Any experience with their inconel products?
Happy with the product, sound, etc? I currently have a tubi with stock headers and looking to make some changes
I have the Kline Exhaust with Agency Power Headers. Here's what it sounds like. And I have a post on that here somewhere, my review of the Kline Exhaust. Dan
Inconel is lighter and exhausts made from it to to have produce a note with a higher pitch than their equivalent in stainless steel. There aren't any failures of Kline inconel exhausts on the F430 or Scuderia that I've heard of, unlike those offered by other manufacturers - I'd suggest the prime reason is the silicone based isolated mounting system
I was an aircraft inspector / mechanic / welder on commercial aircraft. The reason inconel is used there is because of the strength / weight / cost ratios. Tens of thousands of hours lifespans were required in many aviation parts. If I were spending my money on a header exhaust system I'd go stainless. Unless you plan on driving half a million miles.
Don't forget the various inconel alloy's primary benefits like you listed above are generally in high temp environments, so better heat fatigue properties than stainless.
Inconel is only used in high temp applications on aircraft. Thats its purpose. Money no object ? Inconel all the way. Hell...skip inconel and go Titanium.
And I agree, if money is no object, then go Inconel or Titanium. But for a car exhaust, its tough to beat stainless steel. Dan
Good for awhile, until the cracks start forming...the local shop in my area won’t even install their product anymore, too many incidents ranging from 458 to ff owners. Sure sometimes you’ll get a freebie replacement but omg what an inconvenience and hassle...
Stainless steel, there were no problems? Inconel is hard to work with, but Kline is actually a specialist in this field. So far I have not read any negative reports about the quality. The company RUF also installs Kline from Inconel at the Porsche. RUF is also known for high quality. Almost no one here has Inconel but stainless steel. How many kilometers did @RichardCH drive with Inconel?
Food for thought: Inconel is the material of choice in f1 headers and exhausts because of it's resonance, lightness and strength over titanium. Yet those bits on the car are ALWAYS replaced pretty much every 800-1000km, thats only 500-600 miles! I also suspect if the durability of inconel was so spectacular, it would be more mainstream by now with oem sportscar manufacturers, yet it is not. Performance is great, durability is important too probably more so.
I do not think that it is the material Inconel. Kline gives 4 years warranty on stainless steel and 99 years on Inconel. Novitec also offers Inconel. The problems you have addressed are processing errors, but have nothing to do with the material. I have just written with an employee of RUF. They take Kline Inconel systems for a long time at the Porsche and had never a issue, although their customers also drive on the racetrack and the exhaust systems extremely burdened. In the Porsche forums a lot of people take the Inconel too. Never read about problems.
How closely did you read the kline warranty? What does it REALLY cover? Is it just material corrosion? lifetime warranty but only 4 yr warranty on catalysts? Also, I don't question the credibility of the examples you bring up, but my comment still holds true...if inconel is so great, why aren't the oems all over it straight out of the factory? Instead they've opted for titanium & steel?
"Inconel 625, as used in the aerospace industry where extremely durable and heat withstanding components are required, for example for the exhaust turbine blades in high performance jet engines. Inconel is also used for the manufacture of formula one exhausts, and has also been used by some manufacturers on hypercar projects such as Mcalren P1, Aston Martin 177, where lightness is a factor, and exhaust temperatures regularly exceed 1000c The basic properties of Inconel are characterised by extremely high tensile strength, and extreme thermo chemical stability. because of the high tensile strength of inconel (roughly the same strength to weight ratio as titanium), very thin sidewall material can be used, while still maintaining structural integrity, resulting in very light weight components that will not fatigue over time. The main drawbacks to using Inconel,is that its extremely difficult to machine and weld, and requires high skill and time consuming processes. its also extremely expensive as a raw material." This is on the Kline website and I think that is all right. If so, it would be mistakes in editing. At Novitec (Fuchs) there are no problems with Inconel. I trust here also RUF, which had no damage at all Porsche. I think I will soon have my own experiences with it. Regarding the warranty, I can tell you more on Monday.
Ya, I still have my doubts... Ferrari LaFerrari, no inconel. Porsche 918, no inconel. McLaren Senna, no inconel. Bugatti Chiron, no inconel. Pagani Huayra, no inconel. These are cost-is-not-an-issue, upper echelon hypercars, built by the best talent in very limited numbers yet they don’t employ inconel. But the racing outfits of the first 3 manufacturers I listed use inconel in their race cars for various formulas/series. Why?
