ceramic vs standard chrome headers?
 

Whats the difference, besides about 100 bucks, between ceramic and just regular chrome headers?

What they look like thats all

Ceramic is way better than chrome as ceramic keeps the heat inside the pipes.

so they keep the engine cooler?

ceramics take longer to heat up and are generally more resistant to thermal change they will also stay hot longer after you stop

K I'll probably just buy the standard chrome ones then i almost got enough cash for a pair of long tubes:D then ill just need to buy some flowmaster 40's and make my own "cat-back". gonna need a tuner too i guess to get rid of the CEL im gonna get for not running cats

I always thought the ceramic ones were the cheap ones cause people would pay more for a crome finish for some reason

ceramic will help resist rust

Ceramic is better as it keeps the engine compartment cooler which protects components from getting too hot. Ive had both and ceramic is a must and looks way better than chrome.

Heres some more info from another site

Painted – Black or silver finish. Lowest cost finish. Depending on the quality of the paint, it may not last. Some high temp paints do hold up.

Chrome / nickel plated - Shiny. They will "blue" and turn shades of blue and purple in places. Oil from spills or even hands will leave dull or blue spots on the chrome. Long term, depending on quality, they will likely rust or turn dull or brown. Depending on the exact metal being used, they could rust through.

Stainless – It is not true that stainless will not dull. There are various types of stainless. Some types do surface rust and will appear brown. The grade of stainless JBA uses will turn brown and look rusted but will not corrode through. I am not sure about Gibson, Borla or others.

Ceramic – Ceramic is the best option. They will stay good looking for the life of the header. The finish is not as bright as chrome, but they will remain a nice silver and not discolor. They are unaffected by oils. Ceramic is a great insulator. The engine compartment stays significantly cooler. The headers can even be touched shortly after use. Keeping the heat in the header helps with making a bit more power. Note all ceramic is not the same. Jet Hot is a specific brand and has the best reputation. Headers may come with Jet Hot or you can send any brand header to be Jet Hot coated.In addition some headers are ceramic coated stainless i.e. will never corrode and other coated headers may be metal that may rust through.
hope this helps

I would def say Ceramic.

I kno i change my mind like nobodys business but i got around to reading the thread(well a few posts of it) about the 5.4l swap and now i wanna save up for that. by chance my buddy's selling his 97 f250 with the 5.4l in it for dirt cheap so i think my money's gonna go towards that so i dont really need headers right now anyway

I'd go with titanium if I had the cash. Better than ceramic but costs quite a bit more than ceramic.

lol i drive a v6 nobody openly makes titanium headers for me deffinetly not long tubes thats for sure