Mine should be here tomorrow .

 

My M7 Areogel heatshield arrived today .

Had no clue what it would look like and its like a little blanket which I kinda found funny living here in Florida . It extends all the way forward under the DFIC air diverter, about an inch past the back of the DFIC and left/right under the boots and upper portion of the horns.

When I removed the temporay stock IC unit (waiting for New DFIC to arrive) the car had been driven and was sitting in the garage. Needless to say everyting was HOT (I had to use gloves to pop the stock IC off) I laid down the DFIC Areogel heatshield and had to take a call. After 20 minutes, I returned and everything was still HOT and the Areogel heatshield wasn't hot. I subsequently, installed new DFIC and went for a hard romp. Pretty neat stuff - its "thin" and if you touch the underside (silver) you feel some "heat" and yet you touch the top (black) and nothing, nada, zip.

Clearly, this stuff will retard the DFIC absorbing heat from below and my mini likes having a BINKY BLANKET under the hood.

 

Thanks for the input, Bahambart. it's always good to hear the personal opinion of people who use these new items . One question that just came to my mind is do you think that this item will be affected by water over a long period of time? I know from personal use that M7 items hold good quality, but it's always good to ask .

thanks again and congrats on the new MINI blanket

 

Good question.

The black surface is "plastic" like fabric. I went out splashed some water on it for you and while I can't say its water proof it did seem to be water repelent.

I really can't see much of it getting wet but since it goes under the DFIC and the diveter and there is a space between the two, water could get in between the two.

Time will tell.

 

I'm was thinking of this for later on when I get the M7 water sprayer or whatever its called I just don't want the material to be damaged. I'm just waiting for the early summer time to put my order through...




hope you're ready Steve, I still owe you $20

 

Got mine today also. I had been ripping and running the past week (very busy at work), and totally forgot that the package was being sent. Showed-up this afternoon, along with the improved foam strips, ss bolts, and boots.

Only took a few minutes to "install." I went for about a 20 min canyon run, and when I got back, the top side (black) was much cooler than the silver reflective side. The front drapes over the radiator hose, and the back goes right up to the spark plugs.

When re-installing the DFIC, I found this blanket to be somehwhat helpful as it makes for a flat surface to properly position the boot clamps under the snoots. Without it, they change position easier while getting the intercooler situated. Just something I noticed...

Speaking of the boots... they went on with ease. A pleasant surprise from other silicone ones that I had previously tried. And with the heftier ss Alan bolts, getting them very snug was not difficult.

 

Isn't that the truth, I was shocked at how easy it was compared to my other aftermarket boots. Didn't loose any skin off my knuckles this time. In my case the M7 boots were a little wider than previous and that was nice too.