: So the stainless tubular headers on the TD-05 kits crack? : It makes sense considering the work hardening of stainless along with the weight of the turbo. Any idea what you have into the sectioning/porting/extrude honing/coating on cast iron TT manifolds? I've had the TD-05 kit on my wish list for the past year - now I'm reconsidering. I've thought of plumbing the external waste gate into the exhaust downstream, but that just adds greater complexity to the whole layout. External waste gates sound great at the track, but on the street they can sound like passing gas.
Yeah I heard that even the rewelded ones eventualy crack. You can tell that the design is not correct for longterm use as stainless has a high coefficent of expansion. It needs slip joints or bellows for it not to crack and slip joints usualy throw off o2 sensors.
If you simply weld the wastegate pipe into the downpipes or mount them soildly, they will crack for sure. A tubular header is the best but considering how tight it is in there, it scares me to even think they might crack as you gotta pull the engine to deal with it.
You might want to call Mike Smith for the manifold info. His number is 619 441-3717. Cat iron welding is tricky but he has it down.
