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Yeah Anyone have experience with these? Considering as my next mod for my car.
Thanks for any input!
It looks very similar to the Fabspeed headers. No mention of material used, so they could be made of some cheap stuff that will crack. There's been plenty of discussion on headers. Search Vektor Performance, Kline, and Fabspeed.
Pretty sure they use titanium. Expensive systems, but nice.
I'd stick with Fab speed or Kline though, depending on the cost.
Titanium wouldn't long at all for turbo headers. They have too low of a service temperature. I wouldn't even use titanium for downpipes. Titanimum would be okay for an exhaust as long as there are cats because the cats soak up a lot of heat. Vektor (321SS) will for sure be more durable and handle more abuse then Fabspeed or Kline (304SS). And the available data shows Vektor makes the most power, granted that data is not back-to-back on the same car, but it's the best available for now.
"And the available data shows Vektor makes the most power, granted that data is not back-to-back on the same car, but it's the best available for now."
Titanium wouldn't long at all for turbo headers. They have too low of a service temperature. I wouldn't even use titanium for downpipes. Titanimum would be okay for an exhaust as long as there are cats because the cats soak up a lot of heat. Vektor (321SS) will for sure be more durable and handle more abuse then Fabspeed or Kline (304SS). And the available data shows Vektor makes the most power, granted that data is not back-to-back on the same car, but it's the best available for now.
Not going to touch the performance comment as that will surely heat up the thread quickly (see comment above ) but how durable (or not) would the 304 stainless be in a header application? Should there be an expectation that it will need to be replaced every X years? I'm aware of the differences with respect to corrosion resistance in marine or near ocean applications but have no clue how it differs under extreme heat. Interested in hearing from knowledgeable folks on this.
hahaha.... PTS and I are like brothers who like to beat each other up, but deep down... he still loves me.
If your car is a pure street car that only sees WOT (wide open throttle) here and there, 304 will hold up. For a track car though where you're doing 20-30min lapping sessions with sustained WOT and high EGTs, 304 can fail. There are other variables like material thickness and quality of welds. When welding SS, if the components aren't back purged, the welds can get contaminated making them weaker. Anyway, I found this guide to material selection for exhaust components: https://www.cgrautomotive.co.uk/tita...nconel-exhaust
Inconel is the best but also costs double. And even those can fail. F1 teams back in the day used super thin inconel headers but they were only designed to last one race weekend. I'm seeing around 0.5mm thick from a quick search.
Of course, anyone who has bolted on aftermarket turbo kits onto any type of car is familiar with the potential for cracked manifolds.
I agree with you that 321 is better at handling extremely high temperatures for prolonged periods of time. I would also agree that 321 is better for a track car application. Where I will disagree is that 304 is inferior to 321 on street cars. 304 has been the primary grade of street headers for 50 years. Failures are very rare. All header manufacturers back purge their welds, that is standard procedure.
Kline themselves will tell you that between their Inconel and Stainless exhausts, the performance is identical. The warrantee is also the same.
321 to me is nothing more than a marketing ploy to differentiate one manufacturer from ALL others who use 304 and to justify an exorbitant price point.
I have never heard of a 304 SS header failing because it was made of 304, and there have been millions of headers made With 304.
The only analogy I can make is one vodka distiller saying their vodka is smoother because it is triple filtered over another that is only filtered once.
The next vodka comes in and says its filters 10 times, more than any other brand, At some point its overkill and 99% filtered is achieved.
With the stainless argument, at some point the steel can only get so hot so being able to withstand 8 million degrees doesnt make the part better if the header can never get that hot.
304 can easily withstand the temperatures being pushed out by the turbo. There are many other parts that will fail at extreme temperatures before the steel fails in 304.
Phil from Fabspeed here.
Thanks for the love guys and there are some very good points on here. Improve exhaust flow, speed up turbo spool, and increase horsepower with Fabspeed's T304L stainless steel Sport Headers which replace the obstructive and inefficient factory exhaust manifolds.
Our headers incorporate an Investment cast merge collector and cylinder head flange for improved flow efficiency, structural integrity and long-term durability. In addition to the properly sized tubing to maximize flow and power for each vehicle’s configuration.
03-29-2019, 01:07 PM
) but how durable (or not) would the 304 stainless be in a header application? Should there be an expectation that it will need to be replaced every X years? I'm aware of the differences with respect to corrosion resistance in marine or near ocean applications but have no clue how it differs under extreme heat. Interested in hearing from knowledgeable folks on this.
