Do theraml spacers for the intake manifold and throttle body increase hp? Or are they just another bs part that just seems logical but dont show any gains in performance?

 

i thought that shi* was a gimmick but i bought one anyways lol.

Before, after a full WOT pull I couldnt even touch my IM because it was too hot...
After I installed the IM gasket, I was able to put my hand on it. It was luke warm. I really wish I would've noted before and after temps w/ a heat temperature gun, because they were rather significant in my instance.

 

did you just replace the thermal gasket? or get the IM coated too? (ex: map offers a coating for IM's)

 

just the gasket. no coating on my IM.

TBH, I haven't seen any before/after tests that have shown the thermal coatings to be effective. It MAY work, but to what extent, im unsure of.

 

interesting.. my common sense would say that the coating would work better than a gasket, but i would be interested in results since im considering having them do port work on my IM

 

Yes...they do work and work well. I tested many of those for Hondata on several different vehicles and the difference was amazing.

What they do is keep the intake manifold from heatsinking with the head. Keeping the manifold much cooler than if it were still mated with the head with only a small metal gasket.

The cooler you can keep the cold side of your intake/piping, the better. That cooler, denser air will equate into more power. It will also help underhood temps as well, which is never a bad thing.

 

make sure you plug the egr port or it will make short work of that gasket.

 

Long story short.. I type this every time this thread pops up.


The gaskets show ZERO hp gain... and if you wanna sit here and argue about how and why lets just make it simple.

Consider an FMIC(a good one)... they use turbulance technology, and THOUSANDS of mini fins to bounce that air off as much surface area as possible.. to cool the air.. Its in the coldest place on your car.. in the direct path of air. And the good ones work very well..(but have pressure drop because of the restriction they impose)

now consider how poorly the less efficient ones work.. (as per Buschurs testing and anyone else who tests heat soak on an ebay fmic)... This is due to less fins.. poor design etc.


Now take an intake manifold... With its LARGE open runners/plenum(read NO PRESSURE DROP, max velocity).. straight through design.. and minimal time(for the air) spent in here... And your going to tell me that ... your intake manifold has the ability to raise the temp of your intake air charge.. more then what? a couple of degs? maybe even none at all??

Its a gimmick part.. yes - it keeps your IM cooler.. ok.. but does that really DO anything for you... prob not..

 

Ok well.....i know for a fact they work...lol. You're speaking on BS theory, whereas, i'm speaking on FACT.

Fact: For every 3.3 °C (5° F) rise in intake temperature, air density drops 1%. you do the math genius. A intake heatsheild can give you a 10-30*c temp drop. So, between 3-5% more power. Not a ton of power, but to say it does not work...is simply misinformation.

 

Prove that your intake charge increases in temp from the throttle body - to the valves without the addition of a spacer.


Your talking about sucking in hotter air.. not actually INCREASING the temp of the air... try a more relevant comparison.

 

well...think of it as the IM flange being a sponge absorbing the heat transfer from the head. The spacer acts as a heatsink preventing heat be transferred to your intake manifold.

It could be that when you use the thermal coating in conjunction to the gasket, it could help lower how much heatsoak the IM incurs compared to what the gasket does on its own.

 

well yes, i understand this ^. im just saying that in my mind, i wouldnt think a simple gasket could decrease temps enough to actually see a noticeable difference in power.. in cooler IM temps, maybe, but enough to translate to power gained or consistence? no.

im sure its one of those things that is only noticable when doing a constantly high rpm race for long periods of time during the summer. not for doing a single drag down the strip.

 

Rogue said it best. The air isn't in the IM long enough. I bet if the IM was 0 degrees it would prove little benefit.

-Will

 

huh? How much more relevant of an argument can you get? Look, face it...it's a fact that a thermal spacer will reduce manifold temps significantly and this will in turn lead to lower IAT's. This science has been proven before, you're not going to win this battle my friend. Did i say it would be a significant increase in power? Of course not.

The question is, does it work.....the answer is....YES. It's simple..... really....lol.

 

They begin to deform and melt over time. Mine did on 2 cars. I will never use them again.