so your telling me that i don't need to buy another cast manifold if i simply get the factory one ceramic coated? i love the coating job, but i'd prefer something that is proven to add more hp... ya feel me?

 

Damn fine work

 

No, I said no such thing. I just posted a link to the work I did on my exhaust...

 

You did a great job on everything! I have a quick question on the O2 housing you ported. I have been thinking for some time about removing my O2 housing and cleaning it up for better flow. Did you find that it was in bad shape from the factory? Yours turned out great. Keep us posted on your driving impressions.

 

Yes, the O2 housing had a lot of casting "slag" on the inside. The inside surface was very rough. It was fairly easy to port/polish, much easier than the manifold was!

 

I notice that Helix is now offering a stainless steel O2 housing. I may have to give that a try at some point...

 

Very nice job.

I ran this by an automotive engineer friend and he suggested the porting/polishing would do more good than the ceramic coating. He also expressed concern in bearing/oil life in the turbo at the elevated temps. His final thought was "stainless is better, but more $"

 

I am an automotive engineer so I will attempt to shed some light on this. The relative effect of the porting compared to the ceramic coating is hard to judge, but it is undeniable that the two combine to improve power and the efficiency of the design. Since less thermal energy is being radiated away by the exhaust manifold, the turbo will spool quicker. The exhaust temps may increase somewhat, but I doubt that increase is enough to start breaking down the oil in the centersection of the turbo. I doubt this will be a concern for an oil and water-cooled turbocharger like the TD05 on the Evos. Stainless does have a lower thermal conduction coefficient than cast iron does, but the manifold is coated on the inside and out, reducing the actual contribution from the thermal properties of the metal. Even a stainless steel manifold would benefit greatly from a high performance coating.

 

I am hoping that the added heat is not going to harm the center section bearing. I do let the car run for about a minute before I shut it off. time will tell. It has been only about a month since I installed it. It most definately increased the throttle response a good amount. The ceramic is holding up very well so far too...

 

have you looked at coating the inlet manifold yet EVO eight? i know you where going to.

glad to here its all holding up.

thanks Chris.

 

The only problem I have with coating the intake manifold is that I would have to find a used one to purchase from someone. I can't take the one off of my car because I have to drive it everyday. Several people have purchased aftermarket intake manifolds lately so maybe I will be able to find one for sale for a resonable price. I will definately post that when I am able to do it...

 

As far as I am aware, there is no such thing as high temp clear coat. The manifolds are one of the hottest parts of the car. You will have to use high temp paint that can hold up to very high temps....none of that bbq crap paint from Home Depot.

 

Yeah, I would never paint the manifold. Just spend the extra money to get it coated and enjoy a power increase as well.

 

I am unsure how well high-temp paint would hold up on the exhaust manifold. Maybe you could just paint the upper heat shield (easy to remove) and see how long it lasts. It does not get as hot as the exhaust manifold but might still be a good indication of whether it would last. I would recommend the Thermo-Tec 2000 degree paint. It says right on the can that you can paint headers, manifolds, etc...

 

Sorry EVOeight i forgot to ask in my last post. have you coated the out side out the housing yet? your turbo does look a little out of place in the pics against all that mat gray coating. people will start to think you've had a turbo fitted. LOL.

thanks Chris.