Silicone vs Rubber for couplings

[kyle1911]

I am running out of cash to get my engine back in. What would be the adverse effects if I were to use rubber(from a radiatorhose) instead of silicone?

[DRIFTEADOR]

they take less pressure to blow off, and i'm guessing since you have no money for silicone you probably have no money for t-bolt clamps.

[hysteria]

it will be fine as a temporary fix, just make sure you have rubber that will withstand high heat... a lot of stuff from home depot will melt all over your turbo.

[ILikeMy240sx]

I think silicone will last longer than rubber... and probably higher strength as well. Rubber will harden and crack alot quicker than silicone

[hannibal]

Ive read about guys using radiator hose as a cheap solution. Doesnt sound like a bad idea, especially if you plan to replace it with silicone before upping the boost. I assume that rubber would expand/flex more under boost than silicone would.

[nissanfanatic]

I wouldn't advise using the hardware store rubber couplings. This is what happened to mine after 500 miles and boosting occasionally.



This one connected my compressor housing to the hotpipe. Seems to be under the most stress so if you decide to use rubber couplers, at least do a silicone coupler here. I got all my couplers and T-bolts from http://www.hightempsilicone.com Its a very cool site. I would never go without again esp considering you will spend more replacing those rubber couplers every so often rather than spending $9 once and never replacing again. They look much better as well. Good luck

[:: orion ::]

Regular radiator hose may not be ideal...but the big-rig truck radiator hose is MUCH, MUCH stronger than ANY silicone coupler I've come across.

You buy it at NAPA for close to $1/inch for 3" ID...but it's well worth it. Good stuff.

Comes in .25" increments IIRC, up to 4".

- Brian

[hysteria]

interesting.... what about reducers and such?

any chance you could give an exact link?

[blubottlemax]

Ive never seen reducers. You can make your own 45's and 90's by just buying a piece meant for another application (they sell prebent) and trimming it down to what you need. I am using some right now. Most places just call it heater hose. I have a few connections that I needed to make, but I'm going to replace them with silicone eventually. Just go to your local autoparts store or look up a peterbilt or kenworth dealer in your area.

[kyle1911]

Good stuff, I am plannign on using rad hoses from a local shop 'parts for trucks' its a big-rig shop.

Thx

[WDRacing]

I used radiator hose tubing on my Skyline and laid down 498 WHP at 28psi for quite a long time.

Good and cheap, great combo.

[Chingon]

yep, yep...just make sure it's aramid reinforced. The blown pipe posted obviously wasn't. They have braided fiber in them..lot's of them.

[RMiller]

Radiator hose is totally fine. The home depot couplers (like the one in the pic above) will pop like a mother. I busted one at about 13 psi, they blow up like balloons, but I don't think they melt.