Wrapping an intake with heat reflective tape (turbo car), how much does it really help?
So I have an Injen intake on my Fiesta ST and I’ve noticed some have wrapped their intakes. Now being a metal tube, it does get pretty hot, but a lot of people have said that just because the exterior is hot, does not mean the inside of the pipe is warm.
Some people also think that because the air moves so fast, the pipe temperature won’t actually affect the temp of the air.
I know the majority of the cooling happens at the intercooler, but does anyone have any experience with this? The engine bay gets really hot with these cars, even with normal driving. I’ve noticed the intake will be too hot to touch.
Thoughts?
Comments
basically the tape will help insulate your intake air from the super hot ambient air of your engine. your entire engine also glows with infra red light, the tape will absorb some of that light which will be cooler than the bare intake absorbing it. A better (but way more expensive) option is to coat the intake in ceramic, which is even better at heat insulation.
Bottom line is the tape will work! Do not use it on your exhaust, but on low-temp applications it will work fine. Hope this helps you.
Do you have any idea on how much it affects it though? Is it only like a minor change? I know there are a lot of variables… I get the principle behind it, just curious if anyone has done it and noticed a measurable difference.
Thanks
every little bit helps. I also have the Injen Intake on my Fiesta ST. Get the cobb AP and check the temps like that. From there you can monitor before and after the tape. If it actually did help, then sweet, if not…well you blew only a little money right? (I forget how much that stuff costs).
I know I plan to experiment with some Extra induction routing or heat venting.
Yeah, idk I asked a friend of mine who has built 1000hp drag cars and he didn’t think it’s worth the time. Granted he never builds turbo motors, but he didn’t think it’d make a noticeable difference.
I may do it…but it’s gonna be a pain…
My charge temps are rarely 10 degrees above ambient air temp so it’s doing a decent job as is.