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| Subject |
More detailed and easy to understand info on split downpipes |
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| Posted by |
Specialty-Z on December 04, 2003 at 11:28 AM |
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This message has been viewed 718 times. |
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| Message |
Here is a little more detail on why our split down pipes are engineered the way they are........
How something is assembled that is in the environment that these pipes are subjected to is one of the most important parts of making a product that will last.
It is much more difficult and time consuming to build these parts the way we are building them, If we did not need to build them this way we could save loads of labor time and grinding materials. The fact is they have to be made the way we are making them if they are going to live. Some say this is speculation, I call it experience.
When our down pipes are assembled we install the pipes all the way into flanges and weld them on the inside.....The reason for this is that as the pipe heats up it expands and the flange does not.......If you weld the pipe all the way on the inside, the pipe will not expand on or near the weld as it is now part of the flange and heats the same as the flange. By building it this way the pipe will never be stressed ......This leaves the pipe that is not in the flange area the strongest with its full structural integrity. This is especially true with stainless.......The expansion rate of stainless is amazing!
Some have said that the welds are good on the copies and this makes it a strong part that will hold up fine. The problem is not the quality of the welds, It is where it is welded and rewelded that will cause the problems in the near future.
The way the copies are assembled is by placing the two small pipes right at the edge of the outside of the flange and welding around the outside. What happens when you weld 304 stainless is the metal weakens right by the weld and the more it is welded the weaker it becomes. By barely installing the pipe in the flange and welding the
outside they have made the pipes the weakest at the place they are stressed the most. This is much more critical with this split design to make it correctly because the pipe runs MUCH hotter being so small.
What will happen with the copies that are welded on the outside is every time the pipes get heated from boosting the pipes will expand and flex right at the weld because the pipes are expanding but the flange is not ......then they will cool and contract flexing again. After flexing back and forth enough times from heating and cooling the pipe will break....it is only a matter of time. The fact that they are double welded will only make this happen faster.
Someone has mentioned to me that they are welding the copies on the inside and grinding them smooth.......As you can see from my explanation this is going to make the pipes even weaker and they will fail even sooner from making this 3rd weld in the same area. I find it amusing that this person says he is a structural engineer.There are other problems as well with the copies as you have seen in pictures,like the flow being compromised, The pipes being smaller, the lower bolt holes having weld right to the bolt holes edge, the test pipes being extremely close to the floor on the passenger side, A lot of rust on the inside of a brand new stainless part..........I will give them 2 props...They are cheap and they are nicely polished on the outside. I am now making an offer :)
I will give free of charge a set of my down pipes to the first person with cracked RVM split down pipes. This means normal wear and tear (not from being in an accident or beating them with a hammer)
Hint......road racing and higher boost levels will cause more expansion and accelerate the cracking. Hope that sheds a little more light.....
Happy Boosting!
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- More detailed and easy to understand info on split downpipes - Specialty-Z
11:28:48 12/04/03
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