Ask The Editors: Titanium Exhaust- Worth the Cash?
Dear ATVC: I’ve been thinking of upgrading the exhaust on my YFZ and noticed that there have been quite a few innovations in materials since the last time I bought a pipe. (Carbon fiber, really??) Anyway, I guess my question is simply are there any benefits to going for titanium over say good old proven stainless in a head pipe? Since the titanium is a lot more expensive, I assume there is significant weight shavings if nothing else.
You will experience very miniscule weight shavings going with titanium (to the tune of an ounce or two) but surprisingly, this isn’t really credited with the material itself so much as the fact that titanium pipe walls are generally thinner than steel.
As a result, they are more susceptible to dents, dings and damage from roost, rocks and logs. Considering there is absolutely no evidence of the material providing any sort of performance benefits over the same pipe in steel, we’d definitely go as far as to call this is a “bling” mod first and foremost.
