Mildly esoteric question.. Can aluminum tubing be used in an exhaust?
Details: I have a "vintage" motorcycle ('86 Suzuki GSXR-1100); it is pristine
(since I am the original owner :) It's had a aftermarket Yoshimura stainless
exhaust for it's entire life, though I've had to repack the baffle numerous
times. The header and midpipe are in perfect shape, being SS, but at this
point, the inner core of the baffle has disintegrated, and Yoshimura no longer
offers the parts for repair.
The midpipe is 2" o.d.; the available replacement
baffle is 2.25" i.d. Otherwise, everything would go together perfectly. I
originally thought of getting a piece of SS tubing with 2" i.d. x 2.25" o.d.
dimensions to slip the parts together, but I could not find such a pipe. Then
I thought maybe get a strip of SS plate .125" thick, until I realized I could
not form it that nicely/tightly. Then I saw that aluminum tubing is available
in that dimension. My concern are if it would hold up to the heat (I would
think so, given that baffles are made of aluminum), if the heat expansion
issues might cause a problem (it'll be sandwiched by SS), and if there might
be a corrosion issue (dissimilar metals, etc.). Do you think it would work,
or should I try coming up with something else?
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