Dave-----
The claims that you refer to have been pretty well discredited by now. The difference in expansion between carbon steel and stainless steel is rather negligible and differences in heat radiation, retention, or otherwise are negligible, too.
Many modern cars use stainless steel exhaust systems from the factory. Rolls-Royce was one of the first to use such systems. I installed a stainless steel exhaust system on my 69 about 20 years ago. Flawless performance and no problems, whatsoever. For my "ZL-1", I'll be using original Corvette mufflers since the sound is impossible to duplicate with ANY current replacement or "reproduction" muffler. However, I'll still be using stainless exhaust pipes. The 2-1/2" variety. NO 1969 Corvette, including original L-88s or ZL-1s ever used 2-1/2" exhaust, but what the hell..........!
The claims that you refer to have been pretty well discredited by now. The difference in expansion between carbon steel and stainless steel is rather negligible and differences in heat radiation, retention, or otherwise are negligible, too.
Many modern cars use stainless steel exhaust systems from the factory. Rolls-Royce was one of the first to use such systems. I installed a stainless steel exhaust system on my 69 about 20 years ago. Flawless performance and no problems, whatsoever. For my "ZL-1", I'll be using original Corvette mufflers since the sound is impossible to duplicate with ANY current replacement or "reproduction" muffler. However, I'll still be using stainless exhaust pipes. The 2-1/2" variety. NO 1969 Corvette, including original L-88s or ZL-1s ever used 2-1/2" exhaust, but what the hell..........!