Aluminum vs. Steel vs. Stainless piping

[ehacker01]

which is the best to make intercooler piping out of? Steel retains heat really well which I have also heard dissipates less into the intake air. Also aluminum dissipates really well meaning the intake charge will heat up because of the aluminum letting off heat. What are you guys using and all costs aside which would you prefer?

[modestmouse]

I would do stainless. There's nothing finer. Some people are going to ***** about the weight, but you can't beat something that can't rust. I'd like aluminum too though. Picture aluminum pipe with a heatproof wrap on it. That would look so cool. Whatever, all I can afford is mild steel.

[JDMEnthused]

hmm im thinking a mix but.. thats not really cheap. its out there though, light AND something that cant rust, im sure.. just gotta find it. i would do stainless though, even though i love **** that weighs like nothing ( aluminum)

[Fenvy]

you need carbon fiber piping

[Sky240PWR]

you need carbon fiber piping

you're joking right?

[krayton]

you need carbon fiber piping

agreed

if no money id go with that

otherwise im running steel due to money and welding abilities

[Fenvy]

I was kidding

[Sky240PWR]

ok well how much should something like this cost(just the circled part), It is an aluminum 2/5” pipe custom made

[Fenvy]

hot pipe? local shop will charge you 50 to 100$ including the flange

anyrthing beyond that is too expensive

I think enjuku or heavy throttle may have one premade already for alittle more

[zippitta]

I would personally go with aluminum. And as long as you took care of it, you wont have a problem with corrosion. Steel is just soooo heavy. As long as you can hook up with the right people you could get all of your piping done for under 100. Got mine for free(it is nice to have a $750,000 mandrel bender in your shop )

[NISMO_RB25]

titanium if money is no object.

[Wulfgang]

The heating/cooling thing is BS because there are too many ways to look at it. If you're running boost all the time, then of course you want aluminum since it will continuously cool the charge by conducting heat to the ambient air, and it will do so at a faster rate than steel or cf.

But then if you look at the IC and piping as a transient device... like a heat sink instead of a continuous cooling device, then it does not matter what you use. Sure, the aluminum will dump back more heat into the charge, but that's AFTER you come off boost. While you're on boost, it will be absorbing heat at a faster rate than either mild or stainless steel (or cf). So it's hard to compare.

And then there is surface finish, which would have to be equal to do make any real comparison.

And paint. And anodization. Etc.

[Sky240PWR]

well I asked about the ic pipong in the pic cause I'm buying his settup, and thats why I wanted to know how much is that piece worth(in the circle), he said it's aluminum so whats the most you guys would pay for it?(just the ic piping in the circle)

[BoostFab]

aluminum is widely preferred because it disperse heat faster than steel, and light weight. that's why you see everything from intercooler, radiator, etc are aluminum based

use mild steel if you're on the budget.

[SillyRB]

aluminum is widely preferred because it disperse heat faster than steel, and light weight. that's why you see everything from intercooler, radiator, etc are aluminum based

use mild steel if you're on the budget.

Yesh sir, aluminum all the way !

[dekand]

aluminum would be preferred obviously BUT since a lot of rb piping is gonna be custom if you dont get some kind of kit (hyrbid is the only one i think) its gonna be hard to do with aluminum since its hard to find a good aluminum welder and its gonna cost a lot more... unless you like the idea of a lot of silicone couplers lol

[ehacker01]

well I can easily weld aluminum with my mig. I was asking the question from a purely performance standpoint. I think when I redo mine w/ a forward facing plenum it will be aluminum.

[Spazz]

hate to be a stickler but the differences between all 3 of them vs heat wise is going to be so small... typical wall thickness is what, .050" ?? go with what you know how to weld and whats cheaper and easier to do, its like deciding to add an amp or an amp with subs. 304 stainless vs mild, take stainless everytime, road salt makes short work of mild steel.

[Wulfgang]

.... 304 stainless vs mild, take stainless everytime, road salt makes short work of mild steel.

That's why your car has paint. Don't use mild steel without painting it.

[Spazz]

That's why your car has paint. Don't use mild steel without painting it.

it will still rust even with paint, paint just slows it down. Steel on your car has been made to resist corrosion, its much different than what youd find in a shop.

[Dano]

I clicked on this thread thinking it would be a mindless arguement on weight savings and watnot... but this actually is a decent technically oriented thread, props

+1 for aluminum.

-Dan

[ehacker01]

Ok, so the consensus is: no real performance gains for either when on a daily car...just work with what you got. What if it was a strip only car? I am turboing my BBC malibu which will have a powerglide, transbrake, etc. It will be strip only. Would aluminum be best?

[Spazz]

run whats going to handle the amount of psi you have on your car , and what you want to have for in the future. if you want the best, look for aircraft grade aluminum alloy. if your wallets kinda empty, you cant go wrong with 1015 mild steel, just make sure you get seamless tubing.Jon

[Carl H]

i made my ic piping out of mild steel and had it coated with ceramic stuff at a local shop, works well and was easy to work with.AL would have been nice but i was quoted 600$ in parts and labour to do piping and i said fork that.

[zippitta]

it will still rust even with paint, paint just slows it down. Steel on your car has been made to resist corrosion, its much different than what youd find in a shop.

Just as a correction, paint does prevent corrosion. As long as there are no defects in the paint, the steel will never corrode. There are 4 parts to a corrosion cell anode, cathode, metal path, and an electrolyte. Remove one and corrosion stops. Because the only thing that you can really remove is the electrolyte. So by painting the metal, it prevents contact from the electrolyte.

[Sky240PWR]

Just as a correction, paint does prevent corrosion. As long as there are no defects in the paint, the steel will never corrode. There are 4 parts to a corrosion cell anode, cathode, metal path, and an electrolyte. Remove one and corrosion stops. Because the only thing that you can really remove is the electrolyte. So by painting the metal, it prevents contact from the electrolyte.

PPPPllzzzz!!!!....who didn't know that!!

jk, I didn't!!..lol