Quote:
Originally Posted by old greg
I was thinking in terms of bending tubes. Machining-wise I love 6061-T6, other than getting built-up edges on tooling I've always found it quick and easy to work with.
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Fluids take care of the edge build up. (Haven't done any bending, myself.)
Problem I can foresee is where the steel joins to the aluminum. If you want maximum weight savings it will require more more aluminum, which means closer to the engine, and hotter. Then the expansion, corrosion and vibration/fatigue stuff becomes worse. Especially at the joint. Flanges will be no-good, slip-fits I can't see working due to different expansion rates, which leaves V-bands, maybe?
Properly welded 20gauge full cat-back titanium is the way to go, Serial! You get the weight benefits from less density (though more than aluminum), plus the reduced material amount from the much thinner walls.