SMIM Showdown! Lets figure this out once and for all!

[Goat Blower]

Greg, thanks for doing this, I got the info I needed. My cheapo Venom is pretty damn good for cylinder balance, which is what I'm primarily concerned about. And I disagree a bit on the strength of them though. Mine has a lot of 30-32psi dyno runs with zero issues. I'm also happy with the design of it, I see a bit of correlation in cylinder balance and small plenum volume. I've always favored the larger plenums, especially in a 2.4L application.

[iroc_g]

I'm happy to hear you've had good results at that boost level. It seems to be a good part, the statement I made about the boost limit was soley based on some things I read a few years ago when I was looking at buying one. So if she's happy at 30psi, that's awesome!

[Pushit2.0]

With the higher boost just watch the welds on the plenum, this is where the most stress is. If the weld cracks any good TIG welder should be able to fix if no problem.

~John

[Super Bleeder!!]

How often do ya think people who construct intake manifolds heat treat them after all the welds are complete?

I would guess that most do not. DO YOU HEAR ME MAGNUS?!

[Pushit2.0]

That depends on the aluminum alloy and welding method used. I just inside outside weld the hole manifold to avoid any issues. Aluminum is tricky to weld, any pits or sharp corners are the places cracks will start to form. Welding both sides of the pieces ensures proper penetration. If welded properly the weld should be stronger then the base metal. Also using enough heat (amps) and welding rod are important. I will warranty the manifolds I produce to hold as much boost as you can put in there with a turbo, even if Brent Rau wants one, he can runs in 85 Psi without a worry of cracks.
Back on topic how is the page update going?

~John

[JET]

Actually aluminum welds are not as strong as the base metal, that is true for steel though. Aluminum degrades when welded, that is why the heat treatment is important. Most shops don't have enough experience with metallurgy and things like this get overlooked. Most manifolds are made of 6061 aluminum, which has a minimum tolerance of 40k psi, but when welded the tolerance drops to 24k psi. A T6 heat treatment will bring that back up some, but to get back to the original state it must be solution heat treated.

I do agree that aluminum is a PITA to weld, it is much harder than steel or stainless. Welding inside and out usually adds enough material that even at the lower strength it is fine.

[Pushit2.0]

Edit: I did some weld samples and found the 1/8" aluminum plate will crack and break before the weld will. I revert to my original statement that if you weld the aluminum properly it will be stronger then the base material.

~John

[iroc_g]

Sorry guys. We actually have been nusy this week at ProKART, so I haven't been able to spend any time at my desk and finish the page update. Ill get it done asap!

[iroc_g]

I have the most up to date data online now. Still no pictures of the last few though.

[goodhart]

What are the R.E.E.E., or R.E.E.D., or R.E.E.F. prototypes? I'm assuming those are the ones Pushit2.0 made? You might want to edit your page to eliminate any confusion.