Anyone using titanium? Aside from the price, any concerns or drawbacks. Any benefits over stainless steel besides weight? What grade would be optimal?

 

Unlike what many people believe a piece of titanium is weaker by roughly 30% than the same size piece of stainless(300series,17-4ph, etc), it will bend easier. The actual benefit of titanium is that it weights about 50% less than stainless, so you have half the weight but more than half the strength meaning that you can make a beefier part that has the same strength but weights less or parts that weight the same but are stronger. We use it here at my work for medical implants and devices. The reason it is used in the medical industry is that it is more compatible with tissue growth, the body doesn't reject it as often as it rejects other metals. Titanium also conduces heat better than stainless which might not be ideal for exhaust even though its used.

If your intention is to be able to make a lighter manifold, have better heat retention and at the same time say you used and "exotic" material I would suggest going with Inconel piping. This material will allow you to make very thin, ultra strong manifolds, will retain heat better and can take about 1000degress or more on top of what stainless can take without deteriorating over time. Turbine blades are made of this, as well as F1 car headers and there is a reason for that.

Good luck!

Chris

 

good info. I have heard very good things about inconel.

 

Thanks for the info on inconel. My next question, know anyone who makes top quality inconel manifolds? I'm not concerned with the price. Quality welds and design are what I'm most interested in. Anyone using inconel after the manifold for exhaust? Also interested in having it polished to a mirror-like finish. I want to supply 2 turbos, each with their own wastegate and make it fit in a 3rd gen engine bay. V-bands for every connection.

 

Wow, that sounds like a nice project. Make sure and create a build thread on that.

Inconel doesn't really polish very well, its extremely hard to do, it is so hard it is like a ceramic almost, its a functional, engineered material, if you want to polish it to a mirror finish just go with stainless. However, it is definitely the better material for exhaust manifold/headers. As for welding of Inconel, any tig welder with enough experience can do it, just takes the right amps and the right filler rod(you can buy Inconel). If you want more info on inconel go to the burns stainless website. They sell the stuff there.

Good luck.

Chris

 

Last I priced inconel it was roughly $700-900 just for the bends needed for primary runners on a standard 13b manifold. That was years ago though so who knows what it is now. Cut a bend wrong and your out $100's and they need to be cut/fitted perfect. You would be best suited making a dummy up first then making the Inconel unit. It isn't magical to weld just doesn't look as pretty as stainless.

 

I have a build thread in the nw section if you guys are interested. Kind of just accumulating parts until the builder gets back on his feet.

 

Just build a stainless manifold..I suggest not wasting your time or your money. In the end its going to be the same product that operates the same. You might save a couple pounds if it titanium..woohoo