When buying intercooler piping, are you mostly paying for the R&D that went into the piping, or the actual materials itself? My friend makes piping for intercoolers (mostly for sr20s and honda motors) and he said he could make some for mine. Will any 2.5" metal piping do, or are these intercooler pipes actually dyno tested?

 

i believe most of them are dyno tested. you will gain more on the LICP then the UICP.

 

UICP is for bling mainly, but the LICP will help in spool.

 

Changing the diameter of the piping will result in a large change in air velocity. Stick to near stock diameters (2.5" should be fine). remember, the more volume in the I/C piping, the slower the throttle response.

Make sure the bends are mandel bent.

Make sure every edge is bead-rolled.

Aluminum is fine for I/C pipes. Aluminum has high heat transfer properties so it will expel (or take in) heat easily. Make sure the I/C pipes are not routed near heat sources. if you can't avoid heat sources, either wrap the popes or use stainless steel(weighs more)

Obviously, you want the pipes to take the shortest route to the I/C and from the I/C to the throttle body.

Joints are the weakest link. use as few as possible. Be sure to use silicone connectors.


If you get a chance, read Corky Bell's Maximum Boost. There is a section on intercoolers and piping. http://btobsearch.barnesandnoble.com...37601606&itm=9

 

There's more to it than just r&d though. I mean, the ones you buy will:

1.)most likely fit without modifications
2.)come with all the bits you need
3.)even instructions
4.)be of sufficient strength/stiffness for your application

It's not the hardest thing in the world to make, and many people can make their own. The thing is I don't want to take my bumper off and have the car off the ground while I go back and forth to get the curves right and so on. What you end up paying for (as well as the pipes) is the peace of mind and ease of installation.

As for the licp, I've been thinking about changing mine. The size isn't the issue, but rather the restriction on the stock pipe which is the problem. There's a point where it narrows down to a really small diameter. I can't seem to find a scientific reason for this.

 

i buy my own 2.5" alum piping and borrow a friend's welder. To be honest, it's all R&D and markup. How can you dyno test IC piping?! lol...

you can buy 2.5" mandrel stainless bends, but those are heavy. Aluminum is lighter...

 

all right guys, that was the answer i was looking for. thanx ^_^

 

Run an optimized pipe diameter(2.5" should be fine for most applications)
Reduce bends
Reduce length
Keep consistent diameter

Turbohoses.com hotside pipe is probably the best available for the VIII. Most available upper pipes will give similar results. I typically fabricate all of my own stuff as you can see from my site, but I purchased this kit for my new IX. The VIII kit will require that I modify the hot pipe directly off the turbo as the IX turbo sits lower, but that is a minor mod to me. They actually made aluminum spinnings that transition from the turbo outlet to the 2.5" IC pipe. That attention to detail makes a difference.

Turbohoses.com