I'm thinking of installing a plenum spacer in my '06. Question - I see on MD's web site that you should use the Copper Iso-thermal if it ever snows in your area. I was originally going to go with the 'normal' Iso-thermal one - but am curious - what's the dif? I'm in the DFW area - it snows (or ICE!) maybe once or twice a year. Does the regular Iso-thermal one have issues with cold weather? If so- describe 'cold'.

Sorry -did a quick search - didn't find such a thread...

 

just go with the basic spacer, no need for the copper

 

Was hoping to get the 'cooling' properties of the Iso Thermal spacer. Cooler intake charge can't hurt.....but unsure of that comment regarding Copper spacer.

So how is the snow in NJ these days? This is my 3rd winter in TX - lived in NJ prior to that...but didn't have the Z then...

 

i did not kno that. i live in michigan and it snows every other day here. i bought a regular motodyne spacer is that fine?

i dont drive my Z in the snow tho alot

 

Im not an expert or anything on this spacer but i read somewhere on here that its not really necessary. on the motordyne site it says that you should use the copper if it snows in your area but i assumed that since you live in texas winters arent that bad and because you said it only snows once or twice a year. see what others say about it.
if i was going to by a md spacer id go with the basic instead of paying almost double for the copper iso.

winters are still the same as in the past up here in jersey, but it hasnt been that bad this year. the only problem in my area is that the dam township doesnt plow the inside streets anymore.

 

I bought a MD spacer today, and asked Tony from Motordyne about the difference between all the spacers.

Nissan heats the upper plenum to prevent ice from forming inside it during cold weather. If ice forms inside, and freezes the throttle body it can cause the engine to stall. The MD isothermal spacer keeps the OEM upper plenum cool because it doesn't transfer as much heat. The copper isothermal plenum spacer comes with a copper component which goes around the throttle body in order to keep it warm, but the plenum cool. This means you still get a cold air intake charge without the threat of engine problems due to the throttle body freezing.

 

+1. Even Tony from Motordyne will tell you this. I'll let him chime in though...

 

Which one to get depends on your budget and objectives.

You can use any one of the Motordyne spacer kits no matter where you are located but there are differences between the kits.

1) The Basic plenum spacer keeps the upper and lower plenum assembly hot all the time (just like stock). Use this kit for the lowest cost and easiest installation.

2) The Iso Thermal plenum spacer has a switchable Coolant Control Valve (CCV). The CCV allows you to heat the throttle body when you want/need it. But the CCV must be switched on when it gets cold outside. If you live in a place like California, Florida, Texas or Hawaii the regular Iso Thermal is a good option because freezing is so rare. In the event that it does get freezing cold you can simply turn the CCV to the on position for safe cold weather driving.
Note: You can use this kit even in the Alaskan winter, but just be sure to turn the CCV on for the cold season.

3) The Copper Iso Thermal is fully automatic. Just install it and forget it. Hot or cold weather, the plenum will always be insulated and the throttle body will never risk freezing. You can use this one in hot or cold climates but if you live in places like Alaska, New York, Canada, Montana, Colorado or any place where it gets similarly cold on a regular basis... use the Copper. It costs a little more but there is nothing to forget or adjust.

One important thing to note about all of the Motordyne plenum spacers is that none of them risk freezing of the throttlebody in cold weather.

Nissan intentionally heats the throttle body for safety reasons. This is to insure the throttle body doesn't get iced up when driving in very cold or snowy weather.

If for example you were driving on the freeway in cruise control for ~20min in very cold or snowy weather, an unheated throttlebody could have ice buildup inside of it causing the butterfly valve to be frozen to the open position.

So when you tap on the brakes to release the cruise control, the ECU will stop fuel flow to the engine and try to close the throttle body. But if the butterfly valve is frozen to the open position, air will continue to flow into the engine causing a lean out and stalling. This of course would never be a good thing to happen while driving.

Every throttle body, in every car of every major automotive manufacturer in the world, the throttle body is heated specifically to avoid this condition.

With the new HR and VHR engines Nissan is now using the same concept as the Copper Iso Thermal. A plastic plenum assembly for total thermal isolation and hot engine coolant flowed directly to the TB to keep it heated. It gives the best of both safety and thermal isolation.

 

I recently purchased and installed both the MREV2 and Copper Isothermal 5/16 Spacer. [Both are great mods] I was originally going to go with the Basic spacer. However, it was recommended that I also get the Aramid Gasket. I agreed with the suggestion.

However, both Isothermal spacers come with an Aramid gasket. So if I was going to get a basic spacer and then pay extra money for a gasket, I might as well get one of the Isothermal spacers. And of the two Isothermal spacers, I prefer the Copper Isothermal because it requires no further attention beyond the installation.

To me, $70 wasn't worth the extra 2hp. However, $40 was, and that's basically what it works out to if you're going to buy the Aramid gasket separately.

If you're going to stick with the stock one, then I think you should definitely get the Basic spacer. If not... well, I just told you what I did.

 

When ordering any one of the Iso kits, you don't need another Aramid gasket.

Each kit comes with everything you need for a complete installation.

 

Right but it doesn't come with the basic spacer, which is what he was thinking of getting. I think that's what I said. I could be dumb. I don't know.

 

Yes, in that case, you are right.

When installing the MREV2, the gasket that goes beneath the lower plenum should be replaced with either a new stock metal gasket or a Aramid gasket.

The stock gasket is a crush gasket that is designed for a single one time use. Although it is possible to reuse the crush gasket, and likely that it will seal and be OK, its not exactly advisable. Reusing crush gaskets may cause air leaks. You can reuse the stock metal gasket but if it leaks it would be quite a bit of work taking it all apart again to put in a new gasket and put it all back together.

The Aramid gasket on the other hand is fully reusable. The Aramid is thick and compliant so you can open up and reinstall it over and over. As long as its not torn or damaged in any way, it is reusable indefinitely.

 

Sorry to be a pain - but is the only difference between the regular and the iso-thermal the CCV? Or is the spacer itself made of a different material? In other words - would buying the Iso-Thermal but not installing the CCV give any benefits?

And thanks for all the info - John

 

Good questions John,

All of the Iso kits also have an Aramid thermal insulating gasket that goes between the lower plenum and lower intake runners. It blocks heat transfer from the lower intake runners.

The Aramid gasket AND the CCV (or Copper throttle body heater) is necessary for reducing plenum temperature.

If you use only the Aramid gasket, it won't work.

There are two main heat sources to the upper and lower plenum assembly.
1) Conductive heat transfer form the aluminum lower runners (~230'F)
and
2) Hot coolant flowing directly out of the engine and into the plenum (~210'F)


As an analogy, you can think of it like this. There are the equivalent of two blowtorches blasting heat onto the aluminum plenum assembly. If you remove one torch the assembly will still run very hot. It is not until the heat of both torches is removed (or blocked) that the plenum will run cooler.

So in answer to your question, no, if you don't plan to use the CCV with the Aramid gasket, you may as well get the Basic spacer.

And the spacer itself is identical for all kits.