Cryogenic Treatment?

[rt_saab]

Has anyone ever used this on any of their auto parts? I am thinking about doing it for my brake rotors. I have read that after doing your brake rotors they often last 2x to 3x longer. It seems that a lot of people use it on weak pistons, crankshafts, and connecting rods. I found this site...


http://www.nitrofreeze.com/racing.html

http://www.nitrofreeze.com/cryogenic_treatment.html


What do you guys think?

[curtis73]

Cryogenics work in theory, but if they actually work in practice i've not really heard of it. Its usually something that is saved for super-high-end race stuff like F1. Maybe after a 400-mile race they notice a .01 second improvement in lap times, but for the average car its mostly a waste of money.

Some of those companies' idea of cryogenics is to dip them in a bucket of liquid nitrogen which is pointless. The whole point of cryogenics (and this part isn't in dispute) is that it "packs" the iron atoms closer together. Cast iron is a very random crystalline structure. Think of it like a freshly laid gravel driveway; soft and unsupportive. Now go over the gravel with a steam roller. Its not changing the chemical composition of the gravel particles, its just packing them together so they can get more support from each other.

So, cryogenics may increase the rigidity of the rotor, but its still just cast iron so its hardness won't be really affected.