I have a quick question for you guys. I am looking to buy a new exhaust for my 911 C4. headers, 100 cell cats and mufflers from zero tek. i have heard good things from guys on here. any one have them and have any more comments that might help me with my purchase? also, z tek says they are made of 14 AWG stainless steel. is this good or bad. they say its the highest quality. is 14 awg different from 304 stainless steel? can someone comment of the difference, are they the same? is one better than the other? thanks.

also, does anyone know of good wheels in the 2500-3200 range for all 4? something light with a decent sized lip also, 3.5 inch in back and 2.5 in front.

 

The term 14 AWG is in reference to the material thickness which would be 14 guage. The material type should be Type 304 or 316 stainless steel. Also you should make sure the studs (if applicable) and flanges are of stainless steel construction as well.

 

thanks. here is the link. check out the sound clips and tell me what you think.

http://www.zerotek.net/ztcopo996st3.html

 

The materials look fine and it sounds great.

In looking at the pictures I think the manufacturer is cheap and lazy. I know there are those that would differ but in my opinion the weld zones need to be passivated to remove the heat marks and preserve the quality of whatever alloy it is. Some people like the blue heat marks, not me. It the first place that corrodes...... guaranteed.
The system could have been made with 16 guage material but not a lot of guys can weld it without making a mess of the thinner material. The weight savings between guages is approximately half a pound per square foot of material.

 

can u ellaborate on the weld points for me i dont exactly follow. is this exhaust a good quality or not worth the money? what do u mean about passivated welds?

 

If you look at the heat affected zone around each weld it is discoloured, ranging from a gold colour on the weld crown to a blue in the parent material being the stainless steel tube. This is actually carbide precipitation but we don't need to get into that...

When you passivate a weld there is an application of a "pickling" paste which penetrates the heat affected zone and when wiped or brushed off the silver stainless steel finish is restored. This process renders the zone less likely to corrode as a result of burning the qualities if you will, out of the stainless steel in the welding process. Complicated I know, but that's my case I guess. I do know this stuff.

 

so would you say this exhaust system is quality or worth buying or not? anything you would recommend instead? Fabspeed? supersprint? I think that for the money and the sound etc etc this exhaust seems pretty good but i want to make sure i get something worth the money.

 

I'm pretty sure he's advising against it without wanting to come out and say it. His criticism appears to center on the longevity of the piece. So, it might sound great, but it may fall apart sooner than a better-welded piece.

CamNeelyphile, feel free to correct me if I'm misrepresenting your opinion.

 

Buy it man. It's a nice system. The passivation is a workmanship issue (for me) and your system will not fall apart the way it is. And when you get the parts, take them to a metal fabricator and get them to clean and passivate the weld zones ..... or don't drive your car in conditions where road salt is used.

Good shopping brother, post pictures when you're done. What kind of horsepower are you pumping out?

 

I think that is what he is saying as well, but would like to know for sure. Would you recommend Fabspeed or Supersprint? Those are the other two brands I was contemplating when this one came into play.

 

I currently have a Fabspeed Quiet Sport on a Stage 3 car. If something else was to captivate me I would change it. The Kreissig with the ability to run through 100 cell cats or in straight pipe mode interests me but holy crap, they're expensive!!

 

Yea, they are great systems and sound great too! My car is currently stock but have just recently gotten into the modding scene per say. I have always liked modded cars etc, but just recently wanted to start doing stuff to my car. nothing too serious, exhaust, sport springs, and looking to do some carbon fibre, and some new 19" wheels. other than that, probably nothing else. just want to spice it up a little more. I am looking for N/A power, so the extent of my modding will be headers, cats, and exhaust and possibly an intake. but thats as far as i will take it.

 

PC4,
Go for the mods, my only caution would be go w/ the 200 cel cats if you have a choice. 100 cel may set off your "check engine light". Pain in the butt vs. small diff in HP between 200 / 100 cel cats.

 

I am thinking of going with the fabspeed exhaust, and in addition doing the fabspeed intake. How much more of a gain would i get with adding headers and say 200 cell cats with fabspeed exhaust and intake over just exhaust and intake? any other suggestions of which brand to use? The fabspeed sounds great, and a good price, but not sure if i want to do headers and cats as well.

does anyone have any idea how much installation of H&R sport springs will cost to just lower the car?