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So I have seen many posts in which people are asking if there is any value in spending ~$400 on the FEED elbow vs ~$100 on the GReddy one, but never an actual comparison, so here goes!
I purchased both and from what I see, other than having a brand preference, there are two major benefits to the FEED elbow:
1) The FEED elbow is 2 5/8" internal diameter at the entry vs the GReddy at 2 1/2".
2) The FEED elbow bulges to a much larger internal diameter and has a much smoother curve. In addition the way the elbow is shaped will produce a much better flow into the throttlebody, see pictures below (FEED is on the "top" or "right" of the photos).
In my opinion the FEED elbow is superior to the GReddy one. However, I think the $300 price difference is better spent elsewhere.
So unless you are a FEED obsessive I believe that this part will only be worthwhile to the few people who are really pushing their setup hard.
The difference in ID at the entry might be from the "step" in the Greddy design to work with couplers and the rest of their pipe kit.
Yep that's exactly the reason for the ID difference at the entry, if you cut the step off the GReddy one it would match the FEED elbow.
Hopefully it shows in the pictures (is very obvious in person) - the big difference between the two for flow, is that the inside of the FEED curved section is way wider, the "bottom" is much lower and kind of bulges down.
Both are great items and the GReddy really is awesome value for the price point.
Nice comparaison Tom!
I was always wondering if there was a difference.
I agree with those Gentlemen's.
I feel like that's one of parts that never got "changed" in 20years of technology and wayyy oversell due to its unbeatable price.
I mean 99% of the time buddy pop his hood it's a Greedy elbow
There was also the HKS version.
I also found this , but it might of simply got cut
Anyways
The Rotary-works is nice because it's 3"
BUT it's shitty that it need some cutting to fit.
I mean , no one ever taught of having a 3" Elbow
That's fits directly , no cutting ?
Other than GReddy, FEED, Stillway, and a few other elbows, LEG Motor Sport makes a CF elbow attached with the pipings. Retail like 125,000 yen or something, if I am correct. There are lines on the piece for you to cut and trim, if needed.
Maybe like the Australian SP version CF Intake box and pipings, this LEG Motor Sport CF piping and elbow maybe can keep the IC temperature slightly lower than aluminum pipings and elbow?
The stock piece is plastic, so little heat transfer there to combat.
But, as compared to metal aftermarket piping, it will heat-soak less and help AITs stay lower.
The stock piece is plastic, so little heat transfer there to combat.
But, as compared to metal aftermarket piping, it will heat-soak less and help AITs stay lower.
Perhaps, but remember this: heat transfer works both ways. For the same reason that aluminum will heat up quickly, it will also cool down quickly. Meaning, at WOT, the aluminum would very quickly want to get to the temperature of the air flowing through it. Heat soak is certainly a real thing, but I feel that sometimes we get caught up in it and think it will make a dramatic difference, when in actuality it won't.
If you're at the track running lap after lap, or you're sitting in stop and go traffic for an extended period, you will have heat soak, no matter what materials you're using. The added cost to prevent heat soak in a two or three foot section of intercooler piping, isn't merited.
Having said all that, the carbon fiber looks really cool, save for the fact it's the only carbon piece in the system. If you had all carbon fiber for all the piping and maybe the UIM, it'd look sick. But, the one piece just looks out of place to me.
...For the same reason that aluminum will heat up quickly, it will also cool down quickly. Meaning, at WOT, the aluminum would very quickly want to get to the temperature of the air flowing through it...
But wouldn't that mean its just continually soaking up the radiated engine bay heat and dumping it to the intake air?
But wouldn't that mean its just continually soaking up the radiated engine bay heat and dumping it to the intake air?
My overall point was that the cost/benefit of a carbon fiber charge pipe/compression elbow isn't really strong enough.
To answer your question though, yes the engine bay heat will radiate into the intake and have an effect on the AIT's. But, again because it heats up quickly, it also cools down quickly. So, as long as you have an efficient intercooler that's cooling that charge well enough, the aluminum piping will cool relatively quickly and thus the effect of the heat soak will
be lessened.
Having said all that, a little methanol injection would cure all of this and make whatever material you chose almost irrelevant.
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