Rubber/sillicon vs solid stainless/alloy radiator plumbing

[Sexc86]

Hey guys,
basically as the three title. What are the pros and cons of rubber type radiator hose vs a solid fabricated type eg stainless or alloy etc ? Disregarding price I was thinking that solid would have a much smaller deterioration rate as well you could incorporate a water temperature sensor etc but are there any specific cons about running solid radiator plumbing other then price ?

Regards Lyle

[dougie_504]

They absorb heat less than rubber but retain it longer. They're not flexible for if you need to play around in those little spaces.

How fast to the rubber ones deteriorate? I'm pretty sure both my cars are running their stock hoses and I would consider their deterioration to be pretty much negligible, no leaks or anything. I suppose the stainless ones would look sick though :D

[bennjamin]

Remember that silicon is most often used as the joining medium - there is still the alloy or steel pipe underneath and covers most of the silicone join

[Sexc86]

So what side of the fence you sit on benny ? Solid or flexible ?

[bennjamin]

Flexible only because they are indirectly linked to a partially rotating and pivoting lump of metal called an engine.
Pipes need to flex. Note radiator hoses are flexible as is oem airbox piping for example

if you have alloy/steel piping thru an entire intercooler circuit the constant pivoting and vibration and heat would render said joints brittle and eventually break

[Limbo]

you try and get as many solid piping as possible as the pipes don't expand under boost.
You only need a few rubber bits to allow for flex of engine and chassis movement and also where its not physically possible to have a single piece.

The amount of time the air spends in the pipes is nominal to heat it up.