pipe bending
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On The Tree
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pipe bending as the title says, how can i bend exhaust pipes. i want to do a custom true dual set up and want to do as much as i can myself to save some money, so i want to know if i can bend the pipes myself without one of those pipe bending machines.
i'm not looking for drasting 90* bends, just a little tweaking. i was gonna go about just heating up the pipe with a torch at the bend and hope it gets soft enough to bend it.
will this work?!?!
please leave some feedback.
thanks!
i'm not looking for drasting 90* bends, just a little tweaking. i was gonna go about just heating up the pipe with a torch at the bend and hope it gets soft enough to bend it.
will this work?!?!
please leave some feedback.
thanks!
If you heat up your exhaust and bend it, you'll neck down the inner diameter of the pipe. It will probably flow worse than your stock exhaust! If you have a muffler shop press bend it for you, it MAY be a little better than your stock exhaust. Just save up untill you can do it right, unless you don't care about power and are just looking for a noise maker.
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From: king of prussia, pa (home) and williamsport, pa (school)
i already tried this approach with my previous car. dont go the cheap way. save up and have it done professionally at a muffler shop where they can do mandarel bends. yeah, heating the pipe will work if u want to bend it, but ur talking time, precision, and many frustrating headaches.
you can also buy mandrel U and J bends from Jegs, Summit, or maybe your local exhaust shop, and cut and paste them together.
If you don't know how to weld good forget it, let a shop do it or buy a kit. Don't try to bend your pipes with a torch, all your going to do is pinch them, sort of like bending a drinking straw too far.
If you don't know how to weld good forget it, let a shop do it or buy a kit. Don't try to bend your pipes with a torch, all your going to do is pinch them, sort of like bending a drinking straw too far.
Originally Posted by magius231
you can also buy mandrel U and J bends from Jegs, Summit, or maybe your local exhaust shop, and cut and paste them together.
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Having an exhaust shop do it, and having a PERFORMANCE exhaust shop do it are 2 different things. 99% of exhaust shops will only have a crush bender, not a mandrel bender.
Make sure you know what you're paying for.
Make sure you know what you're paying for.
Originally Posted by 300bhp/ton
A normal pipe bender is fine in most cases. Unless you are planning (seriously planning) well over 450rwhp I doubt a crushed bent pipe will really have much affect on HP.
Originally Posted by GuitsBoy
I agree here. Crush bent duals still have more cross sectional area than a single 3" pipe, which has been proven well north of 450 HP. IMO, the crush bends will affect the sound more than the power output, and eve that will be a slight change.
Originally Posted by Redneck Z
Not only do crush bends suck, but they also create turbulence which causes energy/power loss. Crush bends are junk IMHO, and I've seen dyno's proving this.
Originally Posted by magius231
you can also buy mandrel U and J bends from Jegs, Summit, or maybe your local exhaust shop, and cut and paste them together.
If you don't know how to weld good forget it, let a shop do it or buy a kit. Don't try to bend your pipes with a torch, all your going to do is pinch them, sort of like bending a drinking straw too far.
If you don't know how to weld good forget it, let a shop do it or buy a kit. Don't try to bend your pipes with a torch, all your going to do is pinch them, sort of like bending a drinking straw too far.
Don't try to bend them without a high dollar bender. Cheap benders just crimp or pinch. Mandrel benders cost thousands.
Originally Posted by GuitsBoy
Funny, cause ive seen dyno results disprove this. Ive also seen dyno gains of 16 RWHP from absolutely nothing on my very own car. A few HP here or there is well within the margin of error for a dyno and does not constitute a valid gain or loss, IMO.
Originally Posted by Redneck Z
Like anything else on here, there are dyno's showing all kinds of things. You'll also probably find dyno's showing 15rwhp from a K&N filter also. You kind of have to weigh things out to come to a conclusion. Most of the dyno's I've seen on crush bent TD's have not been very positive. Just by looking at a crush bent setup, it's easy to see why it's not optimal. There's a reason people pay alot more for mandrel bends.
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Originally Posted by Redneck Z
Not only do crush bends suck, but they also create turbulence which causes energy/power loss. Crush bends are junk IMHO, and I've seen dyno's proving this.
Also crushed bends really aren't that bad, not if you're no where near the limits of the exhaust flow anyhow. On a 2.5" dual setup you'd really need to be looking at ~500rwhp Mustang Dyno.
And as for turbulance, well what happens when the exhaust gases pass thru a muffler? High performance mufflers can flow well enough not to affect flow of high powered engines, so I'm sure a crushed bend in a pipe can also.
And not all crushed bends affect the diameter that much, my brother had a crushed bent custom exhuast on his V8 Land Rover, the crush was actually very smooth and even with hardly any pipe diameter loss, maybe 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch at most but possibly not even that.
Believe what you want, but crush bends suck when compared to mandrel bends. If you're looking for maximum performance don't settle for crush bends.
There is a reason why all performance exhausts made by reputable companies are mandrel bent.
There is a reason why all performance exhausts made by reputable companies are mandrel bent.
Originally Posted by 300bhp/ton
I personally don't think you should read too much into alot of these dyno results. I mean hell they can used to show just about anything.
Also crushed bends really aren't that bad, not if you're no where near the limits of the exhaust flow anyhow. On a 2.5" dual setup you'd really need to be looking at ~500rwhp Mustang Dyno.
And as for turbulance, well what happens when the exhaust gases pass thru a muffler? High performance mufflers can flow well enough not to affect flow of high powered engines, so I'm sure a crushed bend in a pipe can also.
And not all crushed bends affect the diameter that much, my brother had a crushed bent custom exhuast on his V8 Land Rover, the crush was actually very smooth and even with hardly any pipe diameter loss, maybe 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch at most but possibly not even that.
Also crushed bends really aren't that bad, not if you're no where near the limits of the exhaust flow anyhow. On a 2.5" dual setup you'd really need to be looking at ~500rwhp Mustang Dyno.
And as for turbulance, well what happens when the exhaust gases pass thru a muffler? High performance mufflers can flow well enough not to affect flow of high powered engines, so I'm sure a crushed bend in a pipe can also.
And not all crushed bends affect the diameter that much, my brother had a crushed bent custom exhuast on his V8 Land Rover, the crush was actually very smooth and even with hardly any pipe diameter loss, maybe 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch at most but possibly not even that.
I am probably a little **** when it comes to my exhaust because I look at arteries for a living. I see the kinds of hemodynamic changes that are caused by tortuous vessels and obstructions. I see older patients with tortuous arteries, that look just like a crush bent exhaust lol. This does effect flow in an artery, and I do see turbulence caused by the tortuosity, as well as a pressure drop beyond. Some of this can be applied to a cars exhaust, and I think thats why I pay extra attention in trying to maintain good curves when it comes to my exhuast.