Anyway to cool CAI tubes

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:07 pm

Just got the DDM Works CAI installed. Looks good but when I touch the metal tube and the CAI housing, it still feels pretty hot. Wow the air sucking sound is really loud as I can even hear it when I am in the car. It sounds like there is a giant snake in the bonnet...sound very cool. I am glad I did not do the cowl intake on my NB as I can only imagine how loud it would sound.

The jury is still out whether it made any difference or not as today is an unusually humid day in Melbourne.

I am wondering whether anyone has wrap any foil or heat insulation type material to keep the intake cool.

The DDM intake in theory look good but when you feel how hot the housing and tubes are, you just wonder how much cool air in getting in. More air yes but cooler air? Its quite difficult to see how when the entire engine bay is so hot and the CAI is still within the engine bay.

Please provide brand of foil or insulation material and where I can buy it if you use it.

I will keep everyone posted of how the CAI performs when the Melbourne weather returns to normality.

Thanks.

rossint · Postby **rossint** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:06 pm

I've wrapped my tubing with silver heat insulation, not really sure if it does anything but it can't do any harm. Since the intake runs right behind the radiator it gets all the hot air coming out the back of that. I got a roll of heat insulation from autobacs in Japan but it can be found on ebay.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossint/47 ... 062350210/

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:10 pm

http://www.aclperformance.com.au/prod_heatshield.htm

Used in a number of OEM applications (look under the bonnet of a Falcon Turbo) and really stupidly easy to cut and form. Something like $50 for 700mm X 300mm and you can order it from Repco, Supercheap etc. In fact if I remember rightly the last time I was in supercheap there was a sheet of it kicking around the 'performance' section but I have also seen it with all the gaskets.

Example of its use below but it is so formable you can put it around pretty much anything.

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:23 pm

Hey guys...I really think we need a life man ! : ) Wrapping stuff in our engine bay with foil..ha..ha...

Really good ideas. In theory this should help..I guess whatever help keep the air from outside the engine bay cool while it is in the bay should help.

Keep the ideas coming.

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:30 pm

rossint wrote:I've wrapped my tubing with silver heat insulation, not really sure if it does anything but it can't do any harm. Since the intake runs right behind the radiator it gets all the hot air coming out the back of that. I got a roll of heat insulation from autobacs in Japan but it can be found on ebay.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rossint/47 ... 062350210/

I really like your MX5 setup and you sound pretty hardcore removing weight and all. Did you find any difference in performance with the cowl induction ? You have a beautiful daughter. She will likely be a motorsport enthusiast as well. Get her a mini dune buggy from eBay to practice !

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:33 pm

deviant wrote:http://www.aclperformance.com.au/prod_heatshield.htm

Used in a number of OEM applications (look under the bonnet of a Falcon Turbo) and really stupidly easy to cut and form. Something like $50 for 700mm X 300mm and you can order it from Repco, Supercheap etc. In fact if I remember rightly the last time I was in supercheap there was a sheet of it kicking around the 'performance' section but I have also seen it with all the gaskets.

Example of its use below but it is so formable you can put it around pretty much anything.

Damn...after seeing this picture I feel like I have overpaid for my DDM intake at $380 delivered. Although it would be pretty damn troublesome to make one yourself and it would not look as nice. You guys have got me going as I am going to go crazy on the heat shield wrap around my CAI.

jonosx · Postby **jonosx** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 8:52 am

You can buy rolls of stick on reflective heat tape.

i.e....

http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/index.php?PCID=10314&PSO=245&PSID=3389010413&PSV=Primary&CDO=12

rossint · Postby **rossint** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 12:26 pm

miatalim wrote:I really like your MX5 setup and you sound pretty hardcore removing weight and all. Did you find any difference in performance with the cowl induction ? You have a beautiful daughter. She will likely be a motorsport enthusiast as well. Get her a mini dune buggy from eBay to practice !

Thanks for your kind words

It's hard to say how much difference the cowl intake made cause I got rid of some weight at the same time but before that I had an open pod in the engine bay so I'd imagine it would provide much cooler air.

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:53 pm

jonosx wrote:You can buy rolls of stick on reflective heat tape.

i.e....

http://www.revolutionracegear.com.au/index.php?PCID=10314&PSO=245&PSID=3389010413&PSV=Primary&CDO=12

Thanks. This looks like an excellent site. It looks like exactly the product I am looking for.

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:18 pm

Looks like a bloody expensive way to go about it!!

Postby **Okibi** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:30 am

The aircon/insulation section of bunnings has something that looks similar, probably under $10 a roll. Anyone know if it's the same stuff?

My intake runner is wrapped in reflective foam insulation (and then heat tape so it doesn't look so weird), I might try replacing the header tape with some of that bunnings stuff.

SuperMazdaKart · Postby **SuperMazdaKart** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 3:43 am

theres some sort of heat reflecting material, can't remember what it's called but the cheapest of it's common forms is found in oven mittens.

rossint · Postby **rossint** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 7:26 am

My last lot came from the UK via ebay, I use the non adhesive stuff. It normally comes with some alu cable ties to secure it. Was about $20 landed from memory.

miatalim · Postby **miatalim** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:16 am

deviant wrote:Looks like a bloody expensive way to go about it!!

Preach it brother...that is why I like owning the MX5...innovative owners who believe that the car should serve the owner not the other way around. Bunnings it is...probably less sexy but just as effective I reckon. Prices come down quite significantly once a product is taken away from the sports/hobby/enthusiast category and chucked into the enthusiast category.