ktm Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I just had this thought while responding to my turbo build thread. Has anyone considered running a reinforced hose for their intercooler piping as opposed to aluminum or steel pipe? The hoses can take considerable pressure (much more than 15 to 20 psi) without pressure loss. The hoses are also fairly resilient in the temperature ranges they would experience. If you were concerned, they hoses could always be wrapped in a thermal blanket. For instance, many pumping systems are pneumatically operated. The air lines run great distances (>>1000 ft) and must be capable of sustaining sufficient pressure over the distance to operate the pumps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proxlamus© Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 you can run this hose.. however they are VERY expensive.. and bends get even more pricey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsk8ter Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 you know i did think of this but what about the vibration ( i couldnt see this hurting but you never know) anyone got a link to a picture of this so i can make sure im thinking the same stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big-phil Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I used radiator hose way back when, it worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Uber95 Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 The Starion/Conquest used a type of hose like you are describing. They worked OK, but they are still a hose and are subject to oil soak. At least that's what I have seen with the cars I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73ZCAR Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I built an intercooler setup for my '91 eclipse and used the 2 !/2" straight gold stripe diesel radiator hose from NAPA. Buy it by the foot and cut it on a band saw. This was before you could buy the nice colored silicone hose cheap on E-Bay. It is oil resistant and worked fine for the 4 years I had it on the car. If you are talking about the entire intercooler piping set made out of custom formed hoses in fancy colors W/bends and evrything, it has been done before but as Prox stated above they are very expensive. Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 I'm using neoprene / fiberglass hose from an industrial supply house on my Turbo Dart buildup. It's rated for the appropriate pressure, and being flexible it resists vibration too. I spent something like $65 for seven feet or so of it. So far I haven't tested it yet, but I don't expect any problems other than possibly it having a little more restriction owing to the external spiral reinforcement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted February 15, 2007 Author Share Posted February 15, 2007 Matt, the hose you picked up is exactly what I was referring to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted February 15, 2007 Share Posted February 15, 2007 If i were to do that, I'd probably run the side that exits the intercooler and enters the intake using metal. i think it will help cool the charge a little more. since the side coming from the compressor is in a hot zone, It probably wouldn't benefit much from going metal on that side. not sure if that would help anything, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProjectSR20 Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 If i were to do that, I'd probably run the side that exits the intercooler and enters the intake using metal. i think it will help cool the charge a little more. since the side coming from the compressor is in a hot zone, It probably wouldn't benefit much from going metal on that side. not sure if that would help anything, though. I would think that it would be reversed. I can see getting better heat sheding from metal pipe instead of hose. So wouldn't you want to put the metal on the hot side and then run hose for the cold side? That makes sense to me anyways....anyone want to correct me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted February 16, 2007 Author Share Posted February 16, 2007 You can run a pipe from the turbo straight out to get some clearance from the exhaust manifold and the turbo. Then you can run the hose from the end of the pipe to/from the inlet/outlet of the I/C. The residence time for the charge in the hose is very short. If you were concerned about thermal stability, you could run the piping from the turbo to the I/C inlet and then could run a hose from the I/C outlet to the intake. However, using a hose would benefit you most when running from the turbo to the I/C inlet, since this is usually a significantly longer run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Ive seen alot of the turbo kits you can buy for hondas and toyota 4 cylinders come with the rubber type hose. But its cheaper for them because theyre making a bunch of the same bends, lengths. On another note anyone ever had intercooler piping with cooling fins? Probably wouldnt do much but thought Id ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Cramer Posted February 16, 2007 Share Posted February 16, 2007 Matt, the hose you picked up is exactly what I was referring to. I've got a picture of the hose installation in progress on my personal blog, including the part number for the specific type of hose I'd ordered. One thing I noticed is that this hose really kinks up when you bend it. It's pretty visible in the photo. In some other spots, like on the exit of the turbo, I'm using rubber radiator hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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