Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping
03-16-2005, 11:30 AM
#3
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Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (nutzurchin)
Aluminum:
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction
03-16-2005, 11:32 AM
#4
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Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (beepy)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by beepy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Aluminum:
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction</TD></TR></TABLE>
Word. I'm redoing my I/C piping in aluminum at some point, but I originally bought stainless.
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction</TD></TR></TABLE>
Word. I'm redoing my I/C piping in aluminum at some point, but I originally bought stainless.
03-16-2005, 11:33 AM
#5
Member
Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (nutzurchin)
Turbocharged Engine bays get really hot so ---
SS would be preferable.
Ceramic coated Aluminum would be best because of weight reduction. SS is heavy.
You want to loose your heat through the intercooler not the IC piping. AL IC piping can get heatsoaked just like Intake Manifolds do with the heat found in the engine bay.
This is one of the huge advantages of the AIR CF IM! CF has a very low specific heat compared to AL so it won't get heat soaked and transfer that heat to your intake charge!
SS would be preferable.
Ceramic coated Aluminum would be best because of weight reduction. SS is heavy.
You want to loose your heat through the intercooler not the IC piping. AL IC piping can get heatsoaked just like Intake Manifolds do with the heat found in the engine bay.
This is one of the huge advantages of the AIR CF IM! CF has a very low specific heat compared to AL so it won't get heat soaked and transfer that heat to your intake charge!
03-16-2005, 11:44 AM
#6
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Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (dasher)
how about powder coated aluminum pipes? would people be willing to spend the kind of money for that?
03-16-2005, 11:47 AM
#7
Honda-Tech Member
i thought stainless steel had better thermal properties due to it being thicker and drawing heat away from a core,
kinda like a thermal shroud on a gun tube, or hence a thicker barrel on a competition shooting rifle. these are properties we use in the military
kinda like a thermal shroud on a gun tube, or hence a thicker barrel on a competition shooting rifle. these are properties we use in the military
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03-16-2005, 11:52 AM
#9
Member
Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (beepy)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by beepy »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Aluminum:
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction</TD></TR></TABLE>
Last Time I checked AL tubing bends were the same price as 304 SS tubing bends.
Please keep in mind that the high thermal conduction properties found in AL absorb heat from the Intake charge and take in heat likewise from the engine bay.
The only thermoconductive advantage I see would be to use AL on the "hotside" IC tubing and the potential benefits found here would be very small because of these 2 reasons:
1) Very little surface area in tubing.
2) Thermoconduction works best when their is a greater temperature differentiation and the hot air is exposed the greatest amount of surface area a soon as possible. This means that if you introduce a cooler charge to the IC the IC wont work as hard.
pros:
1) Lightweight
2) High thermal conduction
3) Easy to polish
4) Inexpensive
cons:
1) Difficult to weld
Stainless:
pros:
1) Easy to polish
2) Easier to weld
cons:
1) Expensive
2) Heavy
3) Low thermal conduction</TD></TR></TABLE>
Last Time I checked AL tubing bends were the same price as 304 SS tubing bends.
Please keep in mind that the high thermal conduction properties found in AL absorb heat from the Intake charge and take in heat likewise from the engine bay.
The only thermoconductive advantage I see would be to use AL on the "hotside" IC tubing and the potential benefits found here would be very small because of these 2 reasons:
1) Very little surface area in tubing.
2) Thermoconduction works best when their is a greater temperature differentiation and the hot air is exposed the greatest amount of surface area a soon as possible. This means that if you introduce a cooler charge to the IC the IC wont work as hard.
03-16-2005, 11:57 AM
#10
Member
Re: (mrbsponge)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mrbsponge »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i thought stainless steel had better thermal properties due to it being thicker and drawing heat away from a core,
kinda like a thermal shroud on a gun tube, or hence a thicker barrel on a competition shooting rifle. these are properties we use in the military</TD></TR></TABLE>
SS has poor thermoconductivity and should be considered an insulator.
Mild steel has much better thermoconductivity but not as much as AL.
The thickness of the tubing does effect the "thermal storage" and thermoconductivity. This is really a non-issue because we are comparing AL tubing with SS tubing and not AL tubing with SS pipe.
kinda like a thermal shroud on a gun tube, or hence a thicker barrel on a competition shooting rifle. these are properties we use in the military</TD></TR></TABLE>
SS has poor thermoconductivity and should be considered an insulator.
Mild steel has much better thermoconductivity but not as much as AL.
The thickness of the tubing does effect the "thermal storage" and thermoconductivity. This is really a non-issue because we are comparing AL tubing with SS tubing and not AL tubing with SS pipe.
03-16-2005, 11:58 AM
#11
Member
Re: Stainless Steel or Aluminum I/C piping (nutzurchin)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nutzurchin »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how about powder coated aluminum pipes? would people be willing to spend the kind of money for that?</TD></TR></TABLE>
I sure hope not.
I sure hope not.
03-16-2005, 12:05 PM
#13
Member
Re: (b18bEG)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b18bEG »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how much more haevy is the SS as opposed to alum.?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Steel typically weighs 3 times more than AL.
Steel typically weighs 3 times more than AL.
03-16-2005, 12:09 PM
#15
Member
Re: (nutzurchin)
Thermal Ceramic Coating and powdercoating are 2 different things.
The powder coated pipes would be alright, but if you are going to do anything to the Al you may as well ceramic coat them for better themal protection.
The powder coated pipes would be alright, but if you are going to do anything to the Al you may as well ceramic coat them for better themal protection.
03-16-2005, 04:38 PM
#17
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Re: (anthonycn)
Aluminum is more difficult to weld when it's thin. People like thin pipes, and it would suck to spend about $300 on a nice set of pipes and drop a wrench on them and put a big dent in them. Stainless is much more durable, and easier to weld. It also will hold a polish job much better.
Aluminum may be lighter, but hell......are you aren't worried about the extra 40lbs that your factory seats add to the car, why worry about 5 extra lbs in piping?
Not only that, but if you want to top in a bov, it's much easier to do in stainless.
Aluminum also will soak heat from the engine bay....and then your intake air will get hotter. In other words, you want something that does NOT transfer heat well.
My vote would be 16ga stainless.
Aluminum may be lighter, but hell......are you aren't worried about the extra 40lbs that your factory seats add to the car, why worry about 5 extra lbs in piping?
Not only that, but if you want to top in a bov, it's much easier to do in stainless.
Aluminum also will soak heat from the engine bay....and then your intake air will get hotter. In other words, you want something that does NOT transfer heat well.
My vote would be 16ga stainless.
03-16-2005, 08:42 PM
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Re: (Engloid)
wow anthony just told me the prices of these new kits. seriously, him and all his fellow asians are taking over this world one pipe at a time. 
03-17-2005, 08:01 AM
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Re: (SSBPGSR)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SSBPGSR »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> him and all his fellow asians are taking over this world one pipe at a time. </TD></TR></TABLE>
your one of his fellow asians assbog
</TD></TR></TABLE>your one of his fellow asians assbog
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