Exhaust company reps offer tips on identifying and buying quality chrome products

by  James Jaillet

A well-installed, quality exhaust system can work wonders for an owner-operator. Good mufflers and stacks can not only boost engine performance, but increase fuel mileage.

Chrome products are no different. A quality piece of chrome will look good and last long, while a lower quality product will flake and corrode quickly.

To an untrained eye, however, a quality piece of chrome exhaust equipment may be hard to distinguish from the crowd.

Grand Rock Exhaust’s Bill Stoneman says buyers should look for American-made products from companies that have around for a while. Buyers should also try to find products with warranties, he says.

“There’s a boat load of imports out there. Most of them are junk with chrome plating that lasts until it gets wet,” he says. “The quality’s just not there. Stick with U.S. made or North American made and find out about a warranty.”

Steve Yoder, engineering manager for Tube Specialties Co., says buyers get what they pay for when buying chrome products. Buyers should look for a product with the fewest welds and the thickest chrome.

“If you want to keep it a while and want it to look good and function like it should for a long time, you have to be willing to spend more money to get the better products,” Yoder says. “You can’t go in trying to save money.”

Yoder says buyers should check with OEMs for quality products as well. OEMs build to strict high standards, he says, and that holds true for their after-market products too, he says.

Darren Parker, director of aftermarket trucks for Lincoln Industries, says buyers should look for an exhaust company that manufactures the entire product themselves. This, he says, ensures the product is built to the same standards through every step.

Parker says quality stacks are manufactured using horizontal and vertical polishing processes. Some manufacturers use a spin-polishing technique, which will leave a visible “barber pole” effect in the finished product, Parker says.

“Customers should view chrome stacks in various lighting conditions and angles. This will allow them the opportunity to see if there are other defects in the product,” Parker says. “Star dusting, polishing lines, discolored areas and yellowing cannot be seen in all light conditions.”

In searching for the perfect exhaust upgrade for your rig, however, Stoneman says it boils down to common sense and smart buying.

“The goal is to be a smart consumer, and be thorough and diligent in buying,” he says. “You can buy cheap, but it won’t last. Ask a pile of questions. Go for a quality product first that will hold up, and then be a comparison shopper.”