Intercooler piping solutions

[Mr Ed]

Before the intercooler, yes. After the intercooler, the air in the pipes should be cooler than the air in the engine bay.

Ideally, you'd want aluminium pipes to the cooler, then coated stainless from the cooler to the plenum.

Realistically, it will probably make bugger all difference, I suggest mild for price or aluminium for weight.

Thanks.

[mullett]

Really? That's something *else* I didn't know...Is there a designation for this steel, or is it just 'exhaust tubing'. Or is this a stupid alloy that is all a big joke and I can't see it

especially proper exhaust tubing, which is mild steel with aluminium in it

[JustCallMeOrlando]

No really, have you ever wondered how come factory exhausts last so long without corroding? Given they don't have the IC pipings protection in terms of an oil film? They get the water coming out of the cat on the inside, the water coming from being near the road

[mullett]

Makes sense indeed, that's cool. So if you buy proper exhaust tubing from an exhaust shop, is this what you'll get? or do you have to aks for it?

RM.

[roadsailing]

(the following is all AFAIK)

exhaust shop pipe is mild steel that is aluminised, its coated in aluminium, it doesnt have it "in" it. it will still rust when the alluminium falls off, just not quickly.

but they always use it, there isn;t any point them stocking shit that will rust as it wont be much cheaper and joe public will just come back in 30 years when his exhaust rusts out from under his commo and want a refund.

get some, paint it black on the outside and be happy.

[Ben Wilson]

It's just a coating, aluminium alloyed with the steel* could make it very weird to weld. It rusts in a heartbeat around welds (where the alloy has burned off).

* I'm not even sure if it's possible, have we a metallurgist in the house?

[JustCallMeOrlando]

* I'm not even sure if it's possible, have we a metallurgist in the house?

Haha, yeah we do. C'mon Stew

[mullett]

It's just a coating, aluminium alloyed with the steel* could make it very weird to weld. It rusts in a heartbeat around welds (where the alloy has burned off).

* I'm not even sure if it's possible, have we a metallurgist in the house?

That's what I was wondering...it seems like a very strange alloy...

RM.

[RA23]

It's just a coating, aluminium alloyed with the steel* could make it very weird to weld. It rusts in a heartbeat around welds (where the alloy has burned off).

* I'm not even sure if it's possible, have we a metallurgist in the house?

I'm not a metallurgist, but I know that aluminium is used in some steels to prevent oxidation, up to about 1.5%. Especially in high temperature steel alloys (e.g. for exhausts?) Sorry, I don't know the designations.

[mullett]

Mmmm, so I hear. Bah, I got a price today on some stainless bends. Hi-pol, 2", $12 each. 2.5", $17.

Laughing!

RM.

[Ben Wilson]

If you're interested in aluminium, these guys seem to be the cheapest around. Very helpful on the phone too, I haven't actually bought anything from them yet.

[rollsy]

Ive had a couple of guys tell me that its okay to use normal radiator hose if your not running huge psi? wats your opinions on doing this?
cheers
rollsy

[oldcorollas]

Haha, yeah we do. C'mon Stew

ahem.. seems SBS is correct (from what i can vaguely tell) that they are coated...
at least for production/ mass produced crap... (but there are even caoted aluminized stainless steel pipes around)

there are steels with Al in them, and they are a little more expensive than coated tube (since it has to be made that way from the get go), which is what i was thinking of. i had thought they were up to a max of about 2 or 3%, but i can't (quickly) find any specs..

fwiw, i have some exhaust pipe that i have cut and ground... and it hasn't rusted in the weather... i have some stuff from a different supplier that DID rust around the welds and the cuts... (leading me to think some places use the cheaper coated stuff).. and i have some other mandrel bends... from a well known place in liverpool.... that rusted before i even started to cut it so some exhaust tubing is complete crap but thats just my empirical data...

i guess you could easily tell by cutting a tube and leaving it outside for a few weeks

[hybridaddy]

ahem.. seems SBS is correct (from what i can vaguely tell) that they are coated...
at least for production/ mass produced crap... (but there are even caoted aluminized stainless steel pipes around)

there are steels with Al in them, and they are a little more expensive than coated tube (since it has to be made that way from the get go), which is what i was thinking of. i had thought they were up to a max of about 2 or 3%, but i can't (quickly) find any specs..

fwiw, i have some exhaust pipe that i have cut and ground... and it hasn't rusted in the weather... i have some stuff from a different supplier that DID rust around the welds and the cuts... (leading me to think some places use the cheaper coated stuff).. and i have some other mandrel bends... from a well known place in liverpool.... that rusted before i even started to cut it so some exhaust tubing is complete crap but thats just my empirical data...

i guess you could easily tell by cutting a tube and leaving it outside for a few weeks

the stuff you call complete crap is good to weld.
the aluminized stuff is terrible to weld.

ben im glad you like the link i posted before

[mullett]

Yep, a nice, simple mild steel will be really nice to weld. The coating would burn off for sure, but what about the actual alloys? Of course, you'd have to weld with an alloy rod/wire, but does that actually work? AFAIK, you can also weld stainless with mild wire and vice versa quite happily, but of course the mild will rust...

RM.