Heat wrap and underhood temp control

[ryker]

I wanted to lower the underhood temps.

• Increase the life span of the other parts
• Lower temps to keep air intake cooler -- possible slight power increase
• Keep the heat in the exhuast - hotter gasses flow faster - possible power improvement

I used the new copper style heat wrap from Thermo-Tec. I also applied the cooper paint to help seal up the fabric. Since I had the heat shield off I applied a few coats of the high-temp paint to them. This will have a slight effect in heat control as well.



GENERATION II COPPER HEADER WRAP

Generation II Copper Header Wrap improves heat resistance up to 30% more than current technology, by utilizing a new proprietary coating developed by Thermo-Tec; improved Thermal-Conduction-Technology (T-C-T).

Generation II Copper Exhaust Wrap creates more horsepower and reduces under-hood temperatures, increases exhaust scavenging, withstands continuous heat up to 2000ºF, contains no asbestos.

Generation II Copper Exhaust Wrap is sold in one or two inch wide, 50 foot rolls with a low profile 1/16" thickness.

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HI-HEAT COATING

To finish off a clean and well-protected Exhaust Insulating Wrap application it is recommended to use the Hi-Heat Coating.

The coating will protect the wrap from abrasion and harmful liquid spills. Extra resins and binders toughen the surface, extend the life of wrap by protecting it from friction, and seal the pores to minimize the penetration of harmful liquids.

The coating also works excellent as a paint directy on metal surfaces.












Pretty simple DIY Took about an hour to get it out and less than 30 minutes to put back in. There is enough heatwrap to cover 2 or more headers. Only fancy tool needed can be rented (free) from most parts stores. The 02 sensor tool.

I would have rather sent the whole thing off to www.swaintech.com. But I need to have a working car. I'll be having the megan downpipe coated by swaintech.

[Phalanx]

very nice...

will you be dyno-ing at all to get true read on any gains? have you been able to test @ all how this effects the underhood heat?

[ryker]

I live in Ken-tu-cky.... lol. I'd have to drive 60 miles or so to find a dyno shop. Plus I don't think a simple dyno test is a good way to measure mods that only give small power gains. IMO it would be less than 5hp on a dyno test. And real life conditions would be less than 7hp.

Also to get a good dyno test the ECU should be logged to compare A/F ration's.

Dyno's results are altered by , weather, tire pressure, engine oil breakdown, etc etc. Small gains are just to hard to measure.

Plus my car has 800miles on it. So no full throttle testing. If it had more miles then I do a gtech pro test. I fully hope to see some real life power gains - as I sit in traffic or climb a large hill. The three-way cat convertor makes massive amounts of heat. I also should decrease the stress on oil temps and trans fluid temps.

[06CivEXJon]

Interesting.

[ryker]

Crude test (hand on airbox) shows some improvement in under hood temps.

[BigT]

Looks good. Did you replace the gaskets, or where they re-usable? Should definitely help with heat soak if nothing else.

Also, does anyone know if there is any documentation about how this affects Catalytic converter operation, efficiency or lifespan?

[BigT]

Originally Posted by ryker

Crude test (hand on airbox) shows some improvement in under hood temps.

Catalytic converters run very hot. I bet doing this helps quite a bit.

[ryker]

Originally Posted by BigT

Looks good. Did you replace the gaskets, or where they re-usable? Should definitely help with heat soak if nothing else.

Also, does anyone know if there is any documentation about how this affects Catalytic converter operation, efficiency or lifespan?

I didn't replace the gaskets. I'd bet the repair manual says to replace them. However they look very durable.

I'm not sure this would decrease the lifespan of the cat. The inside is a ceramic, the out side is quality steel. Wrapping them doesn't create new heat. Just holds the heat in. And since this would force the heat to be moved futher down stream via exhaust gasses. The cooler engine bay might allow for cooler engine operation. Thus better for the cat... ??? But if you notice I didn't paint the cat. So if something happens. I un-wrap it. And let my 6 year bumper to bumper warrenty kick in.

I scanned the ECU to find that the engine IAT (intake air temps) was 98 when it was only 73 outside. So the engine bay and throttle coolant system makes for a hot air intake. Any thing we can do to keep it lower or stablize the temps has to be good.

[ryker]

Originally Posted by BigT

Catalytic converters run very hot. I bet doing this helps quite a bit.

Even more so when this huge heat device is within inches of the coil packs, engine block, a/c compressor, coolant hoses, etc etc etc This amount of heat would dry out hoses and belts,,,my guess.