Heat Shield

[thedeadcivic]

hmmm, just wondering... is the heat shield over the exhaust manifold on a b16 neccesary? and, does it really help that much ?
its kinda hard to aim the dip stick into the thinggy( you know what im talking about )... especially in the dark... its probably just me, but im lazy.
anyways, just wanted to know if the heat shield could come off without disrupting anything else.

[Tony]

You can take it off, but it helps block some heat off your fan assemblies/radiator

[thedeadcivic]

hmmm, will it reduce my performance?
at least itll look cooler... * rolls eyes *

[Tony]

I don't think it will reduce "performance". might run a little hotter, and be a little harder on your fan motors, but I don't think it will hurt it really, just possibilities.

[thefooshmeister]

too much warm air would easily be fixed by a CAI. im not runnin one on my b16 but the jdm header doesnt have the mount holes anyways.

[thedeadcivic]

yeah i have a CAI

[C8H18Blood]

I have CAI on my B16, but I also have aftermarket 4-1 headers. But basically I dont think it'll matter if you have it off, my engine bay gets so hot anyways that a little thin metal shield dosent change much.

[Tony]

Well the main difference you guys with the header are missing is the header is a different type of metal, doesn't transfer as much heat as the stock cast iron does. That thin sheet of metal absorbs quite a bit.

Also, having a CAI doesn't effect how hot your fans are running, just effects your intake temp and gives you a spike in power rather than a smooth band like a short ram does.

[jusg19]

Can you explain the CIA vs short ram?

[turtlecrxsi]

CAI = cold engine intake air temperature
Short ram = hot engine intake air temperature

Also, shorter intake tube the louder the sound.

[jusg19]

Originally Posted by turtlecrxsi

CAI = cold engine intake air temperature
Short ram = hot engine intake air temperature

Also, shorter intake tube the louder the sound.

I get the hot vs cold, but wouldn't cold always be better? How can hot give you a longer power band?

[Tony]

I used to have a link to a indepth comparison between the 2. Pretty much, on the CAI, at a certain rpm the HP spikes and that is where most companies will say the CAI gains "so much HP", whereas the short ram in the end will give you the same HP increase, there is no spike, its a constant gain. They had dyno charts of the same car with both intakes on it. It was a really good read.

Also, an easy fix for a Short ram to get cold air is make a heat shield around it. Most likely not as cold as a CAI but cuts down on the heat some. You could probably also run some ducting from where the CAI would sit to direct some more air to the Short Ram.

[jusg19]

Tony,
Thanks for the explination. I understand that the CAI and the Short Ram both are less restrictive than the stock intake, so increased power is obvious. So does the short ram provide the constant power because it is shorter?

[hondacivic99sivtec]

as long as you take off your stock intake(pos) and put something else on you'll be fine. i buy cheap ass ebay pipe. why? because i'm not gonna pay 200 plus dollars for a cai from aem or more for other companies. them i just buy a good filter. in the end my intakle cost me like 60 bucks. that's only because the damn filter cost so much. and if you are worried about heat from your headers. heat wrap them.

[Tony]

yea, the filter is the biggest thing on the intakes. I don't know the exact technicalities between the 2, but if I remember in the end they both had close to the same gains, but the CAI just had a power spike.

and yea, heat wrap will work too.