Stainless or Cast? turboz mani

[motorvated]

I see a lot of manifolds on the market. Stainless steel manis, cast iron. My header now is stainless, and besides turning gold from heat is fine. But, I hear that stainless manifolds in a turbo application can break down over time from the extreme heat. Putting my turbo build together, im torn between the two. I love the way the stainless looks in the engine bay, and they have some really neat mounting positions for the turbo...But the Cast seems much more sturdy. What do you guys run/suggest?

[redline]

Both work fine and I also prefer the SS manifold. If you buy a SS manifold make sure it comes with a lifetime warranty against cracking. You can also have a SS manifold coated.

[motorvated]

what if I were going to wrap the manifold? Cast would be better?

[Elliott18t]

http://www.turbobygarrett.com/turbobygarrett/tech_center/turbo_tech102.html#c

[motorvated]

good read ^^ thanks. I kind of like the durability of cast

[redline]

what if I were going to wrap the manifold? Cast would be better?

Please don't wrap it, it looks silly and the purpose of coating is to keep the heat in. Also, something that can destroy a SS manifold faster. If you buy a good one there shouldn't be anything to worry about besides sending it in for a new one.

[Instigator1225]

have somone make you a tubular divided mani and do work son...

the one i used on my 1g like 4 years ago is still being beat on somwhere in southern ohio... as long as you ahve somone who knows what they are doing build it.. you wont have a problem.

[redline]

have somone make you a tubular divided mani and do work son...

the one i used on my 1g like 4 years ago is still being beat on somwhere in southern ohio... as long as you ahve somone who knows what they are doing build it.. you wont have a problem.

This is only half right, sometimes it boils down to having a support for the manifold to relieve stress, engine movement, heat cycling, etc. Just because its a quality manifold doesn't mean it's going to last.

[motorvated]

well the company that makes the parts im using makes awesome stuff...here take a look.
http://www.bellengineering.net/index.php?cPath=5_15

[marshallpre1]

This is only half right, sometimes it boils down to having a support for the manifold to relieve stress, engine movement, heat cycling, etc. Just because its a quality manifold doesn't mean it's going to last.

Sorry dude I had to LOL. Wouldn't a quality manifold incorporate those things you mentioned? :-p

[ImportDPS]

What kind of car is it for? We have a bunch of AFI turbo kits and manifolds in stock.

[Got Insulin?]

Give JM Fab a call. I'm sure that they could school you in your quest for a ballin' mani.

[motorvated]

Its for a 1990 1.6 Miata. Thats right, a miata.

[Instigator1225]

Its for a 1990 1.6 Miata. Thats right, a miata.

good luck

[motorvated]

what is that suppose to mean? possibly, you dont know anything about the car. Please, tell me what you know that I wouldnt...

[SovXietday]

It means there isn't a big market to look through to find what you want.

[motorvated]

actually, there is a pretty good size market if you know where to look. There 5 or 6 different companies that make turbo parts for the miata. Anyway, I think Cast is the way to go.

[SovXietday]

5 or 6 is not a lot, lol.

Cast really isn't the way to go, it is a good solid cheap way to go, but it is not the "best" way to go. A good stainless steal tubular manifold will flow better, make more power, and last just as long as a cast manifold.

It's up to you though.

[CleanNeon98]

5 or 6 is not a lot, lol.

Cast really isn't the way to go, it is a good solid cheap way to go, but it is not the "best" way to go. A good stainless steal tubular manifold will flow better, make more power, and last just as long as a cast manifold.

It's up to you though.
X54763278462. If I did a bigger turbo on my car, or boosted an N/A car, I would definately go with a tubular. Not that cast is bad, but there's better.

[motorvated]

5 or 6 is pretty good I think, considering the amount of people that turbo these cars. Im asking around the miata forums to see what people suggest. Thanks man!^ I'll keep reading up on the pros of the stainless.

[SvicksTc]

Wrapping a Cast Manifold is no good and can possible cause cracking.....

[TurboTagTeam]

AS long as a tubular manifold is fabbed properly....they'll last forever. My HKS Tubular manifold on my SR20 has a ton of miles on it. It probably has over 100k on it. It was purchased used from J-Land then threw on my SR. It's a work of ark. By far the best fabricated manifold I'v ever come across. The welds have perfect penitration and it was defiantly back-purged properly when welded.

[motorvated]

wow sweet! pics of it?

[TurboTagTeam]

http://www.240sxmotoring.com/hksststsrma.html

Dont have any good pics of the one actually on my car. But this is the same one.

[Instigator1225]

heres the one from my dsm

http://shearerfab.com/images/items/sf0510011_copy2.jpg

shearer ftmfw!!

[Instigator1225]

this is the one my buddy just bought.. looks sex in person

http://shearerfab.com/products.php?itemID=30

shearer ftw... the 2dr evo across the pond.. shep and quite a few other of the very fast guys go to this man....

[motorvated]

wowwww!! nice pieces....

[cinder4066]

stainless ftw

[Cardriverx]

I would personally go cast, I have one of BEGIs cast mani with the exhaust pulse optimization... performs great and it will NEVER crack.

FM and BEGi both make great pieces.

There is also the JGS manifold kit, its a Shorty tubular style http://jgsturbo.com/index2.html

FM and BEGi make nice tubular ones too... you could get a good fabricator to make one..


oh and there is this new mani that poped up on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/89-93-MAZDA-MIATA-1-6L-B6-CAST-T3-T4-TURBO-MANIFOLD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1171Q7c6 6Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1318Q7c301Q3a0Q7c 293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhash Zitem330309677635QQitemZ330309677635QQptZMotorsQ5f CarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories#ht_3202wt_965

Cheap and strong, wont crack, but maybe not the very best performance.



Whatever you do, ceramic coat it, not wrap it.

[iloveturbolag]

ive had a few stainless mani's on my cars and theyve never cracked befor, my biggest issue with them is how much of a BITCH it is to get the turbo-mani bolts/studs/nuts/washers when the tubular bs gives you all of 3mm of clearance for hardware. ive had alot of problems with this in the past.

[SoStock92]

Oh come on its not that hard to reach the studs/nuts...

http://blowneuroz.com/525/Fabrication/turboassembly2.jpg

:bigeek: