This image is licenced under Adobe Stock. Please refrain from using it without proper permission.

Silicone Hoses: Coming to an F1 track near you today

When watching the high speeds and exhilaration of Formula 1 it’s very easy to forget the engineering that goes into the cars that you watch, from the dazzling heights of Red Bull & Mercedes, to Saab & Williams. How materials such as aluminium tubes and silicone hoses can be used, creating a drastic impact on the performance of the cars, and ultimately the performance of the team in the standings.

Silicone Hoses:

Silicone hoses are commonly used by many teams for the benefits they offer over steel. They have an extreme resistance too high temperatures allowing teams to run coolants under hotter temperatures and higher pressures, consequently allowing for the teams to push the engines harder for that competitive advantage.

Being flexible and very resistant to damage also allows them to be routed in a more optimal path while resisting tearing and damage from external sources, this reliability is useful for motorsport teams, as they are less likely to require pitting to fix issues or replace hoses, costing them valuable time.

However, despite this due to them being porous they cannot be used to for fuel and oil as the fluid would be absorbed and leak which would cause all manner of problems, so depending on their use case they are not always the best option to go for.

Aluminium Hoses:

Aluminium is also another material commonly used for hoses in motorsport usually in place of steel hoses and pipes. They’re lightweight being roughly 1/3^rd the weight of a similar shaped steel hose presents an extreme weight-saving technique in a sport where every lost KG counts massively, so being able to shave that much weight off a vehicle presents a key advantage for a team.

The material is also incredibly strong and durable thanks to its malleability allowing it to flex and bend under pressures and heavy loads as well as bounce back with surprising ease allowing it to remain a solid and durable choice throughout the race as it progresses.

Ready for F1 quality service and performance?

Get in touch today with our team of friendly expert advisors on all matters from bespoke hoses and tubing to silicone hoses & more! We look forward to speaking with you!

Feel the difference with Aluminium Tubes

Aluminium tubes & pipes have important industrial applications as well as applications for modern-day consumer living. Many suppliers and customers trust for its lightweight properties and advanced durability. This means it finds great use in joining silicone and being fabricated into hard paperwork.

Lightweight:

Being a lightweight material, which is about a ⅓ of the weight of steel, aluminium is much cheaper and easier to transport than most of the other metals. Meaning it’s great for companies who wish to handle large quantities but worry less about the logistics of transporting and working with it.

Durability: 

When compared to other alternatives, aluminium tubes also offer stronger durability which means it is more suited for withstanding wear, pressure and damage incurred in everyday use. Given that it is recommended for high-intensity work where silicone and rubber alternatives won’t do the job.

With that in mind, aluminium has found its use in temperature-controlled applications such as solar panels, air conditioning and refrigeration.

Yet despite this many companies still favour other materials such as rubber and silicone despite the strong application that aluminium has on tubing & piping. Such industries that have made the switch include automotive, defence, food, wind & more who are quickly seeing the higher quality of use when choosing aluminium tubes & piping

Join the hundreds of companies and clients making the switch to Aluminium and discovering the benefits of aluminium tubes for their businesses.

This image is licenced under Adobe Stock. Please refrain from using it without proper permission.

The impact of silicone hoses and vehicle performance

When you think of vehicle performance, your eyes will turn to a great engine, maybe a set of high-quality and durable wheels, items which are synonymous with performance and taking your vehicle to the next level.

However, it can be easy to cloud your judgement and easily forget about another component that impacts your performance both under the bonnet and out in the world, from tracks to dirt. That’s the trusty silicone hoses. Silicone hoses offer a valuable performance enhancement due to the high quality found in the silicone material itself. 

Compared to other applications such as rubber, silicone has become a trusted choice of many due to its number of advantages such as heat tolerance and overall durability and strength. 

When you use rubber hosing in your car, you are prone to cracking and dryness which you won’t find with silicone hoses. This is true to cars that get little to no track time, and those that spend the majority of their lives on the road. 

Benefits of silicone hoses for vehicle installation:

• More affordable pricing,

• Ease of making custom shapes,

• Flexibility

• Strength,

• Heat resistance.

Here at Viper Performance, we are proud stockists of a variety of silicone hoses that put quality above everything else. By choosing quality you are choosing reliability, consistency and trust that your vehicle will perform to the standard you expect. 

Looking for silicone hoses for your project or application? Check out our full range of high-quality silicone hoses here.

Solid solutions motorsport since 1998

Despite not being directly employed by a Motorsport Team, MSL has been supplying Formula 1 and Motorsport teams with measurement, scanning services and equipment since 1998. 

The company offers a wide variety of specialist products to help with a multitude of design, manufacture and inspection applications all relating to Motorsport. Some of their software’s enable them to engage directly with CAD OEM’s, additive OEM’s and design teams looking to optimise their design process. This is achieved by introducing generative capabilities to overcome the complexities of advanced additive manufacturing, taking into consideration light and weight, field driven data design and complex lattice material structures. 

MSL’s Creaform measurement and scanning products can then be utilised to perform dimensional and surface profile checks back to the designer intended CAD model. 

Their strategic partnership with Creaform enables them to cover a vast spectrum of design and manufacturing applications, with their handheld scanner, tactile probing, and photogrammetry solutions. The HandySCAN32, GO!Scan3D, MetraSCAN3D, and MaxSHOT3D provide point cloud data capture for 3D printing, reverse engineering and quality control. 

MSL’s latest strategic partner, Virtek Vision International, states that this fits perfectly within their manufacturing process. Through implementing the Iris 3D they are now able to support the production and build processes for composite lay-up fabrication, and guided assembly, projecting laser templates faster with innovative vision technology. 

With an expansion to their portfolio MSL can now offer complete end-to-end Design, manufacturer and inspection solutions. This enables them to offer solutions that are bespoke to our customers requirements in 2023 and beyond. 

To find out more click here.