[Bob Lincoln]

Most cars have stainless steel exhausts and either stainless or aluminized carbon steel mufflers. Walker makes both kinds of mufflers. Stainless is far more expensive, but Rockauto has some of them far cheaper than the parts stores. I find that what fails on my cars is the carbon steel exhaust pipe right in front of the muffler, so that I have to replace everything from the cat-back, because of one rotted spot.

 

[KCT]

Thanks for the reply Bob. It seems, with my experience with Walker Trufit mufflers, is that they rust from the inside out very fast. If I get another Trufit, do you think sloshing / coating the inside with hi temp paint for exhaust headers would help?

 

[KOG]

Nothing will preserve a mild steel muffler. Buy stainless or replace often.

 

[ImperialCrown]

I think that they advertise aluminized/galvanized steel. Most of these mufflers and pipes will last about 4 years anyway depending on where you live (salt belt) or your type of driving (short trips kill exhaust systems).
Stainless steel (type 304/409) exhaust can go 10 years easy. Check for good deals out there.

 

[pSun]

Chrysler sprung for full stainless exhaust systems the Daytonas, Shadows/Sundance/Duster/CSX, the Turbos received larger diameter tubing, so, $5-$10 will probably fetch you and entire stainless exhasut from the wrecking yard (at least the muffler and tail pipes). The hard part will be getting any fasteners to let loose. May need to used the battery powered Sawzall, then soak the fastners in oil at home to take it apart (if necessback); on the Sundance I stepped up in flow but down in parts quality,

 

[ImperialCrown]

Improved flow will only benefit higher speed operation and you may take a hit in low speed torque.
The hotter an exhaust system generally, the longer it lasts. The front half will usually outlive the last half. Condensation corrodes. For every 8 gallons of gas burned, one gallon of water is produced.
Exhaust coming out of a cat is hotter than the exhaust going in.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Daytonas only had stainless steel exhausts from 1984 to 1988. In 1989 they did a cost reduction, only offered carbon steel exhausts from then on. I had to change out 7 of them in my last Daytona, they lasted between 30K and 65K miles each.

 

[68RT]

Avoid short runs. Exhaust needs to get hot to burn off the liquid that settles in the low spots as it cools. Some mufflers/tailpipes have small holes drilled in the bottom to drain the condensate. They really do work.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Yup. But I have always done 80-90% highway driving, and still the pipe rotted out just at the muffler inlet. Usually the muffler was not the failure, but at or in front of the overlap of the inlet, so the muffler was ruined anyway.

 

[valiant67]

Daytonas only had stainless steel exhausts from 1984 to 1988. In 1989 they did a cost reduction, only offered carbon steel exhausts from then on. I had to change out 7 of them in my last Daytona, they lasted between 30K and 65K miles each.

Most of the Chrysler lineup, domestic anyway, had these nice stainless exhaust systems during that time period.

 

[Doug D]

Yup. But I have always done 80-90% highway driving, and still the pipe rotted out just at the muffler inlet. Usually the muffler was not the failure, but at or in front of the overlap of the inlet, so the muffler was ruined anyway.

Yeah, I had a '82 Omni and a '92 Acclaim that had the inlet muffler pipe rust out on a consistent basis once the OEM exhaust wore out. Though the '90 Acclaim I had was still on the original exhaust when I sold it at 240K miles.

My '06 Ram (165K+ miles) is still on its original stainless steel exhaust.

 

[dak4x4]

For replacement, anything but stainless steel is a waste of money and labor... One 89 Caravan that I knew went 20 years on the factory exhaust.

 

[Bob Lincoln]

Problem is, I was quote $700 to fabricate a stainless exhaust for my Daytona (since it would have to be custom). My labor is free, I can change one out in under 1 hour in my driveway, so I buy carbon steel systems for about $100, and $700 worth of them will take me 300K-400K miles.