Nice or Rice: Burnt Titanium Tips

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

^^That (my) catback is full Titanium. It's the Amuse Titan. And yeah, was $3,600 + $230 shipping .

There is no way that is all titanium, did they carefully paint some of it blue for you?? Unless you have a picture of it after running a few heat cycles and the piping has started to blue as well. Or are just the muffler titanium?

[Clipping_Path]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

There is no way that is all titanium, did they carefully paint some of it blue for you?? Unless you have a picture of it after running a few heat cycles and the piping has started to blue as well. Or are just the muffler titanium?

Paint?? The entire mid pipe and muffler is titanium; the gold ring finish:

https://www.nengun.com/amuse/r1-titan-extra-stti

Have you not heard of Amuse? Played Gran Turismo?

I can guarantee it's titanium because I was recently in an accident and the mid pipe got a crimp near the gasket. Rather than try to painstakingly shape the pipe, the shop (who I told multiple times it was Titanium) stupidly assumed it was stainless steel (and without my consent) cut the midpipe and tried to weld a stainless steel sleeve on. You can imagine how well that worked out. They called me wondering why the pipe sounded "like ice was cracking" – sleeve fell off within 20min.

Insurance company then had two options: pay $1,300 to weld a titanium sleeve ( there was only one performance shop in my area comfortable doing the repair and warned me that they couldn't procure the custom Amuse gaskets) or pony up $1,400 for a totally new titanium mid pipe from Amuse. Was a total hassle because they didn't want to cover either. Took 3 months for Amuse to fabricate the one new pipe and ship.

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

Paint?? The entire mid pipe and muffler is titanium; the gold ring finish:

When you say ti exhaust, I think of this:

See how everything is discolored. Seeing it just in the muffler looks like it was hand done, not truly burnt into the pipes.

[Clipping_Path]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

When you say ti exhaust, I think of this:

See how everything is discolored. Seeing it just in the muffler looks like it was hand done, not truly burnt into the pipes.

The mid pipe and muffler never get hot enough to burn the titanium blue. It's done purely for aesthetic purposes and must by meticulously polished almost to medical grade before welding and discoloring. I doubt even the overpipe gets close to those temperatures.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Mine is also full titanium

but it's single exit

and burnt looking at the tip

rice?

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

The mid pipe and muffler never get hot enough to burn the titanium blue. It's done purely for aesthetic purposes and must by meticulously polished almost to medical grade before welding and discoloring. I doubt even the overpipe gets close to those temperatures.

So the muffler is hand painted blue, and the tips as well?

[RToyo86]

I don't mind the blue tip my self. I am not specifically after the burnt color, but the exhaust I'm looking at buying next year happens to have it.

Blitz nur spec VSR

[Clipping_Path]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

So the muffler is hand painted blue, and the tips as well?

No. The blue tones come out by a process called anodizing. You either need a chemical cell and run a current through the metal or it's a meticulous process of hand torching (what has been done to my exhaust). You torch the pipe to 700 degrees and then let it oxidize. And you keep repeating the heating and cooling process; it will turn to red. After repeated sensitive cycles of this it will turn a straw yellow color, then gold, then bronze, then cyan and then to the much more difficult colors: blue, purple.

It takes a reasonably good control of your heat and hand to get colors purple and blue to be consistent – which is one of the reasons blue titanium is ridiculously expensive. Not easy to create – and exceedingly difficult to get the highly aesthetic rings of rainbow colors as you see on my exhaust tips.

It can actually be turned magenta and finally green. But most are not skilled enough or have the equipment to pull that off. Truly is a technique from traditional jewelry making.

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

No. The blue tones come out by a process called anodizing. You either need a chemical cell and run a current through the metal (which was probably done to the example you posted) or it's a meticulous process of hand torching (what has been done to my exhaust)

The example I posted is from a Ducati Panigale 1299...massive Twin engine on a street/race motorcycle, that exhaust naturally turns that color and is super cool in my opinion. The fact that yours had to be made that color outside of a natural process to mimic a more race-like part is what I take issue with. The Amuse system looks just like the terrible 'blue ti' stuff that invidia and other cheaper companies do. Its just a poser type thing to do; that blue hue is a badge of honor on race bikes and maybe something like a race car, but on a street car this slow (yes I own an FRS and absolutely love it, but its slow and my exhaust tips are a subtle brushed aluminium), is just not my style.

At the end of the day, if you enjoy the car is all that matters.

[02.ACCORD.DUDE]

Eh when I bought my FR-S the previous owner has installed an ark exhaust with burnt tips... Even now I don't know how I feel about it... I probably wouldn't go out of my way to pay extra for them but now that I have them I'm rather indifferent.

[NARFALICIOUS]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

At the end of the day, if you enjoy the car is all that matters.

exactly, so why all the fuss.

[Clipping_Path]

Originally Posted by Timmy_Jones

to mimic a more race-like part is what I take issue with. The Amuse system looks just like the terrible 'blue ti' stuff that invidia and other cheaper companies do. Its just a poser type thing to do

My confusion is that it is a race part. The entire reason people buy titanium is for the weight savings - it literally weighs less than 1/3 of a SS Invidia exhaust. Yes, titanium being thinner does often yield a louder and more exotic note. But the blue coloring is purely for decoration that you can mimic on SS as well. Nonetheless, the purpose of titanium is for the performance, not aesthetics.

[jordan7831]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

No. The blue tones come out by a process called anodizing. You either need a chemical cell and run a current through the metal or it's a meticulous process of hand torching (what has been done to my exhaust). You torch the pipe to 700 degrees and then let it oxidize. And you keep repeating the heating and cooling process; it will turn to red. After repeated sensitive cycles of this it will turn a straw yellow color, then gold, then bronze, then cyan and then to the much more difficult colors: blue, purple.

It takes a reasonably good control of your heat and hand to get colors purple and blue to be consistent – which is one of the reasons blue titanium is ridiculously expensive. Not easy to create – and exceedingly difficult to get the highly aesthetic rings of rainbow colors as you see on my exhaust tips.

It can actually be turned magenta and finally green. But most are not skilled enough or have the equipment to pull that off. Truly is a technique from traditional jewelry making.

Can confirm. Having head anodized a titanium multi tool (leatherman charge) There is very little room for error in getting the colour a consistent shade.

[Timmy_Jones]

Originally Posted by Clipping_Path

My confusion is that it is a race part. The entire reason people buy titanium is for the weight savings - it literally weighs less than 1/3 of a SS Invidia exhaust. Yes, titanium being thinner does often yield a louder and more exotic note. But the blue coloring is purely for decoration that you can mimic on SS as well. Nonetheless, the purpose of titanium is for the performance, not aesthetics.

But to that point...how much performance did you get out of it?? Its an insane purchase unless you absolutely must have the blue tips. Invidia outperforms it all day.