Looking for inputs on coatings for headers
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Jet Hot is a ceramic coating zycoat is a polymer.
Polymer is an organic substance (think, PLASTIC) where ceramic is more like stone or glass. Not exactly by any means; just, more like.
Which do you think will live longer at high temps?
No experience with the polymer, this is my first. My guess is it's all about the prep. I've had good luck with ceramic coatings and I've had shitty ceramic coatings. I'm willing to bet the Zycoat will hold up all things considered or they wouldn't sell much of it as it's definitely expensive.
That's why I have gone with uncoated for so long but these newer technologies has my attention to see what they are like long term.
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The collectors, even though MUCH cooler, get wet more. The steel seems to rust and just blow the coating off. Even though most of the ceramic coatings become chemically integral with the crystalline structure header material, something organic polymers can't possibly do, the basic properties of the steel seem to take over eventually. 
The ceramic only goes just so deep, and no deeper. Once the "untreated" metal underneath begins to corrode, it's all over for whatever is on top of it.
Can't imagine that ANY "coating" would be any different from that.
Which is why I personally will only buy stainless headers nowadays, and always have them ceramic coated. Like the ones in the photo, which are still on the vehicle and 5 or 6 years older, and still look pretty much the same.
The ceramic only goes just so deep, and no deeper. Once the "untreated" metal underneath begins to corrode, it's all over for whatever is on top of it.Can't imagine that ANY "coating" would be any different from that.
Which is why I personally will only buy stainless headers nowadays, and always have them ceramic coated. Like the ones in the photo, which are still on the vehicle and 5 or 6 years older, and still look pretty much the same.
The headers I posted pics of are stainless. Only way to go imo. I had a buddy question me coating the pretty stainless headers and I explained it's more about keeping under hood temps down as well as making my Vintage Air ac work more efficient.
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Yea the ceramic coating on a sprint car header I worked was amazing, before the coating those headers were dangerous to touch for quite a while, after the coating I could wear light mechanics gloves and touch them almost as soon as the car got back to the pits, and not much longer to bare hand touch. I'm sure there are differences.. You can also with brand new headers have them acid dipped, neutralized and they can coat them inside and out.. Makes even a bigger difference.
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