With advances in fabrication techniques and ever increasing gasoline prices, the advantage of using titanium in automobiles continues to increase for primarily two reasons. The first advantage of titanium is its strength-to-weight ratio. While weighing nearly half as much as mild steel, Ti-6Al-4V titanium (Grade 5) engineering strength is approximately three times stronger. So, as the weight of the car drops, the fuel efficiency increases without compromising the car’s strength. The second advantage is its corrosion resistance. No longer will rusted car parts cost you painful replacement fees.

Titanium brake pads offer an example of another of its benefits. When brakes are under stress, they get hot.  Just think how hot the brake parts on a racecar must get when coming out of a straight stretch to enter a corner. The heat created from the friction of the hard-working brakes can actually boil the hydraulic brake fluid. That's where titanium brake shims come in. Titanium brake shims work like heat shields to prevent the heat of the braking effort from affecting the other brake parts.

Titanium valve springs, piston assemblies, exhaust systems, pivot bearings, wheel carriers, steering linkage and axle stubs are just a small handful of the possibilities. Titanium components last for a lifetime, all the while saving fuel due to their weight reduction. When the total cost of car ownership is taking into consideration, titanium is cost effective.