Anyone have any thoughts on such an idea? Think it might significantly insulate the plenum (and thus the air in the plenum) from engine bay heat? Since you can't really wrap a plenum due to the shape and placement, perhaps an insulative coating like Jet-Hot might do the trick.

I've heard from numerous people around here who wrapped their intake pipes (especially those long metal aftermarket intakes) with exhaust wrap and saw intake temps reduce 15-20 degrees. That seems like a great, easy thing to do.

However, how about the plenum? It's a large metal surface area and gets very hot to the touch after running the engine. However, is this heat due more to engine bay heat soaking in or perhaps the engine heat itself rising up and using the metal plenum as a sort of heat sink sitting on top of the engine? If the latter, it seems like insulating it might not help at all... perhaps even the opposite.

Just thought I'd toss this idea out there and see what people thought.

 

I did a plenum in a chrome ceramic powdercoat that looked like polished and insulated great. It didn't reflect all of the radiant heat but seemed to work O.K.

 

powdercoating a plenum my keep the heat in.

 

or out

 

if you're looking to lower intake temps, look into the Kinetix V4 - I have it and it's been great to me... no problems in 8000+ miles and great gains/sounds coming from it... I can run my engine hard for over an hour and put my hand on it and leave it there forever, it just doesn't get hot - it's amazing... I do need to look into wrapping my aluminum intake tube though...

 

Has anyone done any intake temp readings before and after installing a Kinetix unit? I understand that they don't get too hot to the touch, but I'd still be interested to see some readings. (Done with a scantool.)

Even then, I must say that a Crawford plenum coated with the Sterling Jet-Hot would look awesome. I just wouldn't want to bother unless there is some actually functional difference.

 

One caveat about the JetHot. Remember that part of the heat is coming from the outside engine bay, but JetHot on something like an exhaust pipe is for keeping heat in. In my opinion, most of the heat for the plenum is coming through the lower plenum. For example, start your car and let it idle for a little bit. Maybe 5 minutes. Stop the engine and wait. I bet after 15 minutes, the plenum will be far hotter than when you stopped the engine. It's heat soaking from metal-metal contact.

 

That's what I wanted to say, only with fewer words.

 

Coating the inside (and possibly the outside also) seems like it would be the most effective. That is until you consider the possibility of little chunks of ceramic breaking off and getting sucked into the engine.
--
Jeff

 

Exactly. I was also thinking this might be the case. I guess the real question is: how much cooling effect (if any) does the metal upper plenum have in removing heat away from the lower plenum? Well, of course it will help, since it's acting as a big heat sink. But does this actually help or hurt? And would coating the upper plenum actually hurt, help, or do nothing?

The interesting thing is that people say the plastic Kinetix plenums help. This would suggest to me that a coated metal plenum would help similarly. (The plastic doesn't transfer heat well, nor would coated metal.) Seems like the plastic *and* coated metal would act as an insulator, and thus have similar effects. If that's true, and if the Kinetix plastic plenums actually help (by nature of them being plastic), then a coated metal plenum *should* help similarly.

Hard to tell without testing, though.