stainless steel intercooler piping??

[slideways2004]

i know it is better to have aluminum intercooler piping. can someone explain to me why??

while tig welding, the aluminum stays hot for a lot longer than just stainless. so wouldn't it be better to have stainless pipes??

[LongGrain]

aluminum is lighter, dissipates heat better, and i'm pretty sure its cheaper..

[projectRDM]

i know it is better to have aluminum intercooler piping. can someone explain to me why??

while tig welding, the aluminum stays hot for a lot longer than just stainless. so wouldn't it be better to have stainless pipes??

What kind of car are you driving where overheated intercooler piping is a problem? The coldpipe will always be cooled down after the intercooler, the hotpipe will have a section in the open as well to catch airflow. Mild steel, cheap as shit. If you're really worried about heatsoak have them coated.

[S14DB]

I don't know the exact weight but after handing a Aluminum and a SS intercooler kit. The Aluminum piping is significantly lighter.

Aluminum is better at dissipating heat then Steel. General rule of thumb is that the lower the melting point the better the metal is at dissipating heat. The Aluminum stays hot cause it is transferring the heat out across the pipe better then the steel.

Really only the Intercooler should be transferring the heat. If you are concerned, get the aluminum piping and get it coated with a insulating coating such as Silicone Powder Coat.

[murda-c]

What's wrong with the piping losing heat?

[slideways2004]

I don't know the exact weight but after handing a Aluminum and a SS intercooler kit. The Aluminum piping is significantly lighter.

Aluminum is better at dissipating heat then Steel. General rule of thumb is that the lower the melting point the better the metal is at dissipating heat. The Aluminum stays hot cause it is transferring the heat out across the pipe better then the steel.

Really only the Intercooler should be transferring the heat. If you are concerned, get the aluminum piping and get it coated with a insulating coating such as Silicone Powder Coat.

i'm not that worried, i was just wondering b/c the aluminum stayed hot A LOT longer than the steel

p.s. i'm not talking about cheap ass mild steel. talking about tig welding stainless and aluminum

[S14DB]

The alum is absorbing more heat then the steel does.

[slideways2004]

ok cool. i'll probably just do aluminum. here's some of the stainless pieces we were practicing with. no filler rod was used on this piece

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/5771/hpim1017kg5.jpg

[jr_ss]

Stainless is always going to be the most expensive metal to buy besides ti and other rare metals. Not to mention it is a denser metal that aluminum( i.e. heavier).

Aluminum should cool down alot faster than any type of steel. Steel needs alot more heat to melt it. I weld and aluminum is cool to the touch after 10mins or so after tig welding it.

Steel corrodes alot faster than aluminum and is the last thing I would run in the car, but some kits use steel over aluminum, so it all depends on what you purchase.

[slideways2004]

Stainless is always going to be the most expensive metal to buy besides ti and other rare metals. Not to mention it is a denser metal that aluminum( i.e. heavier).

Aluminum should cool down alot faster than any type of steel. Steel needs alot more heat to melt it. I weld and aluminum is cool to the touch after 10mins or so after tig welding it.

Steel corrodes alot faster than aluminum and is the last thing I would run in the car, but some kits use steel over aluminum, so it all depends on what you purchase.

thanks for your input. I have run aluminum in ALL of my previous cars and have done well with it

[chituntang]

Alum is a lot lighter than SS, but it is not going to take heat away from air (talking about intake air temp. When air is traveling in that kind of speed, the piping is not going to cool the temperature down).

So for those guys talking about alum is better than SS pipping, you are saying that you can gain power simply changing pipping that is made of different material? I am calling BS.

I am not saying what you guys saying are wrong in terms of alum cools faster than SS.

In a computer, alum is used to transfer heat from a smaller area (the chip) to the alum (heatsink). Then air takes the heat away. For a FI engine, the piping is not a heatsink, it is a path for air to travel. The intercooler is the heatsink.

Remember that intake test they have before? That proves my point. It is the intake air temperature that makes the difference, not the piping, unless you use a torch to "cook" your piping. But then again, since air is moving, its temperature will never the same as the piping, and I mean lower.

[KA-T_240]

I have Stainless IC pipes. I am going to replace just the upper ones with AL. Only reason is because AL is ALOT easier to polish.

[S14DB]

I'm saying the weight is what matters in the piping not the heat dissipation. Like I said, The Intercooler is to transfer the heat. I said to go with aluminum for the weight savings not the heat transfer.

If you cared about heat transfer in the piping, use copper...
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[Sleepy240]

how about the fact that aluminum is much easier to work with? besides all the very valid points listed =p