I'm thinking of replacing my stock exhaust on my 98 2.5L Ranger with an aftermarket cat-back system, either the Gibson 19714 or Gibson 619714 The former is aluminized steel and the latter is stainless steel. Of course the stainless is more spendy and will last longer but I'm wondering if the aluminized will be fine for me. Does anyone know if the stock system of my vehicle is of the aluminized material? Or is it probably not even aluminized? Any comments/advice appreciated.
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Your stock Ford exhaust system is stainless steel although it is the low grade 409 stainless that most OEM's use because of its lower cost. 409 takes a long time to rot through but it does develop a layer of surface corrosion that detracts from its appearance. 200 and 300 series stainless steels are common in high end appearance applications with 304 being the most common alloy used for automotive exhaust systems. 304 is much better at resisting the surface corrosion seen on 409 but it is also much more expensive. Aluminized steel is a lower cost option than either of the above and it is usually seen in aftermarket exhaust components. It is not used by OEM's because it is likely to corrode through from the inside. It just will not stand up long term to the acids and temperatures present in catalytic converter equipped vehicles. On the other hand, it could be a money saver if you don't expect to own the truck for more than a few years. It is also fine for older vehicles that do not have cats.
Thanks for that very helpful reply Bob. So I've decided it'd be worth it for me to get the stainless aftermarket system. According to the description they use the 409 grade for the pipe and 304T is the muffler material.
