I picked these up for a 2 1/2" exhaust system. Anyone have experience, good or bad, with these? I am using the stepped clamps. They also sell butt joint clamps.
I've got them on my F100 where I had to cut the pipes apart to remove a section for back pressure testing. Super easy, don't leak, and have been on for a few years. No issues.
I used them in a repair for my DD. Couldn’t get them to seal. I finally took the edges of the spacer down with a grinder to make the sides of the sleeve tighter against the spacer. Worked for a while, then I gave up and welded it all together.
So I just used some ... and there is a difference in the clamps Advanced Auto sells a stainless one I really like by Nickerson I believe, once they sucked around the pipe they worked great and have a nice finish. I had tried the brand you have there and others, but they just never bit around the smaller diameter exhaust section. They were ok but not as snug as the Nickerson ones...so I kept them on. Been on my Suburban now for about 5000 miles and no issues, and look good too!
Been using them for years and have never had a complaint...... works very well, common sense applied of course.
Bill, I have them on my daily driver a 2019 Hyundai Veloster that I put a custom exhaust system on, like stated above they are very nice and don't leak. Thanks,
The GS I just bought has a mandrel bent 2 1/2" system with X pipes that uses clamps throughout. Sounds great and no leaks that I can hear.
I have them just only on the inlet side of mufflers so I can take my head pipes off to get to the transmission easier. BTW I have a Gardner Exhaust.
I used the stepped band clamps on my 68 where the TA downpipes met up with my Torque Tech pipes. They worked great, no leaks.
Yeah we sell those . Seem fine . Actually some of the school bus garages request them . And the butt clamps are nice for separating the pipes . And as a high end red neck exhaust fix if you have a cracked pipe or a rust hole you can coat some fiberglass cloth with muffler cement , put it on the pipe then install band clamp over that . Solid and lasts . Fixed a $600 Toyota V6 cat converter that way .
I have them on the green car. They've been awesome up until my burnout caused violent shaking, the exhaust came loose in the burnout box, and I subsequently got kicked off the track at the gs nationals making me hate these cars.
They are widely used in the big truck world and the eurotrash cars. I'm not sure they have much of an advantage besides lightening your wallet. Supposedly it's easier to separate the pipe over a standard clamp. Usually if i'm taking them apart i'm replacing parts anyway!
I got clamps on my dodges exhaust. I put coppercote on both sides to ensure I can take them apart without much trouble.
Has anybody used V-band clamps on their exhaust system? I like the concept https://www.deedsengineering.com/v-band/
I use them everywhere I feel that I will need to pull the pipes apart some day(which is plenty). Such as at an H-pipe in between the sides and at the muffler inlets, sometimes outlets. Always nice to be able to partially remove an exhaust system if the trans needs to come out or a muffler change. One thing I learned to get them to grab better is to make sure the outside of the pipe's inlet edge is not flaired/ridged at all. Grind it down until it is the same height as the rest of the pipe. Also they really need to be installed with some kind of impact driver to really get them clamped on tight. A ratchet/wrench will work but they really need to be stretched out on the pipe. I'm not sure if there is a torque spec but I really hit them hard with the impact. Front exhaust system for my '76. Please note that off the headers that is 3.5" around the bend and then goes down to 3" as it enters the X-pipe. The bends just before the mufflers are actually going up about an inch or two to get the mufflers a little higher. I like to keep the clamp bolts to the inside of the pipes to give it a cleaner look from the outside. My '69 has some of the same stuff with 2.5" pipe and an H-pipe.
They will (up to a point) re-form if removed and re-installed. I like them from the stand point they dont crush the pipe/s making removal easier. They are pricey tho. I think they dont "clamp" as tight tho, so if you have alot of movement going on, they will loose their grip.
