I don't see how that is the way it would work in this instance.
The hot air from the turbo comes out, get's pushed down to where the aluminum pipe is. Aluminum being a great conductor of heat, will take some of that heat away, releasing it into the atmosphere, the pipe itself etc. In no way can it ADD heat.

As Dan was pointing out, had this been something BEFORE the turbo, it would do nothing but absorb heat because as mentioned "it flows each way".

Example: You can't take 100 degree air, feed it through an aluminum tube, and end up with 150 degree air on the other side. That's not at all how it works. The air will never ever ever be hotter than when it first comes out of the turbo, on it's way to the intercooler.

Aluminum transfers heat quite nicely (see heat sink's etc. You think a heat sink on a hot CPU soaks up the heat the CPU produces and just holds it there? No, we wouldn't use them then. It transfers the heat away from the processor).
Plastic does not transfer heat as well, so however much hot air that enters that plastic pipe, keeps going right past it.

I'm not saying the aluminum pipe options is going to make a noticeably huge difference, but it without a doubt will NOT hurt anything. How the hell do you really think the aluminum pipe will make the air into the intercooler HOTTER?? That's absolutely wrong 100% of the time.

As long as the ambient temperature, on the outside of the pipe, is lower than the compressed air inside the pipe(and I can promise, it will be at all times), the aluminum pipe will always flow the heat outward, not inward. You make zero sense.

 

The only way your argument would make any kind of sense is if this were a hard connection. Straight metal on metal from turbo to intercooler. That is not, at all, the case.

 

He's not saying it would heat the air, he's saying it would be less efficient than a silicone pipe.

I disagree, I think the aluminum piece would still perform better, but it's all pretty negligible.

 

Speaking of conduction, it actually sounds like he thinks it will carry heat(physically, not through the air). Like I said though, unless it's a metal on metal connection all the way, it can't/wont.

 

If there is no metal-to-metal contact, then I stand corrected. There would be no (meaningful) mechanism for conduction.

Haven't hit the order button on the silocone version (I'm looking hard at the Alta kit) and may do a little more research, but the mandrel bent-type, 1-piece design appeals to me from a flow standpoint.

In any event, gotta be better than the stock, muffled version, eh?

 

from a flow stantpoint, I have 2 outlooks:

1. It's obvious everyone knows in piping that a single, mandrel bent piece is going to flow the best.
The downside in this particular application: If it's not a 100% flush metal to metal connection, you have gaps providing turbulence.

2. Alta's silicone pipe is a single, smooth piece beginning to end, so it might flow better. Downside: Increased boost(if you ever do) I can picture being a concern with the structural integrity of such a long piece of silicone tubing. I'm not saying their tube can't handle it, but it's a long run of a soft pliable material. I can see it expanding and contracting under boost conditions. The negative effects of it might be negligible but it's still something to think about.

And then the final piece, price. I mean, honestly, are there any non-biased, 3rd party, dyno proven results showing that replacing that section does anything for performance? Parts from Alta and NM look great, but on their own, do they really improve anything? Looking at the design of our charge pipe/coupler layout on these cars and what can/can't easily be swapped out, it really seems like without going with major modifications to the entire system and major boost increases, performance gains from swapping out this section really aren't going to be noticeable.

To me, it's a mod to smooth the flow(getting rid of a muffler that is not a straight through, smooth design), and sound. Nothing more. To me, that is not an end result that warrants the price of the pre-made aftermarket replacement pieces such as NM and Alta sell.

 

Anything sitting near that turbo is soaked with heat. I'm hoping a Mini Fini Grill along with the preintercooler pipe will be the first step to keeping that engine bay a little cooler.
Intercooler will be the next upgrade for me. BUT she's still under warranty so I'm hesitant to go too far with upgrades until expiry

....Summer is coming

 

The only way that pre-cooler thingy would good any good is if it had cool air flowing over it and the air inside the tube barely moved.