Lltek intake + additional custom heatshielding on my 2.8.......

[djnelsen]

In an effort to block more hot air and ambient heat from the engine from getting to the cone, I have performed the following mod to the intake area and heat shield of my Lltek intake kit.

The first pic shows how it looks when you first pop the hood. There are two pieces of heat insulating foam, one on the engine side of the shield, and one covering the top of the intake zone. Notice how the "cover" piece tucks in under the lip of the engine bay, and laps over the top edge of the heat shield (secured with velcro), blocking out lots of hot air from above....





The second pic shows the cover piece removed. Notice the insulating foam piece on the engine side of the heat shield. You can't see it from this pic, but the insulating foam extends well beyond the front, bottom, and rear of the shield, effectively sealing off hot air from getting around the shield. You can also see the velcro (some black, some white, didn't have enough of either color). The cover piece laps over this area and secures. No, the velcro doesn't melt. When the cover laps over, the velcro is well insulated....





Another pic...





The insulation wrapped around the intake funnel was merely a simple way to extend the funnel into the intake area. I didn't like how the stock intake tube actually rested on the cone, so I took it out.

Does it work? Yes. If you pop the hood after a good spirited drive, the difference in temperature between the intake zone and the rest of the engine bay is quite dramatic. Much more so than before I performed the mod. During highway driving, the cone stays surprisingly cool. It does still get warm during stop-and-go traffic on hot days, but not as warm as before. Some heat still gets in from below, but that's a project for another day....

In fact, I think it even stays cooler than the stock airbox gets. I recently had the stock airbox in, and took it out after a hard drive. To my surprise, the inside of the box was HOT. So for those of you who think the stock airbox is so effective at blocking hot air, go check it after a half hour drive in stop-and-go traffic. A lot of heat transfers right through the plastic walls of the airbox.

Does the insulation improve performance? Not sure. It doesn't seem to bog down as much in hot stop-and-go traffic, but that could be placebo. But it is nice to know that I'm reaping the performance benefits of a cone setup (yes, it is an effective mod on a 2.8 30V) without sucking in lots of hot air.

[CharlieGSanD]

[djnelsen]

Went through most of a 14 sq feet sheet of material before I got it right. Doh!

[MikekiM@PureMS]

[djnelsen]

Search the net. There are a lot of places to get it.

Do yourself a favor. Get some material WITHOUT the adhesive. It doesn't stick that well to the heat shield. I ended up using velcro. And for the cover piece, I had to remove the adhesive by wisking it over the stove (it shriveled up and peeled off).

[hman_a4]

Looking for feedback/results with it...

BTW, nice job!

[Flyer]

jk

[djnelsen]

[audidood]

[djnelsen]

Power? About 10 hp. Nice difference in throttle response. Totally worth it. Not a huge difference, but it's there, and it's satisfying.

Some 1.8'ers will fight me on this, claiming that performance actually suffers. Bear in mind that the 1.8 gets quite a bit hotter around the intake area due to the turbo. Lotsa hot air. BAD.

Mileage? In theory, it's better. But I guarantee your driving habits will change. The growl from the cone is so addictive that you'll end up driving the car harder (at higher rpm's).

The sound is awesome. Some say it's too loud (wussies =) but I love it. Practically silent under 3500 rpms, but howls above that. Not too loud, just right, IMHO.