User 41221

At least you admit it. lol

#1, combustion doesn't take place in the header. Do you really think that all the heat travels out the exhaust without any temp effect on the block/head/cam tower?

#2, Feel free to reference Fourier heat equation and entropic properties. There are a lot of dynamics at play here, far more complex than what you make it sound like.

#3, the IC black paint dissipation of heat will be superior to the polished AL IC rejection of heat.

#4, this is all academic, in the real world, I'd expect it to have a minimal impact on a street driven car. You car will run warmer, but not so much as to cause much (if any) problem. If polished stuff flips your cookies, go for it.

#5, I am tired. If you want, we can continue this tomorrow, but I am calling it quits for the evening.

Paulyy

wow, thats blingage!!

lart951

so combustion doesn't happen inside the headers, lol.

I need to hear this from a engineer.

333pg333

I was sort of thinking the opposite. Perhaps you'll have some more time on your hands in the future.

I like the parts but you can't just leave them like that, they do require upkeep.

FASTRNU

Patrick,what type of maintenance do they require?I've got some polished bling going on, want any tips on upkeep Thanks Joel
Good lookin parts Lart,I didnt do that cam end cap sweet touch

333pg333

Joel, they just oxidise over time so need a polish reasonably often. Not difficult but sometimes there's little places that are harder to get into than others. Try a polish called Autosol if it's available in the States.

Mark944na86

Don't they make clear high temp coatings? That would do a good job of keeping the bling, well, er, "bling".

FRporscheman

Yeah, like engine clear coat.

Hmm... what is hotter, the air around the intake manifold, or the engine parts (head) touching the manifold? If I cared about the 0.00001% of performance lost, I'd say polishing is a bad idea. But it does look awful purdy.

Paulyy

Autosol works like a dream! i sometimes use that just to clean bits and pieces

Chris White

Nice shiny parts….and since I just finished setting up the train under the Christmas tree I can give you the ‘engineers’ point of view –

1) If you want to be truly accurate the two intercooler pipes need to be handled differently – when under boost the turbo to intercooler pipe will have air that is hotter than ambient engine bay temps, the intercooler to throttle pipe should have air that is cooler than ambient engine bay temps (once the engine bay is heat soaked). So if you want to be a true geek one side needs to be insulated and the other needs cooling fins.

2) Combustion does take place in the headers. If you are running a rich mixture – anything past mid 12’s – you will be still burning fuel in the headers.

3) Polished aluminum does require a little maintenance every now and then – just a simple light rub down with a good polishing compound. 5 minutes for the intake and intercooler pipes a couple of times a year is all it takes. Clear coat a polished part? Looks nice for a couple of months and then it will start to yellow and show scratches that you can’t remove. Polished aluminum is the easiest thing to keep looking nice, little scratches can be polished out in seconds – can’t do that with any coatings (paint or powder)


I am OK with just saying that I like them because they are shiny…..because I do like them just because they are shiny!

teamcrossworks

I'm with Chris...they shiny!

SeaCay

Racers, the real kind, the one's that throw away millions of dollars a year to win large plastic and metal mantle pieces, would do just about anything to gain a 1/4 hp, an extra 10 minutes of expected engine life, etc. Walk around the paddock at any ALMS race the day before the track goes hot and you'll see plenty of polishing, on the paint and wheels. Absolutely nothing in the engine bay gets polished because it ads nothing to the equation performance wise.

Tedro951

What does polishing the paint and wheels add to the equation performance wise?

Chris White

It makes the sponsor happy!

Josh B

Oooh - so nice! I feel like a racoon - want to touch shiny stuff