Aluminium of stainless piping?

[BiGANG]

hey guys,

i was wondering, is there a better one to have when getting IC piping for a turbo. Whether one dissipates heat better or has some other advantage over another, cheers

[Scandrew]

Aluminium is probably best. May heat up quicker but also dissipates it quicker as well. Is also lighter then stainless.

[joyride]

also more expensive!

[LSD Motorsports]

There really isnt a huge difference as far as performance goes. We have many customers who have used stainless and Aluminum. If they are good quality Mandrel Bends then Both get the job done fine. Stainless is a bit heavier but the added weight is neglible. The Stainless does a better job of maintaining its show quality image over time then Aluminum. As far as heat dissapation goes, heat transfer is really neglible in the pipes because its moves through rather quickly and is usually exposed to hot air from exhaust gases. Heat transfer to the Atmosphere From the Intercooler is what makes the biggest difference, a good quality and good sized Intercooler is what is going to bring down air temps going into the manifold. Thats where one would consider heat.

[DJhonda]

stainless won't go white and powderly like Aluminium does with some chemicals and heat

[saxman]

both will work... both will get hot... there is some performance advatage to be found with using a pipe that won't soak up heat as much, but it's not huge...

I flew to the uk recently and a couple installs out there... one of the guys was using aluminum pipes he got as part of a "charge pipe kit". They ended up being really soft, and would actually crush if you tightened the hose connectors too much, was a bit of a pain, so make sure whatever you end up using can handle some pressure.

That said, I'll be doing my pipes over soon, and pipes for a few other people in solid carbon fiber. Way light and WAY better heat transfer characteristics than the metal pipes.

[LSD Motorsports]

Yes if Carbon Fiber is an option, it is highly recommended. It is just pricier then the AVG Aluminum/Stainless charge pipes. Any good aluminum pipe would not crush upon tightening of a coupler though.

[saxman]

making the pipes myself, so it's not too expensive... well, still more expensive than metal pipes... sleeve woven carbon isn't cheap... don't want any seams!

I know a good aluminum pipe won't, but since people sell some that do for use as charge pipes, it's something to watch out for

[ProECU]

saxman,
ive noticed you work with carbonfibre quite often to some succss.

Care to write up a DIY article for the benefit of all here?

[saxman]

saxman,
ive noticed you work with carbonfibre quite often to some succss.

Care to write up a DIY article for the benefit of all here?
I could do a basic right up... problem is there are a lot of details to it that will vary depending on the part being made, what method is being used, etc. I think most stuff is probably going to be a bit out of reach of most DIYer's, however, I have no problem documenting the process for all to see...

I'll be starting the pipes on tuesday or wednesday, and I'll take pictures as I'm going to give a step by step write up of how I do things.

[ProECU]

maybe if u show us how to make a bend of some sort, those keen could adapt the science to other designs

thx