Stainless steel header vs mild steel header interest

[mav1178]

Originally Posted by fika84

I'm the type of buyer that puts their money on R&D, Quality and Price.

I won't spill too much beans, but the company has a 87 year history. Multiple patents in Japan, large OE supplier, very well known in Japan for aftermarket quality exhaust products.

[RJasonKlein]

I think there's a market out there for this product, but I'm not part of it. Let's face it, our cars are low-cost vehicles to begin with and the early cars are going to be snatched up by young guys that love the simplicity, looks, rear wheel drive format, and low purchase cost. These guys are going to want horsepower and will demand value due to a very limited budget. That said, you'd need to produce a reliable product that makes proven gains and undercuts the cost of entry-level stainless steel headers by a fair margin. If you can prove these things and build some legitimate grass roots enthusiasm for it on this forum, I think you can find buyers that value performance and low-cost over stainless steel headers that may not perform as well as your mild steel header.

[Calum]

Originally Posted by mav1178

Even if it was made by a top company in Japan?

Where it was made means absolutely nothing to me. I've seen complete shit come out of China, and I've seen amazing things come out of China. I can say the same for the US, and Japan. Country of origin is 100% meaningless when it's used to describe quality.

What does matter is the quality of the welding and the material. Mild steel is mild steel. It will rust. I'm done with buying things for the short term, I have enough money and patience to save up and get a quality part.

[mav1178]

The manifold coated in black:





I don't have a picture of the welds unexposed on the Subaru manifold, however here's the same company's stainless steel manifold for the new ND5RC Miata:

[D_Thissen]

I think there is a market for these as more and more of our cars show up on used car lots.