Is it just me or does the air intake on my furby TDi get more than a bit warm? The basic setup is good as it takes air from the front grille upto the filter in a similar way to the lan systems on the tavia, if a little more restrictive. But on the way to passes the engine and then when leaving the filter passes over the exhaust etc. So I was wondering about trying to keep this lot cool and once again a land rover friend of mine gave me details of a company called agriemach. I going to use their exhaust wrap to coat the exhaust under the bonnet which should reduce the ammount of heat considerably, but I was wondering what you all thought to this product for putting pre and post the air filter as one length could be cut into 2. The idea being that the cooler the air when it reaches the turbo the better....

http://www.agriemach.com/product_info.php?cPath=0_7&products_id=698

Lets have your thoughts.......

matt (fabiaTDI) is currently working on this i think send him a pm or wait for his eventual reply

Interesting idea there.

I suppose wrapping heat reflective tape around the intake pipes might reduce intake temps, but by how much and how significantly? I would personally be looking at the IC and making it more efficient (water spray etc) this would see much bigger reductions in intake temps. What do you reckon?

I have read that insulating the exhaust (also with high spec paints etc) etc not only helps keep heat down, but can increase power too. Petrol exhausts get much hotter than diesel exhausts though btw.

IMO the intake itself is quite restrictive and am experimenting at the moment with (admitedly copied ideas from SCN) larger tubing etc. Has given better response and more noise (ask Alex!)

Alex, I didnt get you PM about this btw!

:santa:

But also remmeber air intake temps and general enigne temps are generally alot lower than a petrol.

Weve experimented with bigger intercooolers etc on PD engines before and to be honest for the outlay they really dont net the gains.

Matt

Could you tell me whatever you experiment with, and if it would produce any decent results for my machine. As I'm planning on keeping it for a while, I'm going to be more willing to butcher it to get better performance.

:cheers:

I'll be able to tell you more if I can make it to the meet on Sunday. As long as you promise not to laugh at my cheap n' cheerful attempts!

I'm just messing around with ideas at the moment (bit of a Blue Peter affair)

You know me Matt - anyway DIY mods that involve me not getting my wallet out is all very well by me! - I'll be watching out for you and eager to look under your bonnet at anything you've tried.

Your idea's sound interesting Matt. May well have to do some playing round with the intake myself. As Jason has said. Hope you can make it sunday so we can see the beast, otherwise see you in Derby on the 13th.

ok i done two bits of the air intake, seems to have more go and definately less lag on the turbo. Really easy to fit if a bit fiddlely, just cut to length with scissors. The last length will mean going in from underneath so will have to wait for now.

That looks quite good, Andy

Is it really a noticeable change. I'm having trouble getting the maths of what this bit of wrapping does... [do I see shoe-laces?]

Could be tempted if this really does help

- nice to see another TDI modder.

Well it might be all in my head but the theory is the cooler the air into the turbo the better because when air is cold it is denser and hence you get more in. Now go and feel the outside of you air intake after a run and it is seriously warm over a lot of its length on the outside so will be transmitting this heat in the air on the inside and hence making the air warm and hence less dense. Now the idea behind the cool tube is that it not only reflects heat but is also made of a material which resists heat so will stop 98% of the heat getting to the outside of the air intake and the air inside will stay cold and dense. This could result in potentially more power etc as you get a better fuel/air mix.

The shoe laces hold it together, just like ou shoe! cut the toe and the heel off and thats the idea!

I wish I was one of your learners... They're being spoiled with your car.

I'll take a look at that website in a second. Looks like an interesting cheap mod for me...

:cheers:

Must remember to take some photos of my B&Q mods before the swap!

I need more cheap power! Jabba is a whole 2 weeks away! :( The waiting is doing my head in. Need more power, need more power. I've been possessed by the TDi beast within.

Just realised it's

Yeah i know not cheap but one length will do all the intake as you can cut into 3 easily. The only way to look at it is how much is a lan cold air system? Because with this you get very close too it imho but at a fraction of he price! Plus you get a choice of colour on the laces...... ( you get all 4 in the packet!

Wouldn't some emergency thermal blanket (foil) as used by mountaineers also do the job? There's enough foil in a pack to insulate most of the engine bay if need be. A bit too '****-pipe technology' perhaps, but worth considering as a cheap and cheerful alternative. Decent laces would probably cost more than the blanket! (Thinks: Aluminium baking foil would be an even cheaper alternative)

see where you coming and yes it might work but it would be a lot thicker and not as easy to work with. The foil is a non starter as it would still transmit the heat to some extent.

Graeme - The TDI bug is very infectious and there's no known cure yet (ok, perhaps a 911 turbo...)

As for the insulation, I guess