porschefanatics

Materials

Parts grouped by what they are made of. A material appears here only where the maker published it: grade, alloy or layup as stated, never inferred from what a part looks like or what it usually is.

8,460 of 76,279 parts carry a material — 11.1%. That number is low and it is meant to be. Almost no retail listing says what an alloy is, and a catalogue that guessed would look far more complete while being worth far less. A brake disc is probably cast iron and a hose is probably rubber; neither guess belongs in a field somebody might rely on.

The distinctions kept here are the ones that change a decision: carbon by layup, because prepreg and wet lay-up differ by about a third in weight; titanium by grade, because Ti-6Al-4V gives up where Ti-6242 keeps going; nickel superalloys separately from steel, because that is what survives a turbine inlet.

Steel 3716

Stainless Steel (grade not disclosed) 3203

and 3197 more

Stainless Steel 304L 241

and 235 more

Steel (grade not disclosed) 179

Use when a vendor says only "steel". Most OEM 993 brackets and carriers are stamped mild steel.

and 173 more

Chromoly Steel 41

and 35 more

Stainless Steel 321 23

Titanium-stabilised; resists sensitisation at exhaust temperatures better than 304.

and 17 more

9310 Alloy Steel 19

Case-hardening gear steel.

and 13 more

Mild Steel 4

4340 Alloy Steel 4

Through-hardening steel used for conrods, crankshafts and stub axles.

Maraging Tool Steel 1.2709 1

EN40B nitriding steel 1

Chromium-molybdenum steel intended to be nitrided. Used for crankshafts where a hard case over a tough core matters more than outright tensile strength.

Aluminium 2543

Aluminium (alloy not disclosed) 2188

and 2182 more

6061-T6 Aluminium 324

and 318 more

7075-T6 Aluminium 18

Considerably stronger than 6061 but poor weldability and lower corrosion resistance — a machined-part alloy, not a fabricated one.

and 12 more

Forged Aluminium 10

and 4 more

Proprietary high-strength aluminum alloy 2

Vendor-specific composition not publicly disclosed.

Alusil (AlSi17Cu4Mg) 1

Hypereutectic cylinder alloy used by Porsche where the bore runs directly on etched silicon.

Composites 1467

Carbon Fibre (layup not disclosed) 1126

Use when a vendor says only "carbon fibre". Do not assume prepreg.

and 1120 more

Carbon / Aramid Hybrid 227

Carbon with Kevlar, usually for impact and penetration resistance rather than stiffness — hence its use in seat shells.

and 221 more

Carbon Fibre (prepreg, autoclave cured) 92

"Dry carbon". Typically 30–40% lighter than the same part in wet lay-up, and the only route that reliably holds OEM panel gaps.

and 86 more

Composite (type not disclosed) 11

and 5 more

Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GRP) 7

Heavier and far more flexible than carbon. Most cheap "carbon-look" body panels are GRP underneath.

and 1 more

Aramid (Kevlar) 2

Forged Carbon (chopped tow compression moulded) 2

Chopped tow pressed in a matched mould. Distinctive marbled appearance, isotropic rather than directional — do not assume woven-prepreg properties.

Titanium 731

Titanium (grade not disclosed) 712

Use when a vendor markets a part as titanium without publishing the alloy. Do not guess a grade.

and 706 more

Ti-6Al-4V (Grade 5) 19

and 13 more

Polymers 636

Rubber 247

For OEM mounts and bushings where the compound is not published.

and 241 more

Elastomer 173

and 167 more

Polymer (type not disclosed) 111

and 105 more

TPU 56

and 50 more

ABS 19

and 13 more

Delrin / POM 15

and 9 more

Polycarbonate 9

Roughly half the mass of the glass it replaces, and it scratches. A track answer, not a road one.

and 3 more

Polyamide 12 4

TPU / polyurethane lattice 1

PTFE 1

Low-friction fluoropolymer. In brake lines it is the core that carries the fluid; the stainless braid only stops it expanding.

Nickel superalloys 206

Inconel (grade not disclosed) 115

and 109 more

Inconel 625 91

and 85 more

trim 195

Leather 80

Includes Alcantara where the seller names it.

and 74 more

Textile 65

Felt, carpet and woven trim.

and 59 more

Foam 47

Seat and sound-deadening foam.

and 41 more

Cork 3

Gaskets and seals on the older cars.

Ceramics 172

Ceramic 170

Brake friction material and coatings. Distinct from carbon-ceramic, which is a composite.

and 164 more

Ceramic Matrix Composite 1

Carbon Ceramic (C/SiC) 1

Carbon fibre reinforced silicon carbide, as used in PCCB and aftermarket equivalents.

glass 105

Glass 105

Laminated or toughened; the listing rarely says which.

and 99 more

Magnesium 68

Magnesium Alloy 56

About a third lighter than aluminium. Corrodes readily and is difficult to weld, which is why Porsche abandoned it for crankcases and why period cases crack.

and 50 more

Forged Magnesium 12

Forging raises strength and stability over cast magnesium; the basis of current motorsport wheels.

and 6 more

carbon 34

Graphite 34

Bearings, seals and brushes. Not a carbon fibre composite.

and 28 more

copper-alloy 24

Brass 14

Used where a fitting has to seal and not seize.

and 8 more

Copper 10

Chosen for conduction, in washers and electrical joints.

and 4 more

Iron 10

Cast Iron 9

and 3 more

Cast Iron 1

Heavy and stable under heat, which is why brake discs stayed with it long after everything else moved on.

Coatings and platings 10

Nickel Silicon Carbide plating 8

Hard, low-friction bore plating. The functional surface of a billet aluminium cylinder — the aluminium is the structure, the plating is the wear face.

and 2 more

Nikasil coating 2

Nickel-silicon carbide bore plating used on the 993 engine. Its sensitivity to high-sulphur fuel is the origin of the 993 bore-wear reputation.