Aluminized vs Stainless exhaust?

[Jack]

So I’m looking at exhausts right now, particularly the MBRP exhaust, however they make it in both aluminized and stainless versions; the aluminized being $280, the stainless being $510. Obviously the aluminized pricing is very tempting for the price, but is it worth paying the premium for stainless longevity? I’m in Houston so no road salt, but it is very humid and wet here.

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[P. A. Schilke]

So I’m looking at exhausts right now, particularly the MBRP exhaust, however they make it in both aluminized and stainless versions; the aluminized being $280, the stainless being $510. Obviously the aluminized pricing is very tempting for the price, but is it worth paying the premium for stainless longevity? I’m in Houston so no road salt, but it is very humid and wet here.

Hi Jack,

Not an easy answer. Stainless is clearly superior, but in your case, if you start your Ranger and drive to the point where the exhaust system reaches operating temp every time. then Aluminized would work for you. But if you do short drives and park, you might experience rot from the inside out as the moisture is not expelled by the exhaust system. I have seen many Rangers that were used in delivery fleets that had almost pristine exhaust systems at high mileage as they are never shut off during the day. You might make your best decision based on your usage.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

 

[Jack]

Hi Jack,

Not an easy answer. Stainless is clearly superior, but in your case, if you start your Ranger and drive to the point where the exhaust system reaches operating temp every time. then Aluminized would work for you. But if you do short drives and park, you might experience rot from the inside out as the moisture is not expelled by the exhaust system. I have seen many Rangers that were used in delivery fleets that had almost pristine exhaust systems at high mileage as they are never shut off during the day. You might make your best decision based on your usage.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired.

Hey there,
Thanks for the information! I do indeed do a lot of short driving and parking for fairly long periods of time, so I might have to save up for stainless. I found another exhaust, this one by Flowmaster, that is stainless and cheaper, so it may be the best of both worlds.

 

[Msfitoy]

Hey there,
Thanks for the information! I do indeed do a lot of short driving and parking for fairly long periods of time, so I might have to save up for stainless. I found another exhaust, this one by Flowmaster, that is stainless and cheaper, so it may be the best of both worlds.

I'm completely the opposite so I'm happy I chose the cheaper aluminized version

 

[FULLSCALE]

I wouldn’t even consider aluminized here but I’m definitely in a different climate. I do agree with Phil, if you’re making lots of short trips get the stainless steel one for sure.

 

[George57]

If you can piece the exhaust together, IE downpipe as one part then the rest of the exhaust, I would say at least do the downpipe in stainless steel for better strength when stressed by heat. On my previous car turbo car, the downpipe was aluminum and with a couple track days I fatigued and cracked the downpipe.

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