Jet Hot vs Ceramic on new parts

[Boostian]

Gents, I have a new downpipe and headers (w crossover) from TA performance. Does it make sense to have them coated before I install? Does coating them affect the flanges or wastegate puck at all? And I’m not sure if ceramic coating keeps heat down, I believe it’s more cosmetic, but please correct me if I’m wrong. My thought process is since everything is new, if a coating that keeps heat way down works, may be worth it to do it now.

Open to your thoughts and feelings. Thanks!

 

[Turbo6inKY]

It's worth it. It does keep heat inside the tube where it should stay, and the coatings keep looking good for years.

 

[TurboWh1]

Jet hot is pricey.... But it lasts. I've run the ceramic armor coat on headers and turbo pieces. Headers will discolor over time on a turbo car. It lasted on the headers on a small block Chevy I have. The turbo surprisingly held for many years. I will probably do the Jet hot on my next set of turbo headers. I think Jet Hot guarantees to 2500 degrees.

 

[KC87]

They've been around for a long time and do nice work.

https://swaintech.com/

 

[Mr.Spool]

Ceramic coating all the way.
Keeps the heat in and does last.
Well worth it.

 

[dynoman]

Like KC87 says , check out Swain Tech , lots of reading there . I had my ATR headers & downpipe Swain Tech coated going on 7 years ago and still look good . Their coating is a true ceramic @ .015" thick . I had my new GN1 aluminum heads combustion chambers , valve faces , exhaust ports coated , and also my piston tops . John Force has all his pistons coated at Swain Tech .

 

[Boostian]

Is Jet Hot true ceramic or something else? I’d prefer not to necessarily ship and to find a place local. Also, I assume there’s color options available? I don’t love that light gray color

 

[TurboWh1]

The company I worked with offered a few different colors but that was not Jet Hot. You might be able to find someone local to do it and save on shipping.

 

[Mr.Spool]

You could also just heat wrap it as well.

 

[Boostian]

The company I worked with offered a few different colors but that was not Jet Hot. You might be able to find someone local to do it and save on shipping.

I wasn’t sure if Jet Hot was the only “heat insulating” coating or if ceramic did as well.

 

[Turbo6inKY]

Is Jet Hot true ceramic or something else? I’d prefer not to necessarily ship and to find a place local. Also, I assume there’s color options available? I don’t love that light gray color

Jet Hot is a true baked on ceramic (as in tile) coating. This is different than other coatings like Cerakote, mostly in the application. It requires much higher temperatures for longer periods to cure, so it's not something you normally can do at home or at small scale. There are other coatings like White Lighting that are even better from a technical standpoint, but only come in one color. It's a compromise.

And it's very much NOT ceramic as in paint coatings. Those aren't really a ceramic like we'd think of in a clay pot or a cookware coating, they're "ceramic" in that the coating deposits a layer of silicon, but it's not cured on with heat.

Pigments hate heat. The higher temperature capability and more durable you get, the more limited the color options become.

 

[dynoman]

White Lightning can be painted with high temp paint . Mine are the light gray because I painted them from the white after coating . VHT paint works well on the coating , just don't think you can paint it with a shiny color like silver or " chrome " , it will still be dull . What is nice is that you can touch up the color if they become dirty , I have on mine after a couple of motor changes .

 

[Mark T-TB]

White Lightning can be painted with high temp paint . Mine are the light gray because I painted them from the white after coating . VHT paint works well on the coating , just don't think you can paint it with a shiny color like silver or " chrome " , it will still be dull . What is nice is that you can touch up the color if they become dirty , I have on mine after a couple of motor changes .

+1. The guys at Swain Tech told me that the White Lightning would start to "grow hair" after a while, but could be painted with high-temp paint. I went with a gray (kinda cast-blast look) on my headers for this reason - aesthetics.

 

[Boostian]

Appreciate all the info guys. Thank you.