Aluminized steel vs. stainless steel

[shralp]

My muffler rusted so badly that it isn't connected to my mid-pipe anymore. I'm looking at buying a flowmaster 80-series muffler (aluminized steel) to save some $. I'm wondering how badly aluminized steel holds up to New England winters vs. stainless steel. My other option is an HKS Legamax which is stainless steel but much more expensive (includes the mid-pipe though).

 

[EG3]

Aluminized steel has a layer of aluminum to protect against rust but that doesn't hold up as good as stainless in NE winters. The aluminum layer would "dissolve" with all the salt and humidity we have. On the other side, aluminized is lighter and cheaper and as durable as stainless to deformation. Basically, my choice would be to go with stainless. Even if you don't plan to keep your FX for 5 years or more, the savings between the stainless mufflers and aluminized is not that much..