Pony_car

I'm considering purchasing the Flowmaster American Thunder single muffler for my V6. However, someone mentioned to me that because the muffler body isn't stainless steel and is made of aluminized steel, that may mean inferior qualityand less long-term durability. I'm just wondering if anyone has clarification about this.

Is a stainless steel muffler better and longer lasting than aluminized steel muffler, or does it not make a difference? Also, what are stock V6 mufflers made of, stainless or aluminized?

This is a link to the muffler I'm talking about:
http://www.flowmastermufflers.com/pr...oducts_id=4057

07lane40

stainless. aluminized is cheaper for a reason.its just simply worse quality. if you live where that pic is taken though i doubt you'll need to worry about the durability... SS would be more advantageous for northerners who suffer salt-filled winters. southerners can get away with aluminized steel and summer tires year round and the like.. lol...

Pony_car

Good point about the weather... Yes, I live in Los Angeles, so worrying about salt on the roads in winter isn't an issue. My concern is overall quality and durability, but as you pointed out, with a fairly mild and dry climate, perhaps a muffler made of aluminized steel is good enough.

svastano

You might consider the salt air in your area to also consider. When the muffler gets hot and is it's cooling process after shutdown the air around it will want to condense and if there is salt in the moisture = rust.

I would do stainless!

oh6vee6

Allways Stainless. In LA you'll prob get at least 12-15yrs out of a set of stainless.

FrostByte

aluminized steel will last about 5 yrs max, no matter where you live because of condensation INSIDE the pipes. High quality SS will last the life time of the vehicle. You get what you pay for.

Pony_car

Then if this is the case, are Flowmasters known for not lasting a long time? From what I can tell, it seems many Flowmaster mufflers are only offered in aluminized steel, whereas other makers (i.e. Magnaflow, MAC, MRT, Borla) are all stainless steel. Thanks.