I've seen it flake off on plenty of big power cars >500hp. Perhaps it just has it's limits and you'll be fine under this.

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605whp
Quarter Mile in 10.9 seconds @ 135mph /217kph
0-100 kph 3.2 seconds

Just did a quick bit of reading and there have been mixed results.

A lot of it depends on the quality of the job and how well the headers are prepped.

However quite a few people in the UK have had it flake off after 6 months of competition use. Though some are saying theirs is still good after 18 months.

Not sure on prices here but in the UK its prohibitively expensive as in almost $200 just for a turbo exhaust housing.

Reading on the UK forums the Consensus is coating for looks and longevity wrap for efficiency as it does a better job of keeping the heat in.

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605whp
Quarter Mile in 10.9 seconds @ 135mph /217kph
0-100 kph 3.2 seconds

Havent read the whole thread. But ive had ceramic coating from CiC And Ceramic coating from someone on the eastcoast? (Came with second hand headers) and the CIC does seam better. It was more sturdy, and it also seamed to work better. And by thqt i mean with the one from the eastcoast, my wheel arch liners and thermo fan shroud actually melted....


Ive also wrapped headers with lava wrap. (Over the top of ceramic coating.) And this seamed to work the best.

But for my last set of headers (the second hand ones from eastern states) i went with this "sheet hot ultimate" metal shielding. Its rated to 1100c continuos. Its Like a couple of thin layers of dimpled stainless steel with a layer of like header wrap fabric sandwiched in between. You literally cut it and form it to the headers. Its pricey, (but so is ceramic coating, and even wrapping is pretty pricey for what it is) but it seams to work brilliantly. And unlike wrap, it doesnt fall apart. And unlike coating, it doesnt flake off. But it isnt particularily pretty. The finish ultimately depends on how you form it to the headers, how many cuts you want to make and whether you fold the seams over etc.

Just thought id mention it because applying header wrap is about as unpleasant as fucking a cheese grater. And it itches worse than herpes.

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Doing it for all the wagons out there

my ceramic coating was flaking off my twinscroll headers after a while, completely fucking over-rated for the $350 it cost to get them done, will buy a can of pot belly black from bunnings for $20 next time

LOL ain't that the truth. I took what I thought were enough precautions when I did mine and I still itched for days afterwards.

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605whp
Quarter Mile in 10.9 seconds @ 135mph /217kph
0-100 kph 3.2 seconds

I was told wrap over ceramic coating keeps the headers too hot and damages the steel and welds.
Anyone confirm or dispute this?
I've had cic on a down pipe and I can't tell the difference but I haven't measured before and after temps
definitely way too hot to touch though.

all race teams use ceramic coat.

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Long live the WRC

Having worked on a few race cars (pit crew on 800 horse power Time Attack cars) I've seen first hand that ceramic coat flakes off. This wasn't an isolated case either.

I don't just make these sort of statements for the hell of it. I'm just relaying what my experience has been.

The fact of the matter is there is no permanent solution.
You'll end up re doing either wrap or re coating at some point. Personally I prefer wrap it's better at managing the heat and it's a shit load less expensive.

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605whp
Quarter Mile in 10.9 seconds @ 135mph /217kph
0-100 kph 3.2 seconds

There is a better solution than wrap and ceramic coating. Look up that sheet hot stuff i mentioned.

Wrap definitely works better than ceramic coating. I have first hand experience with this. But wrap and coating arent the only two choices anymore. There are new products on the market such as the sheet hot. (And other imitation products)

As i said before, with headers with just ceramic coating, my thermo fan shroud melted. It looked like melted candle wax running down the side of a candle. The harness under the radiator almost went up. The plastic protection over the wires burnt up etc. Also, the wheel arch inner liner melted and bubbled at the point that is exposed on the drivers side. My engine mounts (beatrush) began melting, and the rubbers turned into a sticky goop kinda like bubble gum. This was after one hard track day. (EL headers on a 'spacer' deleted forester)

I never had that problem with the wrapped headers. (UEL headers)

I have since wrapped the EL headers in "Sheet hot". And I havent got any further melting issues. The sheet hot is easier to work with than wrapping. And it offers alot better protection than ceramic coating. It wont disintergrate after a couple of years like wrap does. It wont flake off like ceramic coating. Its only downside is its aesthetics. It doesnt look too pretty. But it works. And its pricey. But it will still be cheaper than ceramic coating.

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Doing it for all the wagons out there

I've been looking at the Grimmspeed up-pipes. There were reports that the ceramic coat from these has been see to come off.

Not sure on the different quality levels of ceramic coating, but here a lot of people doing double coats, and inside and outside coats.

A delicate balance perhaps, as too thick and it bubbles, cracks?

I would tend to think though that a job done by CIC would be better than whatever may be happening on pipes pre-ordered with a ceramic coating.

I was looking to wrap and coat i suppose, wrapping using the stainless steel ties? Maybe that is a bad idea and I should be using wire.

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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Should have bought an STI