I was looking into why some intakes are better than one another (or state to be). So many things factor into how much sale price will be such as material, manpower, production capabilities, testing, packaging etc....

I was looking into one aspcet and that is the materials of these pipes.

Injen - T6 Aluminum (Aluminum Alloy)

Nismo - 6061 Aluminum (Aluminum Alloy) also in the T6 family.

AEM - 6061 Aluminum

So pretty much, they are all made from the same stuff give or take an atom or two. so next it comes to the properties of this type of aluminum.

Component Wt. %
Al 98
Cr 0.04 - 0.35
Cu 0.15 - 0.4
Fe Max 0.7
Mg 0.8 - 1.2
Mn Max 0.15
Si 0.4 - 0.8
Ti Max 0.15
Zn Max 0.25


What does this mean to most of you? nothing. So lets break it down a tad more.

Applications include aircraft fittings, camera lens mounts, couplings, marines fittings and hardware, electrical fittings and connectors, decorative or misc. hardware, hinge pins, magneto parts, brake pistons, hydraulic pistons, appliance fittings, valves and valve parts; bike frames.

So far from that list, you may be wondering like I am how a pipe that is supposed to evade heat soak and remain strong would be found on these applications.

Manufacturers use it because its machineability is very good. It is easily cold worked and formed in the annealed condition. The alloy has very good welding characteristics and may be welded by all of the common welding techniques,

Thermal Diffusivity, D, is a figure of merit that represents the ability of a material to dissipate thermal gradients. D is equal to the thermal conductivity divided by the density and specific heat. Units are 10-6 m2/s. Large values are preferred.

Thermal Diffusivity of this alloy has a D of 10-6 m2/s 60.0, which is high.

So do we have the right material for the cost? IMO, youre damn right.

This is just an informational post, I hope this helps during some coffee break discussions



Notes:
http://www.matweb.com/SpecificMateri...&group=General

http://www.minerals.sk.ca/atm_design...ml#diffusivity

 

so this actually helps with heat soak? is this better than the oem plastic?

hmm, that thought that the aluminum would soak up more than the plastic.,...

 

Im not exactly sure, but my best guess is that oem style plastic is more expensive to produce. its much more inexpensive to bend metal rather than mold plastic. quite a big difference unfortunately.

 

6061 is part of the 6000 series of aluminum alloys. T6 is the heat treatment that the 6061 is put through.

 

thanks for that. I was lost in that aspect.