I was hoping to get some opinions on the above products. Is it worth it or not? I do have the DFIC.

 

In a word "yes" get them both they do help.

 

You cannot use the aerogel that is made for the intercooler. If you did it would trap the air from passing threw. The intercooler piece is made only for front to back units like m7/Alta v2/and any other DFIC. Other wise I would invest in them both, but remember about the DFIC only piece.

 

MINI-ff stated that he has a DFIC as do I, but your right it won't work for anything but a DFIC.

 

Thanks for your post, hopefully i'll get more opinions.

 

Oh I am sorry I read it wrong. It has been a long day. Sorry for the mix-up. I would buy both. Happy Motoring

 

Great stuff. I have both and think they are great. They really work.

Longboard

 

I got mine last Thursday and the install was easy. They seem to work and my DFIC seems to run a bit cooler the header is giving off way less heat. The Aerogels make you keep the HP's you lose do to heat.
BTW you can use them with all header's, Atla Version2.0, DFIC's and Air/Water aftercoolers.
M

 

Yes!!

It does work.

 

Have them both as well, they do work.

 

thanks guys, time to ORDER!!!

 

I finally made some time today, after changing the oil, to "install" the Aerogel EX. I was very impressed with how well it contoured to the opening around the cowl area! The ceramic-coated header made for a nice temp drop, and now with this draped over it, engine bay temps should be further lowered.

Since I don't recall any photos of the EX in place, I'll include a couple here, albeit not the best quality...

 

Check out this webiste. Aerogel insulation is some pretty cool stuff!

 

I was under the impression that the area between the header and the heatsheild was actually a path for air to travel out the bottom of the car. Wouldn't this negate that?

 

What criteria is being used to make these endorsements? All the data gathered by our staff indicate that the mat causes heat to be trapped in the intake manifold causing heat soak. This result has been consistent on all vehicles tested with a mat in place. Please show data to indicate your positive outcome. Until then, I can not recommend their use.

 

I highly recommend the Dunlop Aerogel tennis racquets but not its usage under a MINIs intercooler. I have seen no data of its effectiveness.

 

I don't get it. This insulation blanket traps heat in the engine, leading to higher temps in the block, rather than letting it escape into the engine compartment. Cooler air in the compartment enables the engine to run more efficiently. Is this really how it works? It soulds like semantics, not physics!

 

I don't have the Aerogel for my mini, but HERE is a very interesting video how it shields against heat and cold. This material is used by NASA on the suits for space walks and the military to reduce IR and Heat signatures of helo's and other vehicles. Cool stuff for sure, I don’t' know how it will work with the mini though. I guess that's the purchaser’s decision to make. I'm just supplying facts about the material itself.

 

As I've said before, and will repeat again, it's the *movement* of air under the bonnet that really dictates temperatures, both outside the engine (radiation) and inside the air intake path. The -idea- of the aerogel blanket under the DFIC is to prevent heat radiating upward from the engine to "heat soak" the IC. This may work in traffic since much time is spent idling at lights or travelling very slowly so that little air is moving under the bonnet and heat is rising from the engine. While moving, either on the highway, or carving canyon roads, managing how the air coming in through the various inlets travels around and through the engine bay is very important.
The aerogel blanket does not address some critical air management problems--the primary one being that the intake manifold sits directly behind the radiator hose in the path of air coming in through the upper grille. And because of the bonnet seal above the radiator, nearly all the air hitting the radiator hose and then the manifold is preheated by the radiator. The blanket has the potential to trap this hot air and keep it surrounding the manifold. All the work we've done to cool the air intake with CAIs and fancy ICs is being undone at the manifold just before the air enters the cylinders.
I am not running the blanket for these reasons. And I have not seen any measurements addressing these issues from a car travelling under various conditions published on NAM.
PARTSMAN and I are both investigating the issue of air flow management and we both have sufficient instrumentation to measure lots of IA path temperatures. But neither of us (afaik) are going to take measurements of the blanket, but rather will report on our other experiments when we have something to report.

cheers,

 

Excellent post, very well said, Phil. Expect another PM later.

 

Oh this is hilarious... I actually worked at a design firm creating brochures and business materials for this company and learned all about their uses in NASA and the Canadian Oil Sands. Never thought I'd see someone actually stuffing this stuff into a MINI...

 

DrPhil,

This airflow management issue is one reason why I had second thoughts about getting one of Randy Webb's RAF intakes. Maybe it's good to have that additional airflow under the hood for circulation.

I have not seen M7's Areogel installed in a MINI first hand. To me it sounds like you're saying the problem is that it seals everything off too much? Correct? (not the DFIC aerogel, the other one)

Also, I've been considering putting a 3 inch hole in the passenger side cowl to improve circulation of the air under the hood, especially in getting rid of hot air. Do you think there is any benefit to this? Wouldn't this at least partially address your issues with design of the M7 Areogel?

Thanks.

 

So are these two "blankets" a bad idea or is it a matter of opinion. If they really do their jobs I think that it is worth it, but if they just trap the air in the engine bay instead of keeping (ex)- exhaust heat out of the engine bay+ and allowing air flow then I think that these are not worth it. Can't wait for a final verdict.

 

My comments related to the blanket placed under the DFIC. I have one. I don't have the EX exhaust blanket so can't comment on its efficacy. I have been told in other threads that while moving hot air from the upper engine bay exits via the "hole" around the header. If this is the case, perhaps the exhaust blanket will interfere with this path.
Yes, your thread on the subject has raised some interesting issues. I haven't seen any measurements, but there was a post from someone who had done this saying that water vapor from the Alta IC sprayer exits through the passenger side cowl. This *would* suggest that engine bay air can exit there if allowed to. I personally can't test this as my OCC sits in this area, and would block any air flow out of the engine bay. I'd suggest a simple test. Get a small digital thermometer and place it in the cowl area. Take temp measurements with the plastic intact then open it up and take new measurements. If it gets really hot, it's working. Of course, IATs are what you are really interested in, but that requires more instrumentation...and a different test procedure.

 

Where were all these opinions six days ago? Already ordered them and installed. Hope my engine doesn't blow up. NO MORE OPINIONS NEEDED. THANKS!!! Start a new thread.