Stainless or aluminum exhaust system

Axxlrod · June 3, 2003

I am planning on adding a Gibson single side exit exhaust system to my Yukon soon, and I see I have the choice of stainless steel and aluminum. The stainless is much more expensive, so I thought I'd go for the aluminum. Now that I think about it though, will I have problems with the aluminum. I live in southern California, pretty close to the ocean. Will I have any problems with rust.

What are the benefits/drawbacks of each material?

Thanks.

bigtruck21 · June 3, 2003

It's not aluminum, but aluminized steel. Aluminum would not "rust" just oxidize to a dull grey. The cheaper aluminized steel will rust after a certain number of years depending on how much salt it sees and if it's cleaned regularly. I had an aluminized system installed on my old truck for 3 years going through salty iowa winters. I didn't wash it much during the winter and it had yet to show signs of rust before i sold it. I've heard they start to rust like 5-6 years or so compared to stainless lasted 10+ years.

01Burb · June 3, 2003

My aluminized pipes on my old Dodge Ram rusted through in about 5 years. I live in MD so we do have some snow/salt etc.

MarkD · June 3, 2003

If you plan on keeping your truck more than 3-4 years, get the stainless. If you trade every 2 years, it will be someone elses problem.

hcvone · June 3, 2003

I would get the stainless steel system, I went through 2 Gibson steel systems on my last Suburban in 4 years.

rtbrick · June 3, 2003

If you're going to keep the vehicle any length of time go with the stainless. But, the best thing to do is call Gibson and ask them. They have recommendations for different areas of the country. I had an aluminized split rear and had to replace it due to warranty issues. Anyway, Gibson stated that I should not have been sold the aluminized exhaust here in Maryland to begin with. They let me upgrade to the stainless version for just the difference in cost. Fair enough I guess.

Tfin · June 3, 2003

How do you guys like the sound of your Gibson's? I'll be looking into getting a catback in the near future. I don't want anything that's too loud or obnoxious. But does give a nice low rumble, especially if you decide to "matt it".

mcali17 · June 4, 2003

Another thing people don't think about are how your driving conditions affect your exhaust.

Contrary to popular belief, most exahust systems, and especially mufflers, rot from the inside out, not the other way around. Every time you run your truck you build up water in your exhaust system due to condensation. Now, in the winter months or colder climates this is more prevalent. Ever been stopped at a traffic light on a cold winter morning on your way to work and notice the water dripping out of the tail pipe of the guy in front of you?

Now, if you drive long enough, or let your truck warm up, so that the exahaust system warms up enough to evaporate off the water you are golden. However, if you drive short distances, the water doesn't have a chance to evaporate, sits in the exhaust all the time and presto, rusted exahust.

I drove a 1996 Jimmy for 7 years here in Connecticut, about 90 miles round trip to work every day. It came with the factory aluminized stainless steel exhaust system, and I sold it with 93K miles on it. Never had to replace the exahust.

Now, I have a job that is only 8 miles round trip. Just for fun, I bought the Borla T-304 Stainless Steel exhaust system with the 1,000,000 mile warranty for my Envoy. We will see if that claim is true.

Anyone looking for a factory Cat Back Exahust for their Envoy or Trailblazer