kchandra

So, I am looking at the engine heatshields like the the moddiction - I am wondering how hot it gets under the hood and if these shields are effective as-is or if they need to have some added treatment to keep heat away from intakes etc. Has anyone taken any temp readings and done testing to see how effective these are?

Thanks!

Kyushin

Im not really an expert on this matter buy my opinion would say that it is more for bling, some of them do look really nice. Now the one that protects the battery from the exhaust manifold would help with protecting the battery life I guess.

mattstryfe

I don't have any readings (I wish I did). I can tell you from experience and my obsession with air temps in relation to heat soak, overall efficiency, and overall performance that a heat shield could quite possibly be the best investment for an S2000, possibly and vehicle.

I recomend doing your own test, it's easy.

1. Run your car hard
2. pop hood
3. touch the backside of your air box

Feel that? Well, after you apply burn cream to your hand you'll notice how hot it actually gets. Remember where the placement of the box is. It's relatively close to the hottest area on any vehicle (the exhaust side). So you have a few options to solve this.

1. After market intake
2. heat shield
3. both

Application / Solution
Honestly, no matter what intake you get (save an actual CAI) a heat shield helps. The heat, especially in warm climates or in traffic just bakes the living sh1t out of that stock plastic air box.

I did a few things to negate the heat. 1 is applicable for this convo. The other (hood vents) is not. So back to #1, the heat shield... I don't have any raw numbers but I can tell you this. The heat shield I made out of 10 layers of fiberglass gets so hot it bends. I even applied a few layers of caliper paint (good up to 450F, I think).

Results
After installing my own heat shield I noticed the backside (side closest to the engine) of the heat shield was effective in "eating" the heat. Taking one for the team so to speak. The front side of the shield was cool to the touch. My stock air box (now a K&N intake box) was ambient air temperature.

So there you have it. I make the argument to my friends that this should have come stock on all S2000's and possibly even all cars. Lowering your Intake temp does wonders for your car.

MPG +
Power +
Longevity / Lifespan +


There's no downside.

Good luck, let me know what you decide to go with.

--Matt