Compression Bending for Performance Enhancement: The Practical Choice
Mandrel bends for performance exhaust are really nice. Providers of mandrel bends would tell you this is the only possible way to go for performance enhancement. But pre-bent mandrel bends can also be really expensive! And to buy a machine to do it yourself? Really, really expensive!!
Trade offs: Performance experts agree that you have to make trade-offs when putting together your performance system. Long tube headers? What if you don’t have the room available … then they might use short tubes. What rpm range do you optimize the configuration for? Mid-range? Top end? Everything is a trade-off.
Cost: Mandrel benders are nearly 10 times as costly as compression benders, so producers of mandrel bends have to charge more to pay off their machinery. Most people interested in a better performing car are not world-renown Formula One drivers, racing for million dollar prizes. Getting better performance by putting larger pipes can work really well, regardless of what type of bending machine is used! Increasing from 2 inch to exhaust to 2.5 inch will increase the internal pipe cross-sectional area by 47%, even if you get a slight compression in the bend area (6%, according to our testing).Some industry experts tell us that in most cases, this doesn’t even matter, as flow interference from a bend occurs downstream from the bend, where you have no compression, making the result even better. This, in turn, allows you (or your customer) to get a big performance boost without killing their pocket book!
If you are a Formula One driver, you can afford the mandrel bender. We can still help you with your end forming to make great connections between your tubes. There is a huge market of people wanting better performance at a reasonable cost … we would love to help you access that market. Call us at 800-558-7808 to learn more.
