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I have both sets SE and regular, and Thunderheader.
Lots of people telling to use stock since SE leak... Now I'm confsed
What I take from everyone's comments is that the stock OEM tapered gaskets are the least finicky option, go together and come apart with relative ease, and are extremely leak free. The trade off for this is that once crushed, they restrict the flow of exhaust between the head and the pipe a bit, potentially reducing the available peak horsepower. On the other hand, the SE (or Cometic) are designed in a such a way that there is no exhaust restriction created by the gasket, and no associated loss of power. The trade off here is that it may take some fiddling to get a really good leak-free seal.
I guess the choice just comes down to which attributes are more important to each individual. For me, I selected an equal-length 2-into-1 pipe largely for the power characteristics, so I will try the SE gaskets first. If they seal well enough, I won't think about it again until the pipe has to come off for any reason!
I have a TH and have removed/installed it several times. In my experience, the SE gaskets leaked on two separate installs. I'm using the standard gasket now. Haven't tried cometic exhaust gaskets so can't offer an opinion on those. Make sure to re-tourque after riding a few hundred miles.
Best answer.
Just remember the exhaust flange bolts have a torque sequence and pretty low torque value, don't make the common mistake of over tightening the bolts.
It's like 110-120 inch pounds.
John I trust your recommendation, so which one would you go with? Stock gasket or the flat? I am in the same boat as the OP.
The type of exhaust gasket you use is most times based on the shape of the header. If it's a tapered header (like the new Bassani's) then you should use a tapered (stock) gasket.
Here is an example (photo stolen from another user) of a Bub exhaust I used to have that you SHOULD use SE flat style gaskets:
I ended up getting both styles at the dealer. I installed my new Bassani earlier this week, and went with the SE flat gaskets. I'm sure it's not a big difference, but it seemed like a shame to use a (slightly) more restrictive gasket after choosing a 2 into 1 pipe for it's power characteristics. The SE gaskets seated nicely in the heads and really don't look like they're going to leak. After install I used the "cigarette smoke" method of looking for leaks, and there didn't seem to be a problem. Same thing after a short check out ride. I'll just keep an eye on it over the next few weeks. If they do leak, I have the tapered gaskets to install...
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