Are Corsa exhausts worth the money?

[JCH13]

Admittedly you could probably do a whole exhaust with just a few rods. I guess if I was trying to save money on an exhaust buying a TIG welder was my first mistake. Ha!

:awe: know that feel bro!

 

[Kadarin]

I used to have an '05 GTO on which I ran JBA shorty headers (to be CA smog-legal) and the Corsa Sport exhaust. The setup looked and sounded great.

 

[phucheneh]

JCH - I don't have a printed source, just what a life-long welder has told me. I generally trust him when it comes to making metal shit stick together.

I believe the key lies in the actual action of 'welding.' It's not just stainless and carbon steels with a filler wedged in the middle...that filler is mixing with both metals. I believe the idea is simply that stainless in your carbon, sitting next to stainless > carbon in your stainless, sitting next to carbon.

He had a more in-depth explanation, and basically said that carbon rods would work, but that the weld would eventually eat itself from the inside out. Stainless was supposed to somehow prevent that. I dunno, I need to read more about it.

 

[Excelsior]

I spent a few days behind a CTS-V with a Corsa exhaust in the mountains of NC/TN. It sounded amazing. Thats all I got.

 

[nerp]

Am I the only one that likes a quiet exhaust? If I was driving the hemi, i'd be OK with stock sound and if anything, would kinda miss the quietness of the v6.

 

[JCH13]

JCH - I don't have a printed source, just what a life-long welder has told me. I generally trust him when it comes to making metal shit stick together.

I believe the key lies in the actual action of 'welding.' It's not just stainless and carbon steels with a filler wedged in the middle...that filler is mixing with both metals. I believe the idea is simply that stainless in your carbon, sitting next to stainless > carbon in your stainless, sitting next to carbon.

He had a more in-depth explanation, and basically said that carbon rods would work, but that the weld would eventually eat itself from the inside out. Stainless was supposed to somehow prevent that. I dunno, I need to read more about it.

I've been thinking about this more too. Using high-alloy stainless wire would help prevent corrosion in the carbon steel and delay galvanic corrosion. The alloying elements in the higher alloy wire (309/312) will migrate into the carbon steel, as carbon migrates into the stainless, and help mitigate corrosion.

The difference in coefficients of thermal expansion is very concerning to me though. 10.8e-6 vs 17.3e-6 is a pretty big difference and could definitely cause some cracking. This probably isn't a big deal for parts that don't see a wide range of temperatures, but for something like an exhaust system it is concerning to me. Especially in a high-performance car where exhaust temperatures are higher in general and can fluctuate more. This could could also be a problem as the weld cools, it would lead to about a 1% dimensional difference, which would be like trying to make a 3-1/32in pipe fit a 3in pipe. Not impossible, but not the best thing ever.