Stainless Steel Ex Manifold Studs

[Don Dada]

Hi guys.

Is it a wise idea to replace the exhaust manifold studs using stainless steel items???

I'm getting the oem studs but don't want to have to go back in there in the future if they break again, so i rather put the stainless although they cost like 5 times the price.

Thanks

[Roy]

Stainless steel expands and contracts too much with heat and has is more ductile then MS, stick with OE studs

[r33_racer]

Never heard of stainless being using in high temp situations...Stainless is usually weaker then mild steel. It just looks pretty and and doesnt rust.

In terms of tensile strength...pretty piss weak. A set of new studs should last another 10-15 years like the factory ones did so long as everything is good.

[Don Dada]

Yeh thought so.

I use a lot of stainless bolts and nuts in work and for every 10 that u do up real tight, at least 2 needs to be hack sawed out when removing

So i guess the extreme temp changes would not make that any better.

[tridentt150v]

I always remember the hot rod and harley guys using heaps of s/s bolts to pretty up their rides. Works fine for short little rides up and down the main street or cruising along the beach road - but opens up and oil drops out all over the place when they go for a 500km ride on an open highway [higher speed, more heat, for longer periods]. Thye don't look so flash when they are shaking oil off their snakeskin boots.

As the s/s heats up it expands and opens up mating surfaces to the point where the gasket can't cope any more!!!

[Ziller]

Just use a little dab of copper coat or never seize paste on your studs if you want to remove them later.

[Don Dada]

I remember sydneykid saying to use locktite or similar to prevent them backing out.

How tight do u need to do them up in the head??? Is there a torque spec for that?

[tridentt150v]

I wouldn't use loctite on manifold studs, done up right they never come loose, the problem is in getting them out, they are usually seized solid.

I did mine and used nickel cote on them - fingers crossed I'll be able to get them out whenever I need to without any drama's - 25,000km later and not one has gone loose on me. I periodically check them and cannot even get them to move, so they are solid as, but hopefully [with the nickel cote] not seized.

But yeah SK recommends loctite - I think its asking for trouble next rebuild time [and I don't often disagree with him- son of rajab knows he's got way more experience than I'll ever have] - so its your call.

[NYTSKY]

I use ARP exhaust manifold studs

[R33_KRAZY]

ARP are the S*#T

[Beer Baron]

OE nissan studs are the way to go for the exhaust manifold studs.