Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Aluminium air intake pipe

Avi8or

Luxo-barging
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
209
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Adelaide
Members Ride
WM Caprice 6L
Hey guys, I was just talking with my mate (who owns a Celica, but we wont go there :whistling ) and we got into a discussion about the aluminum air intake pipes you often see on turbo'd cars. Which leads me to the question, does a aluminum air intake pipe serve any improvement for a stock Ecotec with a CAI?

It looks damn sexy, but I'm not going to spend $xxx just for a pipe which you wouldn't see very often.
 

mattman

New Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
2,305
Reaction score
13
Points
0
Location
Brisbane
Members Ride
'00 WH V6
Just looks good, if anything it would be detrimental due to heat soak on longer runs.

The reason turboe'd cars use them is to handle the higher pressures involved in a turbo setup.
 

Avi8or

Luxo-barging
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
209
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Adelaide
Members Ride
WM Caprice 6L
Just looks good, if anything it would be detrimental due to heat soak on longer runs.

The reason turboe'd cars use them is to handle the higher pressures involved in a turbo setup.

Yeah I gathered that it would be because of the pressure. I really don't think there would be any improvement by itself, but weirder things have happened :p
 

mattman

New Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
2,305
Reaction score
13
Points
0
Location
Brisbane
Members Ride
'00 WH V6
Some people just run em because they look good :)

Subdue's brother (DIABLO) had one on his VR, all polished up looked mad, but yeh I doubt it's going to change much in the performance stakes. Might be some pics of his around someone if you get searching, or ask subdue nicely :)
 

NickVR

Active Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
1,414
Reaction score
24
Points
38
Age
40
Location
Adelaide, SA
Members Ride
VR Executive A4 V8
My VR has one. It's not for performance though it's mainly for looks. It doesn't feel like it has lost any power on long runs but it may cos if the pipe is hot it may heat the air passing through it. But i don't have a full on performance engine so it doesn't bother me that much.
 

Avi8or

Luxo-barging
Joined
Jan 12, 2006
Messages
209
Reaction score
0
Points
16
Location
Adelaide
Members Ride
WM Caprice 6L
Some people just run em because they look good :)

Subdue's brother (DIABLO) had one on his VR, all polished up looked mad, but yeh I doubt it's going to change much in the performance stakes. Might be some pics of his around someone if you get searching, or ask subdue nicely :)

Yeah that does look great.
 

sircruisealotVS

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
2,934
Reaction score
50
Points
48
Age
39
Location
South Brisbane
Members Ride
VZ LS1 Calais
i think you'll find if it is purely for a performance boost it will be done in stainless steel, and not aluminium. stainless will keep temperatures inside the pipe down and have alot of strength as well.
thats not to say cheap-skates dont use aluminium though.
 

VNCalais98K

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2006
Messages
280
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
Adelaide
Members Ride
VN Calais no more
Ok there is some benefit in this...
for a few reasons. The stock pipe is plastic with imperfections and bends are the flexi pipe bends often at 90 degree. This is crap for airflow, especially on a naturally aspirated engine where there is no turbo to force air past these little inconveniences..
A stainless intake pipe will serve to smoothen the inside surface to reduce drag, and the mandrel bends will also reduce drag around bends, and if you get the right shape of pipe, you can reduce the amount and angle of bends.
What this does is similar to the effect of a free flowing filter.
Heat soak in the pipes will be minimal as the time that the air is travelling through the pipes is barely anough to heat it anyway, and can be solved by using heat wrap on the pipe.
So combine this with a full exhaust and also cold air intake with pod or free flow filter and it will add to the overall ease in which the engine can breath.
Quite a good modification really if you get the pipe bent up for cheap.
 

pro_gmh

Active Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
1,137
Reaction score
4
Points
38
Age
35
Location
SA, Mount Gambier
Members Ride
VL
Metal is more heat resistant than black plactic. and u use stainless steel not alloy pipeing (steel is more heat resistant than alloy).
 

cracker

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2004
Messages
961
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Age
35
your joking right?
plactic has little to no heat soak
see how hot the metal pipe gets its sitting just above the headers
they look nice thats about it
 
Top