The cooling revolution Sprint Filter has always been fully committed to perform engine air management in Motorsport industry for a long time, achieving extraordinary track results with various MotoGP, WSBK, STK and WTCC (cars) racing teams. Sprint Filter becomes conscious that while the air flow is fundamental for the engine performance, the water flow is not a secondary player. Sprint Filter proposes to the racing world a solution that satisfy four common performance aspects: Reduction of pipe weight and thickness Means of different hydraulic sections (in terms of geometry and area) zone by zone as required by fluid dynamics or customer requirement Increase in neatness and precision of the layout Increase in safety (operating pressure and temperature) In order to achieve this target, Sprint Filter designed and manufactured the first special CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) laminate pipe. The pipe can be produced with various type of fibers (carbon, kevlar, glass) and resin systems (epoxy and cyanate ester) according to the customer need. The resultant gain in weight and thickness compared to the silicon hoses at the same p-T (pressure-Temperature) operating environment is massive (reduced by 75%) and consequently the weight (reduced more than 50%). Compared to aluminum pipe solutions the gain is vaguely reduced but still unrivaled. The key point of the Sprint Filter CFRP cooling pipes is the possibility of shaping them as the customer desire for fluid dynamic reasons (reduce pressure drop, divide flow in various inlet or outlet, increase or decrease velocity, etc..) as well as for layout ones (be more compact on the engine, avoid critical rooming of the vehicle, be more integrated with the surrounding environment, etc..). It is possible to have variable pipe sections sector by sector as well as elliptical or square or whatever shape is required to meet the preferred target. Nowadays this possibility is null using silicone or aluminum pipes. Pipes can be made with integral flexible sections for mounting reasons or vibration isolation as well as flexible extremities in order to avoid one of the two usual metal clamps than retain the silicone hose between two adjacent pipes. A rigid mounting to engine or radiator is also possible if the customer wishes for it. Another key aspect is that the pipe does not deform under pressure therefore keeps always the defined net shape. Sprint Filter will be soon on the market with “ready to go” CFRP cooling pipes kits for most of the current street legal superbikes. The kit will be easily interchangeable with the original part without need of special tooling or mechanical experience.
I wondered how long before these would get onto the low cost end user like bike users and not racing vehicles. Carbon fibre tubes are nothing new , they have been making them for racing Yachts for over 15 years! but it was very expensive as they where all pre-preg, and shaping was extremely complex as the molds were difficult to manufacture. Are these a wet lay system? Probably so which means they can achieve complex curves and bends. My only concern is that the resin is still not 100% resilient to the heat cycles produced in and around an engine that promotes long life compared to a rubber pipe that will easily do 10 years plus on a bike. Certainly would look very cool on a show bike. Interested to see what these cost.
Hope they do coloured carbon as whenever somebody changes coolant hoses they never stick with black as they want them to stand out
