[tsmgguy]

I'm getting ready to install some titanium brake disc bolts, pinch bolts, and axle nuts in an effort to further reduce the GT's unsprung weight. Is there anything special about installing these parts? Are the same published torque values used as for the OEM steel parts? Thanks!

 

[barfer]

Use the same torque spec and heed them a little closer than you might normally do.

Ti bolts are super-hard--harder than the metal you are bolting them to, which in many cases might be super-light aluminum. You can easily strip the threads on the female side using a Ti bolt if you over-torque them.

 

[RedST]

If you use Ti bolts on the rear brake, the speedometer pickup won't detect the bolts passing, and will cause the speedo to be erratic or not function.

The sensor needs steel bolts to work properly.

 

[tsmgguy]

If you use Ti bolts on the rear brake, the speedometer pickup won't detect the bolts passing, and will cause the speedo to be erratic or not function.

The sensor needs steel bolts to work properly.

Yes, am replacing the front brake rotor bolts only, leaving the steel rear bolts alone.

 

[mooner]

Be sure to apply something like this to the threads

read this discussion: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showthread.php?t=72453&highlight=titanium

 

[JS sport classic]

I agree with Mooner, some type of anti- seize or thread lube should be used. You do not want to stick one of those anywhere on your bike.... JS

 

[tsmgguy]

Looks like bi-metal corrosion can be a problem with titanium and aluminum. How about titanium and steel?

 

[vf1000ride]

For the guys asking about what kind of thread lube/anti-seize to use. When I worked at the airline and we installed TI fasteners into steel nuts we used Boelube. It was a white stick lube that had a cool shimmer to it.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cspages/boelube.php
They sell a 1.6 ounce push stick of the stuff for under 4 bucks.

Also if you want more reading material, this article is from the US Navy development center as to use of TI hardware on ships and what anti-size worked best for them.

http://content.nace.org/Store/Downloads/97554.PDF

Short story is they found regular Felpro c-5a copper/graphite anti-seize you can buy in any auto parts store to work just fine.

 

[tsmgguy]

I ordered up a few small tubes of Ti-Prep anti-seize compound (as shown above) from a bicycle supply house. I wonder if it's about the same stuff as Felpro c5a? The stuff is less than $1 per 6.5cc tube.

Looks like the TPO titanium rear axle nut will be in contact only with the rear axle and washer, both steel. The Ti front brake disc bolt heads contact the steel front disc support, but are threaded into the aluminum wheel hub.

The new Ti parts are just beautiful. I wonder how they were made and polished, if Ti is so very hard?

"If you look out for the ounces, the pounds will take care of themselves." Colin Fletcher, "The Man Who Walked Through Time"

 

[MajorSoftie]

The new Ti parts are just beautiful. I wonder how they were made and polished, if Ti is so very hard?

Similar to steel. Ti is extremely hard for a lightweight metal. It is much harder than aluminum, and even mild steel, but not as hard as the hardest steels.

Titanium is neither as strong as the strongest steels, nor nearly as light as aluminum. What makes Ti so desirable is that its strength-to-weight ratio is superior to both of those, and the best of all metals. It is also far more corrosion resistant than both steel and aluminum (I don't know how its corrosion resistance compares to the various stainless steel alloys).

Also, of course, just like steel and aluminum, Ti can be (and usually is) alloyed with other metals, so "Titanium" is not always exactly the same thing with exactly the same properties. Like steel, most of the alloys can be hardened with heat treating, so they can be milled and worked while in their softer state, and then heat treated to the desired hardness.

 

[dougb]

I've used this stuff on Ti bolts into other Ti as an anti-sieze.

Also on stainless bolts into Al threads and it seems to slow/prevent bi-metallic corrosion problems there too.

http://www.aquashieldgrease.com

 

[dietrichpfeifer]

Has anyone figured out the possible weight savings for say, the front wheel by switching to ti hardware? For example, what would the weight savings be if changing out the steel for ti rotor bolts, caliper mounting bolts, and axle nut? Half a pound? It's tempting...but I just can't rationalize the cost/weight ratio.

 

[MajorSoftie]

Direct replacement of steel components with identical Titanium ones usually gives a 40% weight reduction. So, if you know either the weight of all the steel parts, or all the Titanium parts, you should be able to figure out the weight savings.

With the list of parts you just gave, I'm not sure you'd even get that 1/2 a pound. Parts like Titanium axles can give even less weight savings because they often have to make them a little thicker to be as strong as the tool-steel part, so then you might only save 20%-30%.