Thinking of Ceramic coating for the Headers

[Z4me]

I have some kooks headers on my ZL1 and was thinking of protecting the engine bay more from the heat that these produce. Has anyone had these done to there car yet, and how do you like the results? Also one of the sponsors on this forum, has recommended a silver polish variety.

[presholt33]

I had it done to my headers a year ago still look new

[BPG]

Mine are ceramic coated. Still look new also.

[DarthZL1]

Highly recommend for several reasons. I have ceramic coated headers on all cars I had with them. Worth it.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Stephen12ZL1]

mine are not ceramic coated and look fine

[ZO6 Bryan]

Ceramic coating was developed for mild steel headers to hold in heat and protect from rusting. Stainless headers do both of those things very well already. So I don't see the necessity. My uncoated Kooks still look new.

[Baer383]

Originally Posted by ZO6 Bryan

Ceramic coating was developed for mild steel headers to hold in heat and protect from rusting. Stainless headers do both of those things very well already. So I don't see the necessity. My uncoated Kooks still look new.

^^^^I agree

[Coatthis]

Originally Posted by Z4me

I have some kooks headers on my ZL1 and was thinking of protecting the engine bay more from the heat that these produce. Has anyone had these done to there car yet, and how do you like the results? Also one of the sponsors on this forum, has recommended a silver polish variety.

Ceramic coating them will certainly reduce the under-hood / radiated heat if that is your concern. Better yet they'll stay crisp and clean looking for a very long time as well. Although the SS has better thermal properties than most mild steel, it also holds that heat much longer at its surface. Which, if you've ever swapped out a set of mild steel headers for a SS pair you likely noticed elevated under hood and header temps.

Ceramic Coating the headers will actually help you cool things down two ways. The most obvious of which is reducing the amount of heat permeating the headers tubes. Once the headers actually get heat soaked the Ceramic Coating will dissipate the radiated heat faster than the raw SS substrate, i.e. you can work on or around the headers much quicker....

As for the ascetics of the headers, although SS doesn't really rust like that of a mild steel exhaust, it will oxidize once exposed to some heat cycling. How much and how fast depends on how hard and how often you drive it. You basically get the rusty / nasty appearance less the corrosion damage you'd see on mild steel.

Regarding the "Bright / Polished Ceramic", I DON'T recommend it for any supercharged or turbo charged application. Bright ceramic is NOT rated for these temperatures. This goes for ALL brights, regardless of applicator. For purposes of this discussion, all brights are nearly identical with regards to operating temps and functionality. You want a high temp ceramic which is rated at 1700F - 2000F+ for any supercharged or turbo charged application.

Kooks 850F for 5 hours


Polished 304SS


Mill Finish 409SS

[DrkPhx]

My Kooks have the Calico Black coating. Not only does it look nice, but it helps keep the under hood temp down. The biggest difference I noticed was how quick they cool down. Worth it imo, but to each their own.

[Z4me]

Thank you coatthis exactly the info I was looking for. These cars tend to run hot and I'm looking for ways to cool the engine bay. Excessive heat could lead to parts breaking down quicker that are in close enough proximity. As far as keeping the headers looking better that's just a bonus as far as I'm concerned. I already have the heat resistant sleeves for the ignition cables to help protect them from the engine block. Perhaps I'm a bit to cautious but if I'm willing to spend the money so be it.

[135Hoser]

Originally Posted by Coatthis

Ceramic coating them will certainly reduce the under-hood / radiated heat if that is your concern. Better yet they'll stay crisp and clean looking for a very long times as well. Although the SS has better thermal properties than most mild steel, it also holds that heat much longer at its surface. Which, if you've ever swapped out a set of mild steel headers for a SS pair you likely noticed elevated under hood and header temps.

Ceramic Coating the headers will actually help you cool things down two ways. The most obvious of which is reducing the amount of heat permeating the headers tubes. Once the headers actually get heat soaked the Ceramic Coating will dissipate the radiated heat faster than the raw SS substrate, i.e. you can work on or around the headers much quicker....

As for the ascetics of the headers, although SS doesn't doesn't really rust like that of a mild steel exhaust, it will oxidize once exposed to some heat cycling. How much and how fast depends on how hard and how often you drive it. You basically get the rusty / nasty appearance less the corrosion damage you'd see on mild steel.

Regarding the "Bright / Polished Ceramic", I DON'T recommend it for any supercharged or turbo charged application. Bright ceramic is NOT rated for these temperatures. This goes for ALL brights, regardless of applicator. For purposes of this discussion, all brights are nearly identical with regards to operating temps and functionality. You want a high temp ceramic which is rated at 1700F - 2000F+ for any supercharged or turbo charged application.

First post and incredibly informative. Thank you for this!