FAQ: Can I use PVC pipe for intercooler piping

[viking]

wen i smashed my r33 gtst ( 2002) i had sum pvc piping in the garage and thought wat the hell why not.(standard cooler) quick fix until i could buy replacement parts. front end was fixed except for the pvc piping because its been on for 6months and not a sign of trouble. car was thrashed hard everyday.

all said and done i dont think pvc is better than steel ( strenght - heat - crack resistent ) a small investment for peace of mind.

imo.

[Miller the hoon]

Intercooler pipes maby not but maby to ram foice air (cold air in take)

[justin911]

i used to have a pvc pipe connected to the pod filter in my cough cough excel, I sprayed it with this heat resistant black paint stuff, not sure if the paint did anything but it never melted or warped or anything.

[SuAvE-1]

Hopefully it can be made so that it looks stock so we don't get defected for having intercoolers and pods!

[HRthirtyone]

i used to have a pvc pipe connected to the pod filter in my cough cough excel, I sprayed it with this heat resistant black paint stuff, not sure if the paint did anything but it never melted or warped or anything.

but the excel wouldnt have enough power to generate enough heat to melt it

[ZILR-34]

hey guys i know this is an old thread but when i saw it, it made me think why not. i work as a PVC/ABS machine operator we make all types and sizes of pvc pipes here in melbourne. as i can get my hands on anything i want i might as well give this a try.

we test 1 out of every 100 pvc pipes made b4 they go out in the yard to be sent off. they will hold pressure up to 30bar(441psi) for 1.2hours (depends on wall thickness and size)

and i see this as no problems 4 pvc to hold vacume and boost pressure of say 30psi. as for the heat on the turbo side i would use thick walled pvc pipe on that side only. as it only takes about 2-5mins on 180Degrees for pvc to start to soften in a oven.

so i would use thermo warping around the turbo side to stop it from Direct heat. but u will Notice as soon as pvc is Exposed to direct air or anything under 180Degrees it will Harden right away.

dont Underestimate the strenght of pvc. and remember that all PVC has a 20year Warranty/Guarantee of any burst/rupture or Impacted Failure. if it has failed call up the Manufacture where the pipe has been made and they will replace it with no questions asked...

PS- if ur plaining of doin this make sure u only use pressure pipe only coz there is lots of crap out there like Stormwater pipe lol

with this information no is Responsible for any damage but yourself. so do it at ur own risk and post up on here wat u f.u.c.k.e.d up hehe

[mad082]

but the excel wouldnt have enough power to generate enough heat to melt it

the shopping trolley wraped in alfoil (excel) was turbo.

[Fangz]

Dont underestimate pvc

i made a 60mm spud gun/cannon that (bullet made from 2x18mm mdf cut outs from a 60mm holesaw held 2gether with 10mm bolt) went straight through my lunch room door (18mm mdf double laminated) from 30m away and through the back wall (further 5-6m away) into the store room and found a further 10m away!

made a few hundred shots since then, still strong as hell!

but for cooler piping, alloy painted black in MY r33 is strong and looks standard keeps the bacon boys away! and when u think about it its not that much more expensive and u dont have to worry about cracking, melting ect.....

[rico]

hi guys... so has anyone tried this yet? i am gettiing a blitz intercooler, and need piping, so might try this route here in the uk!

[rico]

anyone?

[MMM]

pvc sweats i wouldnt use it....

look at new pvc pipe looks soft

then look at pvc pipe thats about 20years old.. its dry its brittle and with constant temp changes from turbo i wouldnt use it at all

[Vertex S14a]

So did anyone end up trying this?

[midnight]

I ended up using a small peice of pvc pipe to temporarily join 2 air hoses between IAC(I think?) and the cooler piping, and suprise suprise it melted

I totally forgot about it and didnt replace it with metal, on a full track day it only lasted a few hours before the thing melted and warped.

DON'T USE PVC PIPE its ghetto and wont hold.

Edited October 9, 2006 by midnight

[Trust33]

DON'T USE PVC PIPE its ghetto and wont hold.

I hope you dont mind if i use ur last words to sum up pvc pipe for intercooler hose in my sig .i had a laugh...

[midnight]

lol, thats cool.

[ExodusDesign]

Have a mate who used to own a R31 GTS Import RB20DET, had a heap of big truck stainless bullbars. cut them up and used the straights and the bends etc, few silicon hoses and wallah@ intercooler piping.

Worked a treat, never had a problem for about 8 months he had it on there. car has since been sold and im aware its still on there, and it looks the part.

[scheris]

vote for most full of shit thread ever !!

ps my username is "gts-4 dreamer" hack on that username, as im to lazy to log out of the misses username and login to mine, ask on that username if you need to, its all good

ps..

this thread isnt even funny its so stoopid... but hopfully the members section larfs ard eh !!!

[cuiyc]

I have had PVC pipes on my Soarer for over 7 years and have done track days and 1/4miles as well it’s my daily driver.

At first I had the white plumbing PVC but after a year of heat it started to suck inn on its self under vacuum, after really long runs, but never popped, or melted to the point of something going wrong.

Then I put some orange Telstra piping found at the rubbish tip. And has been good for six years on 12psi 297, rwHP.

Also you must use pressure bends, pressure PVC glue and must put a steel ring where ever you put a hose clamp, or it will go loose when it gets hot.

[MAYHEM]

Back in the day a mate of mine did the exact same thing on his MR lancer when he turboed it (he just couldnt wait and was dying to hear the flutter sound). Anyway it worked...from memory it lasted about a hour or so before it melted. He was running about 10-12psi wwith his T3.

[psi]

Ha ha ha, I've done the old PVC, but for a different reason..

We were stuffing around with different plenums and turbo positions, and so the cooler pipes had to be moved around alot.

I got sick of rewelding pipes so, PVC it was.

The car made 365hp and the PVC worked well. It was only ever a short term 'fix' so we could try a few different things and route the piping a few different ways. The owner of the car is a plumber, he thought it was very funny, even though he suggested it! The heat did get to the pipe on high boost, so he braized together a copper pipe cooler setup until he got some alloy pipes made. He sent the PVC pipe 'kit' to some place in melbourne i think, who coppied the design and made the alloy pipes. The best thing, we didn't pay freight twice. they binned the PVC cooler pipes and sent the new pipes back!

If you can keep the heat away from the pipe, and not get to much compressor temp, the humble PVC works well.