Intake boots : o-ring or x-ring ?

[Rijko]

i went to a local o-ring supplier today, taking an OEM
o-ring from my GS1000 with me.

I have several bikes i want to renew them on, and was looking
for pricing.

First thing he said was this is old tech rubber - Viton would
mean a big improvement.
Superior material, more resistant to temperature, wear,
pressure, modern gasoline with bio-ethanol, etc.

Second thing was new to me : x-rings.
Also available in Viton, and have double the sealing capacity
since they seal in 2 places vs 1 sealing area on o-rings.
More resistant to distortion too.

He was very clear - i should use x-rings for the intake boots.
Next-gen technology, superior to the old o-rings.

Pricing is nice, approx. the same as OEM Suzuki o-rings.

What do you think ?

x-ring.jpg

[OldVet66]

Absolutely not. You can order the proper O-ring from a forum member Robert Barr for a very reasonable price I just ordered the VM carburetor rebuild O-ring kit and intake O-rings from him today and spent a whopping $25.15 with shipping. I don't know if he ships overseas but Suzuki should still offer the part. It would be worth contacting Robert at any rate. These have worked for years and need to be replaced every now and again. If you do use the ones available locally, take a boot with you for fitting and check the boots for leaks they don't last forever either.: http://www.cycleorings.com/

[Nessism]

Most of us are using Viton O-rings on the intake boots. I use them inside the carbs too wherever possible.

X-rings are in interesting idea for the carb boots. Not sure it's necessary but give it a try if you want. The OEM O-rings will last for 25+ years so not sure it's necessary to reinvent the wheel with a different technology though.

[Rijko]

Absolutely not. You can order the proper O-ring from a forum member Robert Barr for a very reasonable price I just ordered the VM carburetor rebuild O-ring kit and intake O-rings from him today and spent a whopping $25.15 with shipping. I don't know if he ships overseas but Suzuki should still offer the part. It would be worth contacting Robert at any rate. : http://www.cycleorings.com/

i know... he also offers the choice between normal intake boot rings and Viton,
and i think everyone agrees the Viton's are better.

So that brings us to x-rings : x-ring chains are generally accepted as being
superior to the oldfashioned o-ring chains.

That made the argument of the seller sound credible.

Do you have any experience with, or arguments against using x-rings
for the intake boots ?

[Rijko]

The OEM O-rings will last for 25+ years so...

good point, for me that's a very valid argument not to start experimenting !

edit : otoh .. why use Viton then
Just looking for more info and knowledge on using x-rings here ...

[Nessism]

I disagree that X-rings are "accepted" as being superior.

Where I work, in the aerospace industry, we use tons of O-rings, but ZERO X-rings.

[Rijko]

I disagree that X-rings are "accepted" as being superior.

Where I work, in the aerospace industry, we use tons of O-rings, but ZERO X-rings.

yep, i was generalizing. bad practice.
I meant for motorcycle chains, and i realize even that is debatable because
x-rings seal better but have higher friction.

Can you elaborate why you use zero x-rings ?
That must have a good reason !

[Agemax]

Viton O rings have always been the norm for the intake boots. If they are the correct size they will fit and seal perfectly for years. No need for fancy alternatives. here in the UK i can get a pack of 4 correct viton O rings for virtually the same price as one OEM item.
Ihave however bought O ring kits from Robert (cycleorings.com) for the carbs themselves and the delivery cost is extremely reasonable, and quick too, usually within a week.

Oh, and by the way the carb internal O rings should be nitrile, not viton. much higher resistance to fuel. (ask Robert, he will confirm that)

[OldVet66]

I use X-ring chains and have had very good luck with them. I am not convinced they would work any better for a boot O-ring though, in that application unless it was designed for it.

[JTGS850GL]

I disagree that X-rings are "accepted" as being superior.

Where I work, in the aerospace industry, we use tons of O-rings, but ZERO X-rings.

I know it may seem strange, but aerospace is not a very experimentation driven design area. Aerospace is almost always behind the times when implementing technology into their designs. By the time the government issues design contracts, designs are approved and production begins, newer technology has far surpassed the original design. The space shuttle is a prime example. By the time the first space shuttle entered space the computer technology was far behind what the average home had in pure processing power.

X-rings are application specific as a low friction alternative to common O-rings. O-rings are a tried and true form of sealing and work very will in most applications. Would the X-ring work any better as a seal for the intake boot? Maybe, but why? Even if the Viton X-rings could last 50 years, the boots wouldn't and I would reuse them after 25+ years anyway.

[hannibal]

Given the chain's movement and exposure to road elements, you'll probably see an improvement with X rings. But that doesn't necessarily translate to carbs boots IMO.

[JTGS850GL]

Given the chain's movement and exposure to road elements, you'll probably see an improvement with X rings. But that doesn't necessarily translate to carbs boots IMO.

Agreed. A static condition like the carb boots and carb internals probably wouldn't benefit at all from the specific attributes of an X-ring. They're designed for dynamic movement conditions.

[robertbarr]

Well, you could do some research. For example: This or this. There's a mention of some advantage in static applications, but they sure don't elaborate.

There's no relative motion at the boot/head interface (other than relative thermal expansion rates), and when new and supple, the Viton O-ring seals perfectly for a reasonable cost. The area where improvement would be significant would be in the area of elastomeric stability versus time versus heat, and I'm not seeing that. If there's a product that can seal effectively for a longer period of time, buy it. Otherwise, it just ain't broke.

[JTGS850GL]

Well, you could do some research. For example: This or this. There's a mention of some advantage in static applications, but they sure don't elaborate.

There's no relative motion at the boot/head interface (other than relative thermal expansion rates), and when new and supple, the Viton O-ring seals perfectly for a reasonable cost. The area where improvement would be significant would be in the area of elastomeric stability versus time versus heat, and I'm not seeing that. If there's a product that can seal effectively for a longer period of time, buy it. Otherwise, it just ain't broke.

I think I just said that.

[Rijko]

so there we are, it's the application that is important as several of you pointed out.
While the x-ring may have it's advantages over o-rings in some dynamic
applications it does seem there is hardly or no gain for the static use
of them for the intake boots.
Not in price, not in longevity, not in any other relevant area we can think of.
Seems the advice i got was not as good as i hoped.
Thanks you guys for your input, i have learned a thing or two and will
stick with what we know will work well.