 headers and muffler?
If so what were the results and what colors did you use?

I had my headers Cerakoted, gold, inside and out, 5 season back after engine replacement.

The coating is on steel headers, they still look like they did the day they were bolted up (aside for a couple scratches from 2 additional engine pulls).

I have been recommending Cerakote to anyone that had considered anything but since...