Forrest Gump 9 Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Is it possible to run an aluminum exhaust on street car? Light weight and less corrosive in the winter. What're the draw backs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuicedH22 Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I know a guy here in Cincy that does it in his 1g dsm. I however do not condone it. Aluminum has very poor fatigue properties (less than half the performance of steel alloys), and will be prone to cracking easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LS_Sonoma Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Unprotected aluminum corrodes just like any other metal. Sure its possible to run, the thickness of the tubing will help determine the overall sound also. For instance a thicker metal would provide a deeper resonance and a thinner, well it'll sound more like a tin can strapped to a 12 gauge. I would use schedule 20 thickness. Just my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonda Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Aluminum's melting point is awefully close to the exhaust gas temperature for many gas engines. Diesel is even hotter. I suppose with some kind of coating or cooling fins it would be OK...but that may negate your weight savings. I also agree that fatigue would be an issue. People don't realize the stress and impacts exhaust systems take. All that being said...it would be a fun experiment to conduct in a bench setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 you would have to have really thick aluminum to get past the cracking issues. then you would lose the weight savings and a lot of room because of the size of the pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 also don't forget about bending and welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jones Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 http://www.johnnygoodtimes.com/lurch.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rl Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I ran a single 4" aluminum exhaust for 3 years when my car was turbocharged. It never cracked. You need to use the right material, prep and weld it correctly, and support the heck out of it. I used 12 gauge until about 3' from the engine then switched to 14 gauge. I also built an aluminum muffler but eventually switched to a SS muffler to quiet it down further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avenger1647545502 Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Dodge experimented with a cast aluminum header for the Hemi back in the 60s...it was light, something like a 12-14 lbs advantage, and sealed well without cracking. The problem was that full throttle for more than 10 seconds or so would result in holes melting through the first 4-6 inches of the primary tubes. There is a picture of the aftermath of a test run with a Super Stock car, with little globs of melted aluminum scattered all over the inner fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonkiller Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Titanium sounds hot! PING PING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Gump 9 Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Titanium sounds hot! PING PING Do you know anyone that can build one from scratch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickey4271647545519 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 Titanium sounds hot! PING PING That would be stupid expensive. Awesome none the less though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuicedH22 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 I know someone who can weld you up a ti exhaust... but you better have a lot of money ready to spend for a ti exhaust. (I would guess at least $2500-$3000) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 man up and use inconel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImUrOBGYN Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 man up and use inconel. I've gotta shitload of nickels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuicedH22 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 I've built a couple inco headers/exhausts.... also not cheap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 I've gotta shitload of nickels! Wooden nickels are made out of wood, not nickel.:dumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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