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Joined: Dec 2008
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From: Solvang, Ca
Corrosion? Don't get chrome. Get only Stainless.
Stainless steel is an alloy of low carbon steel and chromium for enhanced corrosion characteristics. Stainless steel is highly corrosion resistant for the price and because the anti-corrosive properties are inherent to the metal, it will not loose this resistance if scratched during installation or use.
It is a common misconception that stainless steel is stronger than regular steel. In fact, due to the low carbon content, stainless steel can not be hardened. Therefore when compared with regular steel it is slightly stronger than an un-hardened (grade 2) steel fastener but significantly weaker than Grade 8 hardened steel fasteners.
It comes in just below a grade 5 on the strength scale.
replace all non critical bolts with stainless.
Stainless steel is an alloy of low carbon steel and chromium for enhanced corrosion characteristics. Stainless steel is highly corrosion resistant for the price and because the anti-corrosive properties are inherent to the metal, it will not loose this resistance if scratched during installation or use.
It is a common misconception that stainless steel is stronger than regular steel. In fact, due to the low carbon content, stainless steel can not be hardened. Therefore when compared with regular steel it is slightly stronger than an un-hardened (grade 2) steel fastener but significantly weaker than Grade 8 hardened steel fasteners.
It comes in just below a grade 5 on the strength scale.
replace all non critical bolts with stainless.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,592
Likes: 6
From: Florida
Stainless steel does come in different grades. The stock brake rotors are stainless and they do indeed rust. They have at least 10% chromium content. I am an aircraft structural mechanic and I use different grades of stainless in my work. In aviation we call it CRES because it is corrosion resistant. It is commonly called stainless because it literally stains less. That does not mean that it will not corrode, it will and does, just not anywhere near as much as typical mild steel.
Carbon steel is stronger but will rust quickly when exposed to the environment. This is why they make chrome hardware. The only problem there is the fact that you can't avoid scratching or cracking the chrome when installing or removing the hardware. The quick fix is to make sure that you clean the chrome hardware with alcohol after installation and then either clear coat it or wax it so it does not rust. Iron oxide is the culprit that actually is the rust that you see. The iron oxide is chemically active and reacts to water and air to form what we call rust, which is actually iron oxide. The chromium prevents that from happening.
I am not a metallurgist, just a structures mech, but I'm pretty damn sure a google search will prove me right.
P.S. Just googled it and this really tells ya the deal with stainless, very informative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
Note that stainless steels have a very low percentage of carbon.
Carbon steel is stronger but will rust quickly when exposed to the environment. This is why they make chrome hardware. The only problem there is the fact that you can't avoid scratching or cracking the chrome when installing or removing the hardware. The quick fix is to make sure that you clean the chrome hardware with alcohol after installation and then either clear coat it or wax it so it does not rust. Iron oxide is the culprit that actually is the rust that you see. The iron oxide is chemically active and reacts to water and air to form what we call rust, which is actually iron oxide. The chromium prevents that from happening.
I am not a metallurgist, just a structures mech, but I'm pretty damn sure a google search will prove me right.
P.S. Just googled it and this really tells ya the deal with stainless, very informative.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel
Note that stainless steels have a very low percentage of carbon.
Last edited by mopardave; Jan 4, 2009 at 11:21 AM. Reason: P.S.
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