S2000 Under The Hood S2000 Technical and Mechanical discussions.

Driving Without Cat/Header Heatshield

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Old 10-24-2008, 01:49 PM
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It sure is ok to remove the header heatshield but the underhood temps are going to rise quite a bit.
Old 10-24-2008, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by jyeung528,Oct 24 2008, 03:40 PM
is it okay to not use the heatshield that covers the exhaust headers in the engine bay?
I've done some underhood measurements in conjunction with my recent header change. I'm writing it up as we speak and will post it separately in the next 24 hrs.
To answer your question honestly: I wouldn't do it in ambient temps over ~75-80F for street driving. I wouldn't do it for track events with ambient temps above ~65F - the rise in temps under hood will cancel any benefits from the tiny weight reduction.

Underhood temps will rise dramatically without the heat shields. I am still using the OEM heat shields with a ceramic coated Rick's header. Ceramic coating helps a lot - but the heat shields are very important.
Old 10-24-2008, 09:05 PM
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The header shields help protect the battery and relay box from heat.
Old 10-27-2008, 08:58 AM
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Originally Posted by slipstream444,Oct 24 2008, 07:18 PM
I've done some underhood measurements in conjunction with my recent header change. I'm writing it up as we speak and will post it separately in the next 24 hrs.
To answer your question honestly: I wouldn't do it in ambient temps over ~75-80F for street driving. I wouldn't do it for track events with ambient temps above ~65F - the rise in temps under hood will cancel any benefits from the tiny weight reduction.

Underhood temps will rise dramatically without the heat shields. I am still using the OEM heat shields with a ceramic coated Rick's header. Ceramic coating helps a lot - but the heat shields are very important.
what are we talking about with regards to the rise in underhood temp when removing the header shield only?

the header shield appears to shield the battery - i don't see how it minimizes underhood temps as the hot air is still circulating in under the hood...

do we have evidence or just speculation with regards to only the header heatshield?
Old 10-27-2008, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Burgman,Oct 24 2008, 09:05 PM
The header shields help protect the battery and relay box from heat.
my thoughts exactly, hence my question...

is it ok to remove the header shield, or in other words...

what would happen to the battery and relay box?
Old 10-27-2008, 07:57 PM
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Originally Posted by jyeung528,Oct 27 2008, 10:58 AM
what are we talking about with regards to the rise in underhood temp when removing the header shield only?

the header shield appears to shield the battery - i don't see how it minimizes underhood temps as the hot air is still circulating in under the hood...

do we have evidence or just speculation with regards to only the header heatshield?
I think you and I are talking about two different things. The header shield I'm talking about is the one that's bolted on top of the header, not the stamped piece of sheet metal that creates an airflow partition between the header section and the battery and fuse section. The stamped piece I think is also important - more for shaping airflow that reduces heat than for blocking radiated heat.
As you know, heat transfer occurs through radiation, conduction and convection. The heat shield type that's bolted to the header mainly blocks radiated heat (along with some convective). Any sort of airflow modifier shapes airflow to divert convective heat - so removing such a device (that weighs about a pound) would not be such a good idea in my opinion.
Old 10-27-2008, 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by slipstream444,Oct 23 2008, 04:00 AM
Removing ALL of the heat shields on the OEM header will save around 3.9 lbs. The heaviest heat shield is the top header heat shield. I didn't weigh them individually, but the top header heat shield was probably just under 2 lbs.

A little off subject: I recently installed Rick's header that was ceramic coated (Jet Hot/HPC Extreme Sterling). I kept the OEM heat shields on the header. I'll post a writeup probably this weekend to include DIY install, initial impressions, some weight and temp info. I'm currently waiting on my Berk high flow CAT that is ceramic coated on the outside. I'll post info on that after it's installed.
Wow, only 3.9 pounds!? If you guys are ditching heat shields for the weight savings I hope you also have less than 6% body fat and always take a dump before a race.
Old 10-27-2008, 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Danknee,Oct 27 2008, 10:07 PM
Wow, only 3.9 pounds!? If you guys are ditching heat shields for the weight savings I hope you also have less than 6% body fat and always take a dump before a race.
You know why they call it a "duece" - that counts for "two" right there.
Old 10-28-2008, 09:19 AM
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i see. i see.
Old 10-28-2008, 09:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Burgman,Oct 24 2008, 09:05 PM
The header shields help protect the battery and relay box from heat.
Correct. Many cars are starting to do this, and some even have special ducting to maintain a constant stream of cool air.

Honda doesn't just randomly put stuff under the hood, it's engineered and installed for a reason.


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