Ferritic stainless steel is the cheapest form of steel and hence it is favored for manufacturing automotive exhaust components.
Welding stainless steel exhaust.
Stainless steel exhaust i worked at delphi auto systems we used 409stainless for our converters.
We had 98 2 mixture 985argon 2 oxygen i was a tig repair welder i used 3 32 filler wire you do not alot of heat for this metal.
Its definitely not a good idea.
The answer to your first question is yes you can mig weld thin gauge stainless steel in a short circuit mode with compact type 120v or 230v input power mig welders see example in figure 1 the machine would have the same amperage and resulting material thickness capability with stainless steel as it does with carbon steel.
We have proof right here.
For thicker base pieces step up to 035 inch to 045 inch welding wire.
Is it ok to weld stainless steel exhaust tubing with carbon steel mig wire.
For a corrosion resistant completed weld use one of the 400 series stainless steel wires such as a1490.
Work done on a chevy s10 pickup truck.
The widely used stainless steel is the type 304 stainless steel as they are also referred to as surgical stainless steel as it contains a maximum of 20 of chromium and 10 of nickel.
For mig welding stainless steel a shielding gas mixture that s 90 percent helium 7 5 percent argon and 2 5 percent carbon dioxide is generally ideal.
For most jobs welding stainless steel you ll want to use 030 inch diameter stainless steel welding wire.
Stainless exhaust is sometimes made from 304 stainless but there are also quite a few exhaust components that use 400 series stainless like 409.