About T-Bolt Clamps

We sell both Standard T-Bolt clamps and Spring-Loaded T-Bolt clamps.

Standard T-Bolt Clamps

T-Bolt clamps are the strongest hose clamps made.

A wider band provides for superior system stability. This means your entire intake system will be less likely to move around.

Thicker metal in the band means higher strength and longer life.

The disadvantage to the T-Bolt clamp is its narrow range - you absolutely must have the correct size in order for it to work properly.

A related disadvantage is, in some circumstances, it may be difficult to tell if a T-Bolt is fully tightened or not. If the clamp is too big, you may run out of threads before the clamp is fully tightened. This makes it feel like it is tight against the hose, but some of the pressure you feel may be the nut binding up against the end of the threads on the bolt. If you hear of a T-Bolt clamp “popping off” a hose, this is almost always the cause (the only other causes being a crushed intake tube or a clamp that was not fully tightened in the first place). The solution, again, is to be sure you have the correct size clamp.

On a properly tightened T-Bolt clamp, the nut will be near the center of the threads on the bolt. If the bolt seems too long and is sticking out at a weird angle, you probably have the wrong size clamp.

T-Bolt clamps are fully lined, so can be used on silicone hoses.

Our standard T-Bolt clamps have a stainless band with an anodized bolt and locknut.

Spring-Loaded T-Bolt Clamps:

These clamps maintain a constant tension on silicone hoses on charge air coolers.

Largely superseded by newer constant-torque technologies, but still widely used, widely available, and popular with customers. They also happen to look really cool.

The only real disadvantages compared to Constant-Torque are a narrower range, less capability to handle rapid pressure spikes, and slowly losing tension in the spring over time (which is easily combated by adjusting the clamp periodically, which should be done with any style of clamp anyway).

Their ability to compensate for the expansion and contraction of hoses and fittings due to temperature is about the same as Constant-Torque.

Ours are floating-bridge type, using a trunnion-style bridge, which keeps the clamp aligned during tightening, and tightens more evenly around the entire diameter of the hose.

Fully lined, so can be used on silicone hoses.

Stainless band and bridge. Plated or anodized bolts, nuts, washers and springs.

All of out T-Bolt clamps are Made in USA.

Why standard T-bolts do not work well on charge air coolers :

T-Bolt clamps are intended for high-strength, long-term, stable connections.

The one place where they do not do well is on charge air cooler inlet and outlet tubes.

The reason for this is that many charge air coolers have cast aluminum inlet and outlet tubes. These tubes expand and contract significantly depending on temperature.

Let’s say you install T-Bolt clamps on hoses on charge air cooler tubes, while the engine is cold. During operation, the tubes expand from the heat significantly, stretching the band on the T-Bolt clamps. Now when the engine cools back down, the clamp will be slightly looser because it has been stretched. After many cycles of heating and cooling, the clamp is too loose to properly secure the hose, and the connection can fail.

Spring-loaded T-Bolt clamps, and later, Constant-Torque clamps, were developed to address this problem.

Important Note: All types of hose clamps should be re-tightened after the first few weeks of use.