Headers are available in various coatings. High heat resistant black paint is the most common and supplies good corrosion resistance and stealthy underhood look. Ceramic coatings are very corrosion resistant, increase exhaust velocity by keeping heat in the primary tube. Coated headers also provide a stunning underhood look. Chrome has a high luster finish and has very little corroson resistance capabilities.

Describes the outside diameter of the collector outlet. The larger a collector diameter is, the higher its mass flow potential will be with an inverse effect on velocity. Maintaining velocity is critical to supporting low-mid RPM performance and should be an important point to consider when choosing header collector size. For most V8 equipped vehicles with an exhaust system after the headers, 3" collectors are the limit for practical collector diameters. Dedicated drag race vehicles equipped with open headers can benefit from running larger (up to 4.5") and longer (between 16"-20") collectors than typically used on headers developed to be connected to an exhaust system.