Ti Exhaust

[Stone Crusher]

Can anyone tell me what advantage the Z06 Ti Exhaust has over stock C5 exhaust other than weight reduction?? :confused:

Thanks

[Stephen DeFazio]

hope this helps

NEW CORVETTE BOASTS 1ST TITANIUM EXHAUST.(Brief Article) Author/s: John MccormickIssue: July, 2000What do the Boeing 777, Spain's Guggenheim museum and the 2001 Corvette Z06 have in common? In a word, titanium -- and plenty of it. The latest Boeing airliner uses more of it than any other aircraft, the now-famous museum is clad in the metal, and the Z06 -- a lightweight, high-performance option package for Chevrolet's sports car -- boasts the first mass-produced exhaust made of titanium.Widely utilized in the aerospace industry for its high tensile strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, long fatigue life and corrosion resistance, titanium (Ti) has made little headway in the automotive industry, due mainly to high cost. The Corvette Z06 introduction may change that.The few production Ti applications thus far are all in the powertrain arena, and all are from Japanese OEMs: connecting rods in the Acura NSX V-6 engine and valves in Infiniti's 2002 V-8. A new Yamaha 250cc motocross engine also sports Ti valves. Now, exhaust system supplier ArvinMeritor, and Titanium Metals Corporation (TIMET), the world's largest Ti manufacturer, believe the time is right for a significant push into the auto industry. The two companies co-developed the 26-pound Z06 exhaust system, which is 44 percent lighter than the Corvette's standard 46-pound stainless steel system."This is the single greatest bolt-on weight reduction available today," claims Kurt Faller, of Denver-based TIMET. Ti is two-fifths lighter than steel, with equal strength. It has a natural corrosion immunity to road salts and sulfur-rich engine exhaust that prevents the system from pitting or rusting.Besides exhaust systems, Faller sees other potential applications for Ti on vehicles -- including coil springs, driveshafts, brake caliper pistons and door intrusion beams. Switching to Ti con rods in higher rewing engines can help eliminate balance shafts, he says.Faller acknowledges that cost is an issue, and would likely preclude near-term Ti use in small or mid-range cars. Yet he sees big potential for the metal in the luxury car sector, where a Ti exhaust could bring a car back into a lower weight class.TI's cost premium is not in the raw material -- it is the fourth-most abundant structural element, occurring in common black beach sand. The cost is inherent in the refining process, and in parts manufacturing. Because it absorbs oxygen which embrittles it during the melting process, any hot processing of Ti (including welding) is done under vacuum or with inert gas. Then it must be surface etched or ground. Machining it requires special tools, techniques and expertise.Welding Ti is an extremely delicate process, adds Graham Thieman, ArvinMeritor director of engineering. He claims that Arvin's unique weld shielding process results in welds that are "totally immune to any form of corrosion for the life of the vehicle."For its part, Indiana-based Arvin has been investigating the use of Ti for exhaust systems since 1993. Although the exotic, McLaren F1 supercar of the mid-1990s featured a titanium exhaust, the Z06 Corvette is the first major automotive application. (The material is gaining popularity in aftermarket exhausts, notably superbike systems.)For the new Corvette, ArvinMeritor adapted its stainless steel stamping, bending, cold forming and welding methods to accommodate the structural differences of TI, although the process was far from easy, admits Thieman.For more on what's new on the 2001 Corvette, including the Z06, see or website: www.ai-online.com. COPYRIGHT 2000 Cahners Publishing CompanyCOPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

[REDGAR]

Looks better too.

A little more throaty

[Richy]

Although the Ti exhaust on my '02 Z sounded a little better than the stock exhaust on other C5s,it really only sounded great at WOT(especially at Bragg Smith).I still thought that 405 hp ought to sound like 405 hp even at moderate RPMs.The sound of my present Corsa Indy system more than makes up for the additional weight of the s.s.

[Stone Crusher]

Thanks everyone :p