I am about to change to a 3" v-band for my turbo exhaust side and was wondering does it really matter if you just by one of those Ebay v-band kits (with the flanges and clamp) or is there specific name brands that work better or something. I don't want a leak tryin to save a few bucks but if I can, I will

Also should I get mild steel or stainless?

 

Get whatever material the downpipe is made of.The turbo housing is cast so you can use either or on there.The trick is how you get it welded thats the tricky part welding to cast.

 

I've used 3 different kinds of v-bands...
And it most certainly matters.

Stainless werks: they are absolute garbage. They never, ever, fit right. and the actual clamp would always come loose.
On top of that. They were almost twice the price as the next company I'm about to mention.

Vibrant Performance: so far. I have found these to be the best quality pieces. I've never had a fitment issue and the price is pretty good. I really like working with these ones.

eBay: I've only used about half a dozen. Some worked alright. Some didn't.
I find anything off eBay is always a crap shoot.

I recommend vibrant v-bands

 

race parts solutions has the best price and the best quality that i have seen. they have a locator on the male flange and a recess on the female flange for perfect alignment. this is nice for the aluminum vbands on the ic because they also have an oring for a perfect seal.

they are half the price of vibrant.

 

Vibrants have all that too.
Just checked RPS and vibrant. RPS is definitely not half the cost lol
But at about $25 cheaper than vibrant. I'm going to give RPS a try!

 

it is about 25 bucks, haha. my mistake. 25 dollars x 4 or 5 for a whole build addes up.

 

Oh I forgot to mention that the turbo I am changing to already has a 3" V-Band exhaust side (its a Garrett turbo)- basically I am removing the 5 bolt flange from my 3" downpipe and gonna weld a 3" v-band to it. So will the 3" V-Band on the turbo housing mate to any 3" V-band and can I use any 3" V-band clamp with it? Thanx!

Here is an interesting link where some guy tried out the cheaper Ebay ones...

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/arti...-assembly.html

 

ive used chinese v-bands... the FLANGES are good enough, the CLAMPS are complete ****! they break, the bolts strip out, the nuts strip, the nylon wears out...

either i left them so loose the pipes would shift and move, and the clamps wouldnt break, OR they get get tight, nothing moves, but the clamp never comes off again.



since then ive used a vibrant v-band clamp and no issues what so ever. the quality is by far a million times better.

i heard the vibrant v-band FLANGES have locating rings in them to so they always line up 100%. seems like a good idea to me...



and before someone criticizes me for not knowing how to turn a wrench and thats why im ruining the clamps, you might be right... but thats even more reason to go vibrant. haha

 

LOL you are right about the clamps haha - I had a few T-Bolts bust on me and then I had to learn their "sweet spot" they work great but barely give you any room for overtightening unlike the quality clamps.

 

There is a seller by the name of wyntonm (google it) or something like that on ebay. I've bought a couple of his stainless v-bands with great results. His flanges are nice, but his other stuff is questionable.