Why is Titanium so special for exhaust? I just want to know.

Thanks,
Richard

 

It is extremely durable, corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and turns all sorts of cool colors with temperature.

 

Thanks for the information Jzr, I keep hearing that its an exotic material and its used a lot in racing, supercars and the space industry but no one explained why it was so special.

Richard

 

It appears too that titanium has become trendy as of late - I've seen it used in everything from golf clubs to video cards.

Along with iridium, it's the "in" metal...

 

It's used mostly for weight savings and strength.

Phi

 

Titanium is extremely strong for it's mass. It is lighter and stronger than steel so an exhaust of the same strength as the stock exhaust weighs much less. As Colin Chapman (Lotus founder) said the secret to performance is to "Add lightness".

 

Isn't aluminum a lighter metal? I can understand why it's softer but if it's and exhaust or something shouldn't we just go as light as we can? Or is there other factors to take into consideration? Other than that I think it's only the name.

"Hey, I have a titanium golf club." (sarcastically)

 

Yes, aluminium is lighter, but it is weaker and doesn't cope with thermal changes well. It would crack in the first couple of runs.

 

Aluminum is very strong but it has other properties that make it less than ideal as an exhaust system. First is a very good conductor of heat. The hot gasses would raise the temperature of the exhaust to exteme levels. Second, aluminum reacts badly to being next to other metals. It will react with stainless steel, steel and titanium causing corrosion. The heat sink problem is probably the biggest problem.

 

So how come there's no corrosion where the header meets with the block???