K&N Induction Kit, Question Options

[manphibian]

Hi, today i fitted the kit. It sounds AWESOME proper growly

Here's the Setup (UK 3S-GE), i have a heat shield on it to try to stop it sucking in hot air:


Now the thing is, the heat shield stops me being able to point the cold air feed from under the car straight at the filter so it kinda just points across it:


Is this a problem?

[tin_foil]

I say take the heat shield off. It's counter productive. Metal, especially aluminum, conducts heat really well, which means the shield will heat up just as hot as the temperature of the air in the engine bay, and the it will easily radiate the heat right out to the air surrounding and being sucked in by the intake. Just take it off and let the air feeds point directly at the filter. I guarentee it'll work better.

This post has been edited by tin_foil: Dec 16, 2006 - 4:21 PM

[manphibian]

I say take the heat shield off. It's counter productive. Metal, especially aluminum, conducts heat really well, which means the shield will heat up just as hot as the temperature of the air in the engine bay, and the it will easily radiate the heat right out to the air surrounding and being sucked in by the intake. Just take it off and let the air feeds point directly at the filter. I guarentee it'll work better.

Really? hmmmm. I see wht you're saying. It's stainless steel, but yeah. it may be better to have the cold air feed pointing straight at the filter.

I just figured when it's sucking air, with the barrier there it will mainly draw air from the right-hand (cooler) side.....

now i'm more undecided

[tin_foil]

Really? hmmmm. I see wht you're saying. It's stainless steel, but yeah. it may be better to have the cold air feed pointing straight at the filter.

I just figured when it's sucking air, with the barrier there it will mainly draw air from the right-hand (cooler) side.....

now i'm more undecided

If you've taken physics, you know that convection (heat transfer through circulation of the hot air) is the second best way to transfer heat (the best of course, being conduction, which means one hot thing actually touches the other). This means that when your intake is really sucking hard (e.g your at high RPMs) it'll be pulling air in from all around it. So maybe the air pulled from the right-hand side will be cool, but the air pulled from the left-hand side will be passing right by that hot metal, heating up, then going into your intake. I really think your best bet is going to be pointing both vents right at the intake without the shield. Not to mention, when your at high RPMs you'll probably be going fast, which means you'll have more air coming in through the vents. You don't want to impede that air flow by putting up a piece of metal that'll end up actually blocking some of the air flow. Theroretically if you have both vents pointing right at it, and can actually somewhat pressurize the air going into the engine you'll have the best preformance. It'll act like a mini, mini supercharger.

This post has been edited by tin_foil: Dec 16, 2006 - 5:16 PM