well the good thread on intercoolers has me rethinking my setup.

besides the weight differences, what are the pros or cons of picking one metal over the other for intercooler piping? for conversations sake, lets pretend that piping diameter and routing around the engine bay are the same so they can be removed as variables

i know aluminum is good at dissipating heat, but at the same time, shouldn't it heat up faster too? just tossing some ideas around here...

 

I've been wracking my brain on this one.

Aluminum does gain/lose heat faster than steel. If the engine bay is warmer than the air charge inside the pipe, it could add heat to the air inside; however, if the air charge inside the pipe is warmer than the surrounding air, it would lose heat to the surrounding air.

Having said that, i dont know that charge air spends enough time in contact with the piping for it to have a measurable effect on anything. I'm interested to see what others have to say...

 

Aluminum all around is better. It doesn't rust, it's lighter - less stress on couplings, doesn't retain heat like steel, ect...

Steel's advantage is purely cost effective. It's typically easier and cheaper to install (think welding). Less options for flanges as most are aluminum though.

Aluminum can potentially oxide, but this takes a long time in the enviroment they are in; it is also softer and can take less abuse. Then again, if you are hitting it hard enough to cause leaks you would be ruinimg steel too...

My vote - Aluminum.

 

I've personally run both and there is no performance difference from steel to aluminum tubing. Steel is fine if aluminized coating and then paint exterior so wont rust. Cheaper but heavier. Aluminum is softer so can be rubbed through alot easier than steel. I currently have aluminum tubing in my car though

 

im currently using steel that i have painted grey. i do have a small issue with iat and engine bay temps in general. not excessive but a bit higher than i like.

yesterday i picked up a piping kit for a good deal, just have to order the bov flange and head over to my friends house to use his tig welder. the shine of the aluminum should actually reflect some of the infrared heat waves.

schister, you do raise a great point about the air possibly not being in the charge pipe long enough to heat up

 

Steels alot easier for the DIY'er with a mig welder and a show saw

 

Dont forget the washer welded to the vice grips for the DIY bead roll aswell on thin enough steel

 

I would have to agree for the reasons stated above.

 

When my friend fab'd the aluminum piping for mine, he was able to weld the aluminum faster than the steel piping for the downpipe. Both were 3" OD.

A weakness of the aluminum piping is that you can crush the end easier while tightening a T-bolt clamp if you aren't careful.

 

That's only if using low grade aluminum like under T5 tensile strength. The reputable companies don't use that cheapo stuff. And if things are rubbing up against it to eventually rub through, that's a fitment issue, not an issue based on material

 

That's a material "quality" issue. A better grade ( "thicker") aluminum wouldnt have that problem

Agreed

 

Im an advocate of steel mainly because I can weld up whatever I need easily and its dirt cheap. Been running it for years (piping is about 5 years old total from previous owner) and it has maybe slight superficial rust on the inside.

 

aluminum! advantages; dissipate heat faster, and if you use water/methanol injection like I and some people do, aluminum will not rust with the excess moisture. looks better. what else?

disadvantages; cost more to weld, not everyone has the provision to weld it themselves, corrodes in salty environment, but not as fast as steel rust.

 

The only advantage of steel is that most people can weld it themselves.

Aluminum > Steel IMO

 

Aluminum.

If you're using mild steel for your intercooler piping I seriously have nothing to say. It will rust on the inside, and eventually break off and go into your engine. If you're trying to MIG it at home with a flux core you will undoubtedly get all sorts of stuff in your pipe that could ruin your engine. Doesn't matter if you're using aluminized or not, your weld joints will ALWAYS rust.

Stainless steel is another option, but it's expensive and if you don't backpurge it while you weld it will sugar and that's just as bad as rusting.

Aluminum welds clean, there is nothing on the inside that can break off and go into your engine. It will never rust. It is much lighter and considerably better at dissipating heat than steel. Any shop that does TIG welding fabrication will be able to weld you a custom fit aluminum cooling system for the same price that they would TIG weld you a steel one. It will perform better, look better, and never rust.

The answer is aluminum kids, especially when you can get kits on ebay for < $100

 

Aluminum was soo much easier to work with too. Its easy to cut, shape, sand and then polish. Plus its so light you dont even need additional brackets to hold the piping.

 

thanks for your judgement. ive used steel piping since i boosted my first z6 in '04 and never seen any rust inside. then again have car attention deficit disorder and cant keep the same setup for more than a few years lol. all my welds are mig'd if i dont bring it over my friends house and tig it on his syncrowave.


in creating this thread one of the things i was curious about was how iat's would differ between the 2 materials, if at all.

 

I can promise you it will rust, especially where you weld, because the weld burns off any corrosion resistant coating and then adds clean metal right on top. It will absolutely rust in time.

As far as performance you will see no measurable difference, the air is not in the actual charge pipes long enough for our slow honda/GM/etc IAT sensors to pick up any slight advantage between one or the other.

 

I have this same disorder, can we create a society for this?

 

im tellin' you, ive had 9 different boosted engine/car setups. no wonder i could only afford a tiny *** house lol. thank god honda tech provides me a place to go and talk about my addiction