Ceramic Coating Downpipe?

[LilBoyBlue]

Any thoughts on ceramic coating an IE downpipe? Having tips for a new exhaust ceramic coated black, wondering if it might be worth it to have them do the DP since I’m there. I’ve heard both that it’s a good idea and a bad idea, but no real evidence that it harms or helps.


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[430hps4]

I did the exhaust manifold, hot side of the turbo, and downpipe on my UrS6. Its been 4 years and still looks new. Under hood temps seem reasonable, as well.

[Spinnetti]

Contact the service providers like Jethot.... My recollection is that coating stainless is a bad idea but I forget the details. I wrapped mine in thermal wrap from the top to the flex pipe. No regrets so far.

[MikTip]

Over the years I have had this done to several Audi's. The secret is the coating inside the pipes. Done right under hood temps drop by half.

Stainless can be effected if wrapped. The wrap gets wet and can cause issues for stainless/steel. There is a spray for the wrap.

If all you want is less rust...there are a couple of 2000 degree paints out there that work good.

[LilBoyBlue]

Sweet thanks guys. Just dropped it off this morning for the coating. They say they can’t do the inside though because of the cat... that gonna be an issue? Only cost me about a hundo so not out big If it doesn’t really do much just on the outside.


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[Spinnetti]

if its a hundo, its probably not a real ceramic coating. Prolly just fancy paint. Only a couple "real" ones. Swaintech, Jethot dunno about anybody else.

[LilBoyBlue]

It’s chromex so it’s a real ceramic coating. Rated for 1300 degrees. They charge like $32/ft and only did the top part of the DP. We’ll see how it turns out.


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[Spinnetti]

Thought this was good reading for what its worth. I consider Burns to be THE exhaust guys. Some truly marvelous work, though very expensive.

https://burnsstainless.com/blogs/art...xhaust-systems

[FlyboyS4]

Most of the coating options I found were at least an order of magnitude thinner than coatings used in commercial applications. I had the downpipes and exhaust manifolds on my S4 coated with Swaintech, it seemed to slow the rate at which externally measured temperature rose for the first few minutes, but I didn't notice any performance difference from the car. I suspect after a while of driving the temperature probably was nearly the same. Maybe under more extreme conditions it would have made a difference, but for my street car I didn't find any benefit.

[Spinnetti]

Most of the coating options I found were at least an order of magnitude thinner than coatings used in commercial applications. I had the downpipes and exhaust manifolds on my S4 coated with Swaintech, it seemed to slow the rate at which externally measured temperature rose for the first few minutes, but I didn't notice any performance difference from the car. I suspect after a while of driving the temperature probably was nearly the same. Maybe under more extreme conditions it would have made a difference, but for my street car I didn't find any benefit.

A mistake a lot of people make is thinking race car mods are sensible for the street. When racing, there are very specific rules and something like Swaintech may get you a couple hp. You can't feel a couple hp, but if your competitor doesn't have it, it can make the difference between first and second sometimes in a race. Not a good value for the street though. The stainless pipe does a good job already, and wrapping made quite a difference in underhood temps which is good for longevity of all the plastics - more important than a couple hp.

[FlyboyS4]

Makes sense and is in line with what I experienced, except when I tried wrapping the DP on my GTI, I didn't find any significant difference with it either.

[LilBoyBlue]

Thanks for the tips all! Already coated it but figured it couldn’t hurt. I’m sure the difference is almost negligible, but as long as I’m not causing more problems I’ll cough up the hundred and let it be.


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[Rare Ara S3]

I had mine done. It absolutely makes a difference. I’ve had my headers and Y pipe coated on my trailblazer ss for several years.


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[GTCRS3]

One car I had was a first gen Neon DOHC, prepped to be a track monster. It had a 2.0 with stock compression, stand alone efi and the turbo from an SRT-4 (they bolted right up).

On a modded SRT full boost could be achieved at about 2800 rpm on the 2.4l engine. On my modded 2.0 with the lower displacement and shorter stroke the same boost level was achieved around 3200 rpm.

I had the turbo (turbine), manifold and downpipe coated and with a little bit of tuning we were able to achieve the same boost at 2600 rpm and sustain it much closer to the 7,500 rpm redline we set than prior to coating.

I’m a huge fan of ceramic coating, btw.

When I go stage 2 on the RS3 I’ll get a second hand turbo and have them both coated before installing.


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[texasboy21]

These coatings do seem to reduce the under hood temps, but that doesn't really translate to 'real world performance' on a street car.

[FlyboyS4]

These coatings do seem to reduce the under hood temps, but that doesn't really translate to 'real world performance' on a street car.

I'd be interested in seeing results somebody else records with an MQB car that show the affect they measure on underhood temps. In addition to the DP wrap I also put on a turbo blanket and if it reduced underhood temperatures, it was minimal.