Jeep SRT8: List/Your Price: Catted 1 7/8”: $1668/$1485 Catted 1 3/4”: $1573.95/$1420 O/R 1 7/8”: $1454/$1335 O/R 1 3/4”: $1363.95/$1270 Catback: $1258.95/$1100 All headers include lead pipes, either catted (300cpi metallic substrates) or non catted mid pipes, 02 extensions and Accuseal clamps. Prices do not include shipping. Additional $75 discount is given if buying an entire system (headers + catback). Add $70 for stage 8 locking bolts. Stainless works exhaust components are all manufactured on site of T-304 Everlast Stainless with McKee Pipe benders and laser welders. Everything they sell, they make, and back with a lifetime warranty against defects. A Stainless Works full exhaust is currently used on the highest HP/TQ stock longblock N/A Jeep and the second quickest/fastest Jeep overall. The catback system is a full 3 inches in diameter and has no drone anywhere or at any time. Stainless Works makes OEM exhausts for Roush, Lingenfelter, and a load of custom high dollar work.
Q&A with Stainless Works about Headers, Exhausts, and their Products: 1) How are optimal primary diameter and length determined for a specific vehicle or application? We use a computer modeling program which determines the mean effective gas speed which is optimal for the engine we are developing a header for. We use the results as a starting point and then fine tune the tube length, and collector diameter on the chassis dyno. 2) What are the advantages of a stepped vs. non stepped header design? Stepped headers typically “can” work well, from our experience, on an engine with no backpressure (open headers) that has a narrow RPM band that it needs to make peak power at. The reason I say can is because it really depends on the camshaft, cylinder head, rpm range-it is very application specific. In our experience on a street car with full exhaust, the cost increase in building a stepped header is not justified by the very small power gains you “may” see. Another fallacy we hear is that equal length headers will always make more power. If the headers tubes are equal flow, meaning that each tube flows exactly the same, then this may be true if each cylinder is burning the air fuel mixture exactly the same-same air fuel ratio, same blowdown period when the exhaust valve opens, etc. In reality, the intake manifold will not flow exactly the same from runner to runner, the head will flow slightly different from port to port, etc-there are a million variables before the headers that make each cylinder a little different-On something like a Pro Stock engine this is not the case as the builder spends hundreds of hours working on things like the valve depth in the head to make each chamber CC exactly the same. Equal length headers do not mean equal flow-some header builders put unnecessary bends in the header tubes to make them equal length-the problem is that doing this makes them equal in length but the three 90 degree bends you just added to get the lengths equal have now upset the flow in the tube. In general, the fewer the bends the better, and on a street car with full exhaust equal length headers will not make a measure-able difference. 3) What specific SS alloy is best to use for headers/exhaust, and what advantages does it have over other alloys? Stainless is an excellent choice for exhaust systems due to its corrosion resistance. Starting in the early 90’s most OEM manufacturers went to 409 stainless for the increased durability and corrosion resistance-the EPA mandated that exhaust/emissions systems be warranted for 5 years minimum. 304 stainless, specifically, the Everlast grade that Stainless Works uses exclusively, will not rust or corrode over time (unless exposed to excessive amounts of road salt). Unlike aluminized steel, it will not rust from the inside out due to the corrosive fluids produced during combustion. All of Stainless Works 304 Everlast systems have a lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. What is the difference between grades of stainless (304, 321, 409…..?) Without getting into the specifics of metallurgical properties, 409 is what is typically used on OEM applications. It has fair corrosion resistance, is magnetic due to the high ferrite content, but is a less expensive material than 304. 409 is not an ideal material for a performance/restoration exhaust system because it will turn color (brownish/rust) from being exposed to the atmosphere without ever being run. For OEM’s who never care what the exhaust system looks like, it is a decent material that will last long enough to get past the warranty period. 304 stainless has much better corrosion resistance than 409. 304 will not turn color from sitting exposed to the atmosphere, and will only discolor slightly from getting extremely hot. The best thing about 304 is that you can maintain it with a scotch bright pad if you ever spill oil on it or have it discolor. Stainless Works only uses Everlast 304 stainless, which is a premium mil spec grade of stainless that is slightly more expensive than standard stainless, but is processed much more closely and is more consistent. 4) AT what HP level do you see conventional cats becoming restrictive to power production? OEM converters are designed to support the power levels that the engine was originally designed for-when more power is added over the factory rating, the converter will be a restriction. OEM cats are well designed for the factory engine configuration and power output-most of the later model ones we now see are metallic substrate, with a high cell count per inch-good for lasting 50,000+ miles and still maintaining emissions compliance, but bad from a performance standpoint when the vehicle is modified. If the vehicle is stock, the factory cats will really not be a restriction-if they are designed properly, which is usually the case. The OEM’s design the engine and emissions package together, and they want to make it as efficient as possible so that they can not only extract as much power as possible, but so that the engine is more efficient and uses less fuel. 5) At what HP level do you see your/others metallic substrate cats being restrictive to power production? Typically with the converters we use, anything less than 400 RWHP the cats are not a restriction-maybe 1-2 at the wheels. At about 500 RWHP maybe 4-5 at the wheels. It is a hard question to answer because it again is very specific to the engine we are testing, and also how much backpressure the rest of the exhaust makes. If the rest of the exhaust is restrictive, you could put a cork in place of the converter and it would not make any difference!! 6) How much power do you believe is lost with tailpipes vs. turndowns a few inches after the muffler? I do not think tailpipes will hurt performance much at all-again, if the muffler is efficient and does not create excessive backpressure in front of the muffler, the tailpipes will not hurt. They need to be sized correctly-for example, you don’t want to run a 500 RWHP vehicle with 2” tailpipes. In my opinion, the muffler design, lead pipes, crossover, etc, is much more important than the tailpipes. 7) Why are longtubes superior to "shorty" type headers? Shorty headers used to be effective when factory manifolds were designed very poorly-the castings had a lot of flash, the ports were poorly shaped and inconsistent, etc. With today’s technology, factory manifolds are really nice-the castings are very high quality and the factory engineers typically do a nice job in the design. We only build shorty headers for street rod applications for vehicles that long tubes will simply not fit-the power a header produces is due to the primary length that we can add with a long tube. Shorty headers are not really any better than factory manifolds-save your money!! 9) What processes does SWs use that are unique or different from other exhaust manufacturers, basically what makes SWs the best exhaust on the market and why? We make everything in house-we have nearly $1,500,000 in equipment so that we can control everything we make. We are the only exhaust company with (2) cnc laser cutters in house, we have (2) 6 axis digitizing arms, a state of the art McKee tube bender, and an 80 ton press brake. We also dyno everything we sell, and do installations at our shop. We race what we sell and depend on our customers to help us grow our business. We know that we provide the best service in our business, and back all of our headers and exhaust systems with a limited lifetime warranty!! 10) What affect does the placement (distance from motor) of the crossover have on performance? Typically, as close to the engine as possible but the converters also have to be as far up as possible so that they light off. With a supercharged engine, it is not as critical as n/a applications.
Hey guys- I let Stainless Works have my Jeep for a few weeks to work on the craftmanship of their exhaust. Really cool guys. I love the headers. Made the beast come alive. I had them leave the Borla on becasue I just love the sound of it. That is, until the headers, too much. I like the note Andy's jeep makes, smooth solid sound with little, if any drone. Andy and I swapped jeeps one evening and I enjoyed the interior and exterior sound of his exhaust over the borla/stainless headers. I have asked the guys at Stainless Works to fabricate their exhaust to the borla tips (as I don't like the tail on their exhaust) However, if you don't mind it, the sound is just right, the performance is better and the quality is top notch. I highly recommend looking into it and doing your research before making a purchase from one of the name brand exhaust companies.
Pics of the SWorks system on my Jeep. All Everlast 304 stainless, and everything carries a lifetime warranty: Vid of my Jeep with full SWorks exhaust (chambered mufflers): Another: Pics of the Jeep system: Additionally they will make custom tips for you if you desire, just send them a drawing.
