Quote:
Originally Posted by jr429
Sorry I meant high volume mfgs not a few one offs done in the shop. I've built a lot of components back in the day, and I used to build some exhaust, intakes, etc. here in the states. The stuff done in the states (at least the factories I worked with was NOT better) they are all typically geared towards industrial solutions so that's why a lot of the "made in usa" stuff looks more industrial. Certainly there are fabrication companies geared towards medical and aerospace, but I've never wanted to build a $5000 exhaust system.
The reality is if your materials are sourced correctly, your equipment is good, and your guys are good you will turn out better quality every time in China. The reason for this is you can have a guy sitting there and spend 6 hours welding together a titanium muffler bead by bead and it'll cost the same as the guy with a MIG here slapping something together. If you have enough production the factory is building for YOU, they are not on a tight schedule to switch production to some factory's chemical piping system or a couple of dozen diesel stacks for trucks.
I don't know of any larger automotive component mfg that doesn't source a portion (if not all) of their product in China. Hell just try buying 1/2" SS304 billet here to CNC machine, guess where the majority of those sheets come from? I don't know about the rest of the country, but here in Cali most of that is shipped from China anyways.
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Borla Performance Industries, Inc. manufactures products in Johnson City, Tennessee USA
http://www.borla.com/search/?fields=...+sku%3Abrz~%29
http://www.borla.com/support/faqs/#8
Material Difference: Many new-model cars and trucks come factory-equipped with a low grade, 400 series stainless steel exhaust. These are an improvement from the old, rusty steel systems and are built to improve durability somewhat. Also, the inferior grade of stainless is the only cheap material that will last through the factory warranty period. But, ferritic stainless steels, which are part of the 400 series of stainless alloys, are magnetic, as compared to Austenitic stainless steels, which are part of the 200 & 300 series of stainless alloys and are non-magnetic. BORLA® incorporates Austenitic stainless, which is superior for automotive exhaust because it exhibits higher hardness and yield strength as well as excellent ductility. And, the higher nickel and chromium content makes it much more resistant to corrosion. Because these austenitic alloys are higher grade materials and harder to work with, they are therefore too expensive for the OE to supply.
High quality, austenitic stainless allows us to back our systems with a Million-Mile guarantee - A BORLA® is a lifetime system!
Performance Difference: BORLA® exhausts are also tuned to maximize the performance output of your vehicle and feature a more attractive and cost effective package than stock.