Thermal inlet and TB gaskets

[wj51fut]

Hi

Just wondering if these are worth it?

CPL racing say that the Hondata one can give an overall increase in power by 3%-5% and a decrease in heat soak from the head by as much as 50 degrees C. At £50.

Tegiwa say pretty much the same thing but at £32.

Are either of them worth it and if so, which one? Has anyone got any experience with these or any other brand? Skunk2 etc?

I'm looking for the TB one too if it does make much of a difference.

I'm not after loads of ponies, just a smooth and cooler intake.

Adam

 

[beppe786]

does work properly when engine is at the hottest temp.. everything help. i made custom ones on my supercharger just to help with heat transfer

 

[kyle'87]

Different car, but I run one on my Cupra.

Sitting in traffic the inlet is going to warm up regardless.

On a spirited run down to the coast would be when the phenolic gasket comes into play. The block is its usual hot to the touch but the inlet is nice and cold (relative to ambient temp).

They definitively work in terms of heat sink. In terms of keeping the inlet temps down, 1+1=2 but I have no measurements to provide solid facts, over pseudo modification.

Here is a well respected guys design and view on them (in the seat community at least)... http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=133258

 

[Phelpo711]

I too have my doubts, if they are that good why Honda haven't used them I don't know. Everything in the bay is going to get hot. The inlet is still bolted to the head regardless and it will get very hot when sat in traffic!

For a gasket on the inlet to gain that amount of power just seems odd to me!

 

[sabberjoch]

I don't think gains Will be massive. But when i'll get an rbc i'm going for these gaskets. Because all the Tiny gains count up.

 

[Justintian]

After one session 15mins, on trackday, no matter what gasket I use, my inlet will be too hot to touch.

 

[Rom]

Think of it this way...

We all try to get nice cold air feeds because a few degrees matters right ?
Well the heat soak from hot head will warm the intake air up more than any cold air feed will compensate for.

Short of measuring the IAT before and after fitting, its all speculation. But the amount of money we throw at these cars on parts that have no real benefit other than looks. Why quibble over £50 for something that may actually help the engine out.
I run the inlet and tb ones. Cooler air is denser, which means more air and fuel can be feed into the bore.

 

[Phelpo711]

Think of it this way...

We all try to get nice cold air feeds because a few degrees matters right ?
Well the heat soak from hot head will warm the intake air up more than any cold air feed will compensate for.

Short of measuring the IAT before and after fitting, its all speculation. But the amount of money we throw at these cars on parts that have no real benefit other than looks. Why quibble over £50 for something that may actually help the engine out.
I run the inlet and tb ones. Cooler air is denser, which means more air and fuel can be feed into the bore.

I agree with the head heating up the inlet, but that's my point. Thermal gaskets may well soak up less heat over a certain amount of time, but over a journey/track drive everything under that bonnet will be hot regardless of a gasket!

Each to their own though

 

[Rom]

Well yeah, but the theory is it will be lower than without one.
The inlet will never be the same temp as the head, especially with airflow. Even if it sat still, the air being sucked in would keep the inlet cooler than the head.

So it's not a static thing, that eventually it's all the same. There will always be a ratio, let's says the inlet sits at 50% of the head temp oem. With a thermal gasket, it might sit at 45% of head temp .
So any benefit of the gasket, is always present.

 

[FireDance]

The Tegiwa ones are just as good as the Hondata ones

 

[Fez]

Saw a test a few years back on a gto/3000gt, and up to about 30mins of driving the temps were lower, but after that they just made it to the same temp.
But if you're changing the inlet anyway, guess its worth doing, i wouldn't pull off the inlet just to do it.