Decided on the vendor ... now the options
 

Looks like BEGI is getting my business. FM did nothing wrong, avalibility of parts had a large part in my decision. I was on the fence, this just sealed the deal.

Down pipe, SS or mild?
Manifold, ceramic coated?

Doing both ceramic and SS DP will stretch the budget a little too thin. I'm thinking one or the other. Which would you choose and why?

I'm leaning towards ceramic coating the mani and using a mild steel DP.

Jay

if it were me I'd go the other way around.

I woudl do ss, and coat the manifold myself with some bbq paint or some 2500 deg paint

What are the advantages of SS over mild steel on the DP?

I don't think I could get the manifold coated locally as cheap as BEGI will do it. I also question the durability and effectiveness of BBQ paint :)

Thanks for the inputs so far.

I wouldn't worry about coating the manifold. Cast iron lasts for ever. SS DP, your call. I'm not going with SS, but California is nice that way.

SS will keep more of the heat inside the pipes, so the bay is a tad cooler and it wont rust out.

go get some Flameproof of whatever has the highest temp. Spray it, bake it. ANd your done. Or just save till you can get both.

Jay,since you live in Alberta and the city floods the streets with salt in the winter,I would go with SS downpipe and just paint the manifold.

Main reason to coat the manifold would be to retain heat, which would be worth it with a tubular manifold but since it's cast iron it retains that head already so there's really not a big advantage to coating it.

Do the SS downpipe and no ceramic coating on the mani.

No salt on the roads here. I also never drive it in the winter, it's so low it'd get stuck on a skiff of snow. :)

I did no coat on the manifold and a stainless DP. Both look great after 8000 miles.

Mild steel pipe will last you maybe 3 - 5 years, SS will last you forever. Coating has no benefits except maybe aesthetic.

Wrong

My stainless dp looks nothing like new after one winter on salty roads, but if you don't drive on salty roads, it should stay nice looking. I can see more of my ceramic coated manifold than my dp when looking at the engine bay though.

cjernigan and I had a conversation about how the 304 stainless they use corrodes when exposed to salt, but it is supposedly possible to keep it nice if you clean it regularly.

I'd go with the SS down pipe. Mine are looking pretty bad and I haven't even finished the install.

Attachment 214683

oh teh sex0r

http://www.boostedmiata.com/exhaust/...nifold_003.jpg

Yeah yeah, mine used to look like that.
Attachment 214681

But after last winter,
Attachment 214682

no mater what you say, i still believe you park in a salt silo :)

Well maybe Corky should have included that possibility in the design!
:gay:

Order is been placed. SS downpipe and an uncoated manifold on the way.

Quick question. What size is the exhaust flange on the 1.6 DP? Is it 2.5" or does it step down to match the factory cat?