Morris Minor Owners Club

Apart from the obvious price difference - is there really any great benefit to going for the stainless one?

Yes, you should (in theory) never need to replace a stainless one.

Then the exhaust will need it's own wheels once the car falls to pieces

ive got one on mine i5ts great

I fitted a stainless system on the Series MM in 1991 and its still going strong.

some stainless ones are not a good fit coming out of the engine bay, but does depend on where you buy it from and the make

the exhaust note is definetly louder with a stainless!!!

on a 1275 a stainless one makes the engine sound very smooth

Stainless is the way to go, Plus, you can give it a bit of a polish while your underneath!

stevey wrote:the exhaust note is definetly louder with a stainless!!!

Not if you buy the one fron BM the superior 3 piece one. Highly recommended.

Eventually, the baffles inthe silencer break down and they get quite noisy, and depending on the grade of stainless used the pipe does go brown and rusty, though obviously nowhere like as quick as a steel one. But I am talking of a lot of years here. I've had an 18yr old one on a car (came with the reciept) which was looking rather shabby. Still worked and was on the car when I sold it though. Just had a steel one give up after 9 years so I guess its the life span that you pay for...

But if you have a 1275 engine - you should be looking at a big bore exhaust and a manifold to suit. Standard manifold and system will strangle the power somewhat, although obviously it will still run. My stainles system has gone brown but is very very solid after 8 years - and the baffles have long gone - so it is VERY loud at full throttle - fortunately most of the noise is left behind - just hear it under bridges/in cuttings etc.

Iian is right ... I have a stainless exhaust which externally looks lovely, but internally the baffles are loose, so when you let your foot off the acellerator it makes a horrible rattling noise.

Can't loose baffles be 'fixed' with judicial use of a lump hammer?

I don't think my baffles are loose - they have disintegrated!

In my cars' first life we went through exhaust systems fairly quickly like every year or too. That was with indifferent winter use (salt use in Pennsylvania) and long and short trips. When I restored them the stainless systems weren't available yet, so in went a stock steel system. Thirty years later, they're still good. Over 30,000 miles on each one and I a tried to make a point to drive enough to get the moisture out but probably just barely.
I put a ss system in one I restored for someone else, definitely sounds different. I'd say for a heavier used vehicle go with stainless steel.

I agree, but I think this is a good case of you getting what you pay for.