IC piping question
 

Im in the process of ordering 2.5" piping for my IC. My question is - which material is preferred to use - Mild steel or Aluminized steel? Also, whats the diff?
And
Would (2) 180 degree, (2) 90 degree (2) 45 degree (1) 3ft. str. length suffice?
BTW its going on a 91 Civic w/a D16a6.
Thanks.

Re: IC piping question
 

Aluminized steel is mild steel with a thin coat of aluminum on it. This prevents the steel from rusting.

Re: IC piping question
 

I rock the mild steel for my IC pipes. If you paint the outside of it, then that should stop any rusting. Exhaust I use aluminzed.

Re: IC piping question
 

I'd go with aluminized, which is what I used, no rust.

Re: IC piping question
 

I use mild steel because I weld my piping together. Easier to weld and you don't have to prep the weld surface by removing the alum coating first. Then just paint it after. You probably have to do some welding, unless you're just going to put couplers on everything. BTW, if you are welding the bends then you might as well buy all 180* bends and cut the angles you need. Pretty easy and much cheaper. I would just buy four 180 degree bends. That would cover all the bends you need, plus some extra just in case.

Re: IC piping question
 

Welding aluminized is the same as welding mild steel.

I would never use mild steel for charge piping. When you humid or wet weather moisture will accumulate inside of your charge piping. That will result in surface rust. Eventually, that surface rust will blow off the tubing and into your intake manifold, then combustion chamber. Do you really want little chunks of rust going through your engine??

Re: IC piping question
 

Good stuff fellas. Thanks!

Re: IC piping question
 

I know it wasnt a choice... but i would use (actually i did) aluminum tubing.... Not only will it NOT rust inside or out, but the heat dissapation properties of aluminum are far better than steel, adding to the dispersment of the heat produced by compressing air. Kinda like an extended ntercooler of sorts. It does help, I tried. It worked, not that ya care but i got oine opf those "kits" off of ebay... like 130 shipped. Really pretty pipes too...Polished and ----.

2 45s
2 70s
2 90s
and two straight. 14" lengths. came with couplers (Cheap) and clamps (worm drive) too. I didnt use those, but you may be able too.....

Re: IC piping question
 

I received my charge pipes from Racing Solutions. Ive got aluminized steel 2.5". and it is heavy, After I picked up the shipping box it arrived in I said to myself aluminum would have been a better choice to save some weight. But anyhow the price was right, and I'm planning on welding the pipes together.

Re: IC piping question
 

I seriouslly think that for most of our applications, the difference would be so negligable that opting for aluminum based solely on the idea that it will keep it cooler because the metal changes temps quicker is stupid. Heck, I know when I open up my hood it's like a heater sometimes because the exhaust mani gets so hot. If that's the case, then I'd think the aluminum would heat up unless it's in some direct path of moving air.

Also, Aluminzed piping, isn't that coating only on the outside of the pipe? So for the one who said they used Aluminzed, and mild steel sucks because the inside will rust, I'd think you'rs would rust just as much as mine. BTW, my uncoated mild steel piping still has no rust.

Re: IC piping question
 

Actually the main reason i picked aluminum is the non rusting characteristics of the metal. After time mild steel WILL rust.. In my post i mentioned that the heat dissapation characteristics of aluminum is a bonus. it is. period. You cant argue it, also weight savings is another bonus. PERIOD. You cant argue it....iT BEING THE BEST CHOICE, AS I MENTIONED....my opinion.

even when my hot side pipe is warm (it runs right over my mani with only a few inches clearance before going down the side of the radiator), the last 1/2 of my IC and my cold side pipe are actually cold to the touch... Indicating tome that I did something RIGHT.

Oh ya, you can tig aluminum too...so dont let having to weld hold ya back ;D

Re: IC piping question
 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong please, but this is just my thoughts on it.

Aluminum has good heat dissipating characteristics, and your piping is cold to the touch when you touch it. How I understand this, is that aluminum is not a real good insulator, it changes temp quickly to conform to it's environment. You have hot air going through a pipe, so the aluminum warms up as well and lets that heat out. Now say your Upper pipe going to your TB is aluminum, and you have fairly hot under hood temps(like my car does). The air went through the intercooler, and so the air in that pipe cooler then the temperature under your hood. Now, wouldn't that do the exact opposite? Wouldn't the bad insulating aluminum allow some of that heat back in?

Again I still think this difference is going to be so negligable on cars at our level that it's not even worth arguing. That's why I say choosing aluminum because it's going to make the air cooler is not why you should choose it. It is nice because it's light and will not rust. But I personally can't weld aluminum, nor do I have personal access to a welder that can weld aluminum. I chose mild steel. The exterior will be coated to prevent rust, I welded it all up at home with a MIG, and it was cheap and easy to deal with. My BOV flange was mild steel, my tb flange was mild steel, so they all welded on nicely since they were all the same material. My previous car also had Mild Steel piping on it with a shitty spray paint coating. I still had no issues with it rusting on the outside or the inside.

Just my opinion on it. Not saying I'm right and your wrong. To each his own

Re: IC piping question
 

In most stock turbocharged cars I've seen, usually everything from the air filter to the engine is made of either ABS plastic, EPDM rubber, or aluminum.

If used anywhere in the intake stream, mild steel will eventually flake off and work its way through the IC and into the engine.... Yummy!

Aluminized steel is marginally better, but is only rust resistant, not rust proof. There's only an aluminum coating a couple microns thick...

Aluminum is fine for the lower charge air pipes, but if you route aluminum pipes over the engine into the throttle body, you'll absorb engine bay heat into the system. You'll negate much of the benefits of intercooling...

ABS and EPDM have to be custom molded, so those often won't work. The stock ones from Saab, Volvo, etc. are also 60mm (2 3/8 inch), which won't allow connection with 2.5 inch tubing.

Mandrel bent stainless is also a good choice because it doesn't rust and transmits heat less than aluminum. It's expensive, though. Silicone tubing is easy to get, but you need to make sure that you use at least three-ply silicone that can hold pressure.

In my system, I use a combo of stainless and silicone from truck radiator hose. You can get 3" lengths on Ebay for real cheap and use those to cut connectors. It's not glossy like the expensive crap, but it holds pressure better. (200 psi)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...install001.jpg


http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...b092805001.jpg

Re: IC piping question
 

Nice silicone. :D Ebay linky?

Re: IC piping question
 

No direct link....sorry!

For a couple of weeks, I just used a series of Ebay searches:

silicone hose
radiator hose
truck radiator hose
Flexfab (which is the manufacturer)

Took a while, but I snagged two big pieces for about $30 each.

Re: IC piping question
 

Word! I was justposting my opinion to, not trying to be an ass hat :-*

Re: IC piping question
 

Woohoo. Found 3 feet of 2.25" flexfab for 11$ + shipping on the bay. Took a while, the seller misspelled every word. :1

Re: IC piping question
 

Shhhhhh....Don't tell anyone. It's our secret.

Let the sad clowns pay $3 per coupler for the shiny ----....

Mwwwwwaaaaahhhhhhh.....

Re: IC piping question
 

daaaaaaang man that red saab is clean haha..my mom has a turbo saab and it goes man..just stock but its still fun to drive..

Re: IC piping question
 

That's my old engine....250 whp/300 wtq

It's coming out this week and a 2.3L is going in there, with a GT3071R turbo....That's an easy 400 whp/450 wtq....

Best thing is that it will look absolutely stock!