intercooler pipework: alloy,stainless or mild?

[Z2TT]

Use Aluminum pipes.

[Duk]

I've made 2 sets of intercooler pipes and 1 inlet manifold from mild steel.
I use it because it's quite cheap and much easier for me to work with. Each time I've coated the inside, after thorough cleaning (typically bead blasting), with CRC Urethane Coat. This stuff is normally used inside electric motors but I use it because it gets around bends very well. Definitely rust free with tis stuff on the inside, even after many years of use.
1 thing you will notice with steel pipe work, is how heavy it is, for what it is. If you could get 1mm wall thickness pipe, that'd be great. But you can't, so aluminium will be heaps lighter!

[fixeruperer]

tho, the car is hotter more than cold, the benefits of having cooler pipes before a run doesnt help that much as in a few min its all going to be the same temp anyway (unless in a drag strip situation) or does aluminium pipes drop the temp while driving ?

[feral4mr2]

i'm a cheap ass and use aluminised mild steel exhaust pipe and bends. easy to cut, easy to weld. i paint the outside with heat proof paint and usualy have a rag with a light coating of eng oil on it to lightly smear in the inside and have i/c pipes i made back in 1999 that still look new. it isnt that heavy either.

for the HP most are all chasing on our daily's, w-end track hack, i dont see the need to spend a fortune finding someone to welding up some alloy when you can do it at home with the trusty stick and be more proud of making it all yourself.

[SHEPPO3930]

i have used all three materials - aluminium, mild steel and stainless steel.

the mild steel pipes never rusted internally, and the outsides were powder coated wrinkle black. the reason the pipes didn't rust internally I put down to the catch can breather vented into the pre-turbo pipe, thus there was always oily air being blasted through the intercooler and it's pipes. also note, the cost of getting mild steel pipes coated (be it powder coated, HPC, etc) usually ends up costing more than making them from stainless steel.

the stainless pipes had no issues, and wasn't much more expensive than mild steel (when you include powder coating), plus nearly any retard can TIG weld stainless (including me). they are a little heavier, but it's not really an issue.

the aluminium pipes were fantastic. looks trick when welded by someone skilled, light weight and polished looks sweet too. Downside to polishing them is to keep them looking nice, you have to give them a once-over with some polish every now and then. Also, costs a lot more to make from aluminium, and paying someone to weld them is usually higher than stainless (or mild steel).

IMO - just make the pipes out of whatever you can afford/get your hands on... and do a neat job!