Forced induction tubing

[UMB FR-S]

hey guys i just wanted to throw the question out there as to why more kits don't come out using plastic tubing over metal for say the inter cooler piping and stuff? would it not be less prone to heating up as opposed to the metal tubing regularly used? possibly more pricey to manufacture? anyways a bit of insight into why would be nice!

[jamesm]

PVC starts to break down around 140deg. It also outgases chlorine gas aka mustard gas. It's not the ideal material.

ABS is good for a little higher temperature, and won't kill you (just smells bad) when it gets hot, but it's probably still not the best idea.

[vgi]

not plastic, but avo intercooler kit uses wire-reinforced silicone piping over metal

[spitfire481]

VW vortech kits i have installed use plastic piping. some of the clearances are pretty tight so they are molded accordingly. hell i still use one of the vortech pipes from when i ditched the supercharger and built a turbo setup. the rest of my piping is aluminum currently besides that one

[DJCarbine]

I would say that plastic is more prone to cracking further down the line after several years of heat cycling. I would also feel better cranking down on a t-bolt clamp on a coupler attached to an aluminum pipe, versus the same situation but on plastic pipe.

OEM applications come with plastic pipes, but there is an aftermarket for aluminum replacements. People like aluminum, I personally prefer it over plastic. Find a 90's BMW with plastic parts (Thermostat housing, water pump impeller, radiator endtanks etc.) and you will notice that most people replace with aluminum due to failures from age (premature failures IMO)

[King Tut]

I think the answer is that most of the companys selling aftermarket forced induction don't have access to or the ability to create plastic intercooler piping where it is very easy to order up some metal tube and break out the welder.