TB Coatings

[ShionS14]

I am asking in this forum since it is frequented more than the engineering forum and you guys deal with a lot of heat in your engines. What I am looking to do is utilizing thermal barrier coatings in different areas on my engine that I will be supercharging. I have a spare block that hopefully will be arriving next week that I am going to rebuild. After the machine shop is done with block and headwork I am going to have done I was thinking about having a company like HPC possibly do the pistons valves exhaust header, and maybe have the dry-lubricating done to the valve springs. My question mainly is should i utilize tbc on the intake manifold as well or if that would be overkill?

[Edub1]

Interesting idea. Create a thermal bearier between the intake charge and the manifold. I've often thought about a cool manifold setup. The only thing is how this would affect the vaporization of the fuel - unfortunatly I don't know the answer. I do know that coolant is ran through the manifold to keep ice from forming in the winter. Perhaps coating it untill just before the injector?

What would be sweet is a coating that is self leveling and would smooth the inside.

This stuff can't come off can it - because that might be a huge problem.

[WDRacing]

Its not so much the intake charge the raises the intake manifold temperature as it is heat transfer from block head to intake. Your best bet is a smal phenolic spacer. Nothing really new about this idea, its been proven to work on carburated motors for years now. With that and thermal coating you'll be golden. I'd do the spacer, then check the temp of the intake manifold at operating temp. If its cooler then the air charge, then you don't coat it, or vice versa.

WD

[NateDogg]

I dont think there's much to be gained from a coated IM. The stock IM is aluminum and acts as a heat sink for the cylinder head.

I think the engine bay temps and coolant will eventually heatsoak the IM and offset any gains.

I would invest that money in a thermal dispersant coating for the intercooler before the intake manifold.

[ShionS14]

But if you have the piston tops, combustion chamber, and exhaust side of the im coated with a thermal barrier. you should be able to keep a lot of the heat isolated there instead of sinking in to the head and block, or rather reduce the amount of heat that does. so by coating the intake side of it you should be able to keep the heat from the radiator and such from heating up the intake charge, and you would be reducing your underhood temp due to the heat being more isolated from the combustion. the only thing i see would be maybe the egt would raise some.

[Edub1]

You are talking about coating the inside of the IM correct? This would keep the engine/mani heat from heating the intake charge, right? Coating the outside certainly would make no sense.

[ShionS14]

coating the inside and out side, like you would an exhaust header

[Edub1]

You coat the exhaust header to keep the exhaust gas hot and light. You would coat an intake to prevent heat from transfering from the manni into the intake charge. I don't think coating the outside would be beneficial at all. Would you also stop coolant from routing through the manifold?

[ShionS14]

thermal barrier coatings prevent heat from passing through them, it would perform the same job where ever you put it. it keeps the egt tempature trapped in the pipe instead of disapating. if you put it on the outside of the im it should in theory keep the im from absorbing heat from the ambient air under the hood. and no you wouldn't stop the coolant, you coat the inside of the inlet so when the coolant passes through it doesnt transfer as much heat to the im.

[Edub1]

thermal barrier coatings prevent heat from passing through them, it would perform the same job where ever you put it. it keeps the egt tempature trapped in the pipe instead of disapating. if you put it on the outside of the im it should in theory keep the im from absorbing heat from the ambient air under the hood. and no you wouldn't stop the coolant, you coat the inside of the inlet so when the coolant passes through it doesnt transfer as much heat to the im.

Your IM is purposly heated by the coolant. It also absorbs heat from being bolted to the head. The IM is hotter than the ambiant air and therefore releases heat into the air, it doesn't absorb it from the air. Coating the outside would hold heat in the IM just as it does for the exhaust. The best way to cool your IM is simply to bypass the coolant passage.