David......I am referring to tube wall thickness. The lower the gauge # the thicker the metal is. Therefore 14G is thicker than 16G. Most manufacturers use 16g or 18g. The headers Ron has been making have been 14g though, which is harder to find and quite a bit more expensive apparently.
Like everything else there are Pro's and Con's to using 14g.
Pro's
less likely to warp
last longer - heat can eat through tubing as rust....just saw an exhaust system that looked like new from the outside but where it was HOT at the bends near the headers the metal was paper thin.
tougher to dent if you smacked it with a rock, or a curb.....as unlikely as that may be in this case.
Con's
heavier
slightly reduced inner diameter - due to thicker wall of the tubing. Its a very small amount, but its there.
initial cost is much higher
harder on the tooling
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