Good news... I just got my front mount installed today!
Bad news... we took the rex for a test drive and when it boosted a clamp couldnt hold under the pressure and a whole pipe popped off!!!
We put it back together and tightened them all down except for a few near the grille on the pass. side... Test run 2... that one popped off!
Called it a day and decided to tighten them all down tomorrow for one more run... if the same thing happens i guess i just gotta look at better clamps.
Oh yea and i had my pre silencer on my RB turbo back removed and a straight pipe put there... WOW it sounds so much better, same great sound but much louder and throaty!

 

do the pipes have a bead on the ends?

 

i dont think so, what do you mean?

 

http://www.roadraceengineering.com/e...icpipebead.htm

 

nah, it sure doesnt have that... at what level of boost does this tend to become more of a problem for people. I'm surprised they blew off like that. I have stock turbo, RB REV2 exhaust and an intake. Probably roughly around 10 psi i'm guessing. also i dont a guage or controller hooked up. whats your input on runnin these mods with a stock fuel system. i plan on getting a piggy back and some 720 secondaries, but it may be a few months. should i be alright till then.

 

if your only runing 10psi you should be ok.
ive never ran non beaded pipes not sure when they would blow off. using nice T-bolt clamps will help too.

 

^^ya i am looking to get my new pipes beaded it helps alot and then ill install the rest of my exhaust and piggyback

 

yea, i'll prolly just wind up having to go with the t bolts. you have any input on what i asked about the fuel system?

 

im no fan of piggy back, full standalone is the only way to go IMO.

 

yea i'm with you on that but, short on $ and all i'm plannin on tunnin for now is the fuel and air so...

 

if you used aluminum pipes, like one of the eghey kits, then get used to pipes blowing off unless you bead them. The aluminum tubing used is a thin and relatively soft, and so even if you go t-bolt the clamps will simply crush the tubing as you tighten them and they will blow off if you run decent boost levels. I make pipes very often, usually a couple sets a week, and I only use stainless steel unless specifically asked to use aluminum, and my customers thank me for it

Edit: even if you bead them thy will blow off, because you will crush them with clamps and the anodizing used on them is slippery.

 

you have to flare the piping at the ends or do the bead thing. Mine would blow off before they were flared even at highway speeds at 1 psi, lol. Now they hold like a champ

 

i have aluminum, non beaded, silicone couplers with regular style clamps. never ran into any problems. I love how light the aluminum is over stainless though.

 

I'm running 14psi on my Shelby, using a conglomeration of junkyard hoses and pipes, none of which are beaded. Only had a hose blow off one time.

 

www.pi-thon.com

These should help. They're not the just for show slide over pieces, there is an actual lock on 'em. They're really nice. I'll probably be buying quite a few when i start doing my enigne. But these might be exactly what you need.

 

One thing people need to understand now that everyone runs the ebay intercoolers and piping kits is that you can't just buy these two items and think that's it. You need to take your piping to a place that can either a)beed roll them or b) put a small amout of weld around them. Also most piping kits don't come with silicone reinforced couplers. It's important that you get those or your just going to bust right through them once the clamps don't come off from the beed rolls.

 

yea, i bought the cheep stuff on ebay... I'm tryin to make it work. It did come with silicone couplers, but the pipes feel cheep. they are aluminum. i'll see if we can do some improvising to get them beeded.

 

where did you get your kit?

 

T-bolt clamps are the only way to go. Generally in sizes appropriate for intercooler piping (2.5" - 3") they are about $4 each at a hydraulic store. Worlds better then screw clamps because they don't cut into the hose and they exert a even pressure around the circumference of the joint.

Beading also helps a LOT if you are having problems with blowoffs. If you can't bead aluminium (ie. don't have a welder) then you can JB-Weld a ring of aluminum wire over the lip of the pipe. Even this will go a long way...Beading steel/stainless is easy if you have access to a welder.

 

i got my T- bolts at NAPA...not the same kind everyone else uses but they never blew off, even without the pipes beaded....pretty much the same as a T- bolt (doesnt dig in, tightens the whole way around), except you dont need to order them off ebay....

 

ebay, it wasn't one of the super cheap kits, it was i think 200 for the piping with couplers and clamps. the pipes came bead rolled but i think most got cut off when we installed them.

 

you think i can find some t-bolts at a hardware store, like ace or something?

 

Napa carries t-bolts, but most of the time do not know it. They do have a catalog of them though so just ask to see it and point to what you want. They also carry "constant torque" clamps which are yards better than t-bolts.

The couplers that come with most of those e-bay kits are cheap POS single layer silicone and will slip off and tear and all sorts of other cool stuff. Upgrade to at least a four layer silly hose like those from Vibrant or TurboXS and you will be much happier. Costs more, but you only spend it once.

A few words on IC piping:

Mild steel is unacceptable for charge pipes. even short term they will rust internally which finds its way quickly into your engine. If you paint it the paint will flake off along with it and also ends up in the engine. This in technical terms, is bad. The reason for the rusting is the constant cycle of heating and cooling you have with pressurized air, which leads to condensation inside the pipes, the turbo itself sucking in moisture from the outside air(ESPECIALLY if you live in a "wet" climate), and just the humididty in the air. "Aluminized pipes arent that much better, are nasty to weld, and will also look like crap no matter how nicely you paint them. Powdercoating inside and out is the only solution, but by that time you have spent enough to pay for a nice set of stainless or alloy pipes.

Aluminum sucks for charge pipes. It absorbs and transfers heat from the entire engine bay and reduces the entire systems efficiency. It is soft and scratches easily, which never looks good. It also crushes very easily, and the anodizing used on it to keep it from dulling with oxidation is slippery, and if you tighten the clamps tight enough to keep the couplers from blowing loose, then you will likely crush the pipes. Aluminums only redeeming quality for charge pipes is that it is light, and if you are running low boost and can keep the pipes away from heat then you might be ok. Yes, I am aware that Greedy, HK$, and etc all use alloy piping for thier kits, but this has more to do with its cheaper to manufacture and bend than anything performance advantage.The other big disadvantage is that it grows a lot with its hot cold cycles- enough so that if you tighten a clamp while the piping is hot, it is likely to be fairly loose when it cools, and the next time you boost hard will likely come off- this is why beads are important on alloy pipes!

Stainless steel IMHO is the ultimate charge pipe material. It has great thermal properties in that it doesnt transfer heat very efficiently, is hard and doesnt scratch easily, and buy the time it rusts the car is likely to have fallen apart. Now I know you are wondering what I mean by better thermal properties, and its very very simple. Think about cookware- aluminum pots always have handles of another material- why? Because aluminum transfers heat or cold like none other. If I weld on a tube of aluminum by the time I am done the entire piece will be warm, if not damned hot. Now think about SS cookware- it is so inefficient at transfering heat it has to be coated with copper to ensure even heating- bet you thought that was just for looks - and I can weld a bead all the way around a piece of SS tubing and pick it up a few inches away barehanded.

This is why aluminum makes great intercooler and radiator material, because it will transfer the heat all the way through it and increase the area that is getting cooled. It also gives up heat as quickly as it takes it, so cools better in the air. Stainless works better for the charge piping, that has to run through the engine bay and since it doesnt absorb heat as quickly tends to keep the air the IC just cooled- cool.

I will post up some pics later of some FMIC and charge pipes that we do.

 

good info...! thanks

 

these are the ones i got and didnt know it untill after they came....i like em better than T-bolts..