Has anybody heard of doing this?
I ran across this sight while looking at some options for intercooler piping.

http://www.siliconeintakes.com

What would be the advantages/disadvantages of doing this?

 

less heat soak, flexibility to suddent fluycatuations in temp and presure, and its just overall flexible. get into an accident, youll just bend it. pipes retain heat, get dented up, and other things. allot of newer cars use allot of these hoses for before compressor applications.

 

Disadvantage: More expensive.
Advantage: See SirCygnus post.

 

It might just be me, but wouldn't that stretch a little being that the ENTIRE system is made of silicone?

Wouldn't that hurt boost response and make the levels fluxuate casuing tuning difficulties? or am I wrong there?

Also - Im sure the idea just popped into your head, but I don't see anywhere on that site that says anything about an entire intercooler piping system made from silicone......maybe I missed it

And a side note - this wouldn't just be more expensive........it would be HELLA expensive......

 

well i first saw the stuff on ebay...and then went to their site

what gave me the idea for using it for an entire intercooler setup was this line in the auction

2. Lower cost.

A full 2.5" silicone intake, including all bends, hose clamps, and joiners, from the air filter to the turbo to the intercooler to the throttle body, should cost less than $300. This number will vary widely based on how many bends are in your particular setup.

 

I agree i think i would be lower cost really just dont know how well it works they even have some pics of whole piping kits not bad i guess

 

Well, the thing I liked about it...is if you ever swap setups or cars for that matter...all the stuff would be reusable. Straight pip is pretty much cut or bent to your specific needs...where as this stuff is much more flexible.

 

Great site! I found that 3" to 3.25" piece I've been looking forever for!

Regarding complete silicone intercooler piping, have you ever seen a stock FD build boost with the hood open? The entire intake pipe system (most of it plastic) inflates about 1/4"! I would think that doesn't do much of longevity or turbo response.

Really, intercooler piping is very easy to make if you buy a few tubing bends and have access to a welder.

 

Thats what I was thinking...

It also just hit me too that if you were to try installing one side of complete silicone tubing, you'd have to try and snake the entire length of it through all the panels your desired routign goes through....might be a little difficult.

either that or you'd have to cut it, install a beaded piece of hard pipe, and the some T-bolt clamps. In which case its almost just as easy to do the whole thing with hard pipe.

 

i know a guy that made a homemadeturbo kit for his civic using only radiator hoses. he made 300 whp in the thing and it lasted 4 years. to each his own.

 

One advantage of an all silicone system is that there's fewer joints for fewer chances of a hose clamp coming loose and having the pipe blow off. Also with fewer joints the flow will be slightly better, as there's fewer joints to disturb the flow.

Flying Miata is currently testing their new Miata turbo kits and they're using all silicone piping. http://www.flyinmiata.com/projects/new_turbos.php

 

Looks like there are a lot more joints to me. My hard piping has only 4 joints. One at the turbo, one at the intercooler, another at the cooler and then at the throttle body.