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Thermal Kombat: How Do You Keep IAT and/or Engine Bay Temps Down?

Ignignokt

K04 Bound
Location
U.S.
Car(s)
'08 Mk5 GTI
I'm not asking for things most of us know you CAN do. I'm asking for things you all have done personally that have had quantifiable results. You know? Special/unique/semi-unique mods or commonly known mods taken to the "extreme", or extreme mods that have been pared-down and refined to maximize results. I find custom fabrications interesting as well.

I ask because I'm starting to experiment around the engine bay in an effort to keep my IAT as low as possible. I know there are real-world limits to how much heat a material can reflect or dissipate (especially in a confined space); however, I'm thinking there have to be not only optimal materials but optimal combinations of materials and optimal placement/employment of those materials to achieve my desired results. Fairly soon, I'll be wrapping my downpipe and CAI. Personal research is still underway for how I plan on attacking the CAI system.

What are your thoughts and experiences with this topic? :smile:
 

Jerseynoob

Ready to race!
Location
Jersey
To lower you IAT's, everything I've read says the only way to do it is with Water/Meth.....

Other steps would be removing intake restrictions, and getting a good intercooler.

To reduce engine bay temps, use low profile trim like what you get from Modshack, as it uses convection(?) cooling....meaning when you driving down the road, air comes into the engine bay from the gap between the top of the firewall, and the engine hood.

Get a turbo blanket....keeps the heat in the hot side of the turbo, which is supposed to help spooling.

Remove the plastic fan mount, which restricts incoming air while driving, cut away the restrictions, but not the fan mounts, and reinstall.

Of course, sitting in stop and go traffic, where it's considered 'sporty' when you get into 2nd gear, shoots all this stuff straight to hell.
 

Ignignokt

K04 Bound
Location
U.S.
Car(s)
'08 Mk5 GTI
To lower you IAT's, everything I've read says the only way to do it is with Water/Meth.....

Other steps would be removing intake restrictions, and getting a good intercooler.

To reduce engine bay temps, use low profile trim like what you get from Modshack, as it uses convection(?) cooling....meaning when you driving down the road, air comes into the engine bay from the gap between the top of the firewall, and the engine hood.

Get a turbo blanket....keeps the heat in the hot side of the turbo, which is supposed to help spooling.

Remove the plastic fan mount, which restricts incoming air while driving, cut away the restrictions, but not the fan mounts, and reinstall.

Of course, sitting in stop and go traffic, where it's considered 'sporty' when you get into 2nd gear, shoots all this stuff straight to hell.


Right on! I've been thinking w/m sounds pretty sweet. I'm not looking to get sub-ambient right now, but it's definitely on the radar. To me, the most interesting of your suggestions was the fan mount modification. I might actually try this out after looking into it a bit more. Thanks, man!
 

Austin_hull

Für Die Liebe Des Autos
Location
Virginia
Car(s)
MK5 TR GTI REVO// +
To lower you IAT's, everything I've read says the only way to do it is with Water/Meth.....

Other steps would be removing intake restrictions, and getting a good intercooler.

Get a turbo blanket....keeps the heat in the hot side of the turbo, which is supposed to help spooling.

I had all of these, (Snow Performance W/M, Golf R intercooler, and Turbo Blanket), and had TREMENDOUS results...HYDE64 recently did a review on the turbo blanket that I have, and it's well worth the clams...
 

Ignignokt

K04 Bound
Location
U.S.
Car(s)
'08 Mk5 GTI
I had all of these, (Snow Performance W/M, Golf R intercooler, and Turbo Blanket), and had TREMENDOUS results...HYDE64 recently did a review on the turbo blanket that I have, and it's well worth the clams...

I definitely like the turbo blanket idea. I might tackle that not too long after the wrapping. Thanks! :thumbsup:
 

Jerseynoob

Ready to race!
Location
Jersey
Right on! I've been thinking w/m sounds pretty sweet. I'm not looking to get sub-ambient right now, but it's definitely on the radar. To me, the most interesting of your suggestions was the fan mount modification. I might actually try this out after looking into it a bit more. Thanks, man!

The fan mount modification..........this idea popping into my head one day after wasting money on an intercooler :mad:, which only works as well as the air flow to it, and through it. And I was looking in the engine bay, when I realized the only real air to enter the engine bay through the a/c unit/intercooler/radiator comes through the area that is open to the fans.....the rest of it is restricted by the that piece of plastic that covers quite a bit of the radiator, but it's also what the fans get mounted onto. So I'm thinking if one was able to remove it, and cut away at it, with out damaging the fan mounts or the mounting parts itself, it might help with air flow through the intercooler/radiator, and into the engine bay for cooling.
 

Ignignokt

K04 Bound
Location
U.S.
Car(s)
'08 Mk5 GTI
The fan mount modification..........this idea popping into my head one day after wasting money on an intercooler :mad:, which only works as well as the air flow to it, and through it. And I was looking in the engine bay, when I realized the only real air to enter the engine bay through the a/c unit/intercooler/radiator comes through the area that is open to the fans.....the rest of it is restricted by the that piece of plastic that covers quite a bit of the radiator, but it's also what the fans get mounted onto. So I'm thinking if one was able to remove it, and cut away at it, with out damaging the fan mounts or the mounting parts itself, it might help with air flow through the intercooler/radiator, and into the engine bay for cooling.

I need to practice my Dremel Fu anyway. :biggrin:
 

GIACUser

Master Wallet Mechanic
Location
USA
Car(s)
MK 6 GolfR
The most effective way to combat hot intake air temps during summer and restore, even increase power, even in summer in hot areas, is water meth. Start there, wraps, blankets, snorkel type intakes etc all have minimal effect in lowering IAT compared to water meth.
 

ViRtUaLheretic

╭∩╮(︶__︶&#6
Location
KC MO
Car(s)
2009 VW GTI
I grabbed some thicker gauge sheet metal and made spacers for the hood bolts (Honduh owners do this, and NO Im not worried about my body panels lining up perfectly) along with the low profile rain tray rubber.

Ive also wrapped my intake, charge piping, and exhaust with DEI header wrap.
I have a direct port injection w/m setup on my car and when I fabbed the manifold I gave it several coats of high temp paint. Dunno if the paint did anything, but I like to think it acts as a thermal barrier (I doubt its super effective though, but it gives me warm fuzzies).
 

Jerseynoob

Ready to race!
Location
Jersey
Ive also wrapped my intake, charge piping, and exhaust with DEI header wrap.

I was thinking of doing this myself, but I was thinking that once it heat soaked, it would take longer to cool down, as opposed to using the DEI Gold Tape.

But how has the DEI header wrap work for you on the intake, and charge piping?
 

xSabretoothx

Fast w/ training wheels
Location
Raleigh, NC
Car(s)
2008 GTI
I grabbed some thicker gauge sheet metal and made spacers for the hood bolts (Honduh owners do this, and NO Im not worried about my body panels lining up perfectly) along with the low profile rain tray rubber.

Ive also wrapped my intake, charge piping, and exhaust with DEI header wrap.
I have a direct port injection w/m setup on my car and when I fabbed the manifold I gave it several coats of high temp paint. Dunno if the paint did anything, but I like to think it acts as a thermal barrier (I doubt its super effective though, but it gives me warm fuzzies).

Do you have a build thread somewhere? I'm definitely interested in your setup.
 
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