heat shield on engine bay cover

[Guest teigan]

the underside of my engine bay cover is sorry looking. the black paint is flaking off of the silver adhesive backed shielding which is beginning to peel away in places. i'm guessing it didn't look great new from the lotus factory. i'm considering pulling up all the silver stuff and letting the fiberglass fend for itself. i have sourced some better nonsilver heat shielding, which doesn't need to be painted since it won't reflect back heat. however, the application will look as sloppy as the original; seams and all. any thoughts?

[x6gas]

I presume you know about this.

Ian

[Guest teigan]

yeah, i've read that before. he's gonna be reflecting heat exactly where he doesn't want it. try this experiment: put a metal bowl in your dish washer with an expendible dishwasher-safe lexan item in front of the concave side. it'll deform during the heat-dry cycle, while an identical lexan item not in front of the bowl will not. an engine isn't that fragile, but cooler is more efficient. there's a lot of misleading advice on that website, but then again; it isn't as if lotus is offering any official help.

[Paul C]

...there's a lot of misleading advice on that website, but then again; it isn't as if lotus is offering any official help.

Hey Teigan

If you see any advice on LEW that you think is wrong or misleading,

then please E-mail the site and let them know. At the bottom of every

guide there is an E-mail addy and a request to send any comments on

that article.

If any advice is wrong and you can help, then you will only be making the

site better for everyone. Why not photo what you are going to do and send

Kato a guide?

[Guest teigan]

i'm afraid my information might be just as wrong. my communism advice website had disastrous consequences. i've got nothing against l.e.w. in fact it is neatly put together and entertaining. perhaps i will contribute to the site, when i'm sure what i'm doing is in no way disadvantageous. wouldn't want to bring down the entire eastern block again.

[lrg_machine]

yeah, i've read that before.

Edited September 18, 2005 by lrg_machine

[x6gas]

yep, the point of reflecting heat back into the engine bay is so that it doesn't go somewhere even less desirable. Unless you engine cover is a cooled heat sink then I'd rather have an extra degree ambiant in the engine bay...

[lrg_machine]

So Teigan

Got any other "misleading" info from LEW we can discuss ?

Edited September 18, 2005 by lrg_machine

[nello]

I overhauled my Engine cover years ago - Used a Heat paint on the inside (cannot remember type but can find out) and also replaced the Self-adhesive foam around the edge - SJ Sportscars sell the stuff............Also sprayed the grille silver which completed the look.............

Edited September 18, 2005 by nello

[Guest teigan]

i see some of you have missed the entire point. please reread the initial post. the original heat shield was covered in black. the l.e.w. article has decided a foil finish is suitable. until you've tried the dishwasher experiment i mentioned, don't ignorantly quantify the amount of heat involved. there is an amplification effect present with reflected heat. besides, heat is more likely to transfer to the cargo area from the engine bay than the vented cover and louvres designed to direct and radiate the air away from the car.

[Guest teigan]

I overhauled my Engine cover years ago - Used a Heat paint on the inside (cannot remember type but can find out) and also replaced the Self-adhesive foam around the edge - SJ Sportscars sell the stuff............Also sprayed the grille silver which completed the look.............

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that sounds interesting. plus it would be a very clean finish. was it heat safe paint, or was it a dedicated heat blocking compound?

[Guest Troy Halliday]

I used race spec heat reflective material 1.7mm thick it was

[Guest teigan]

where are you people putting your ice cream, so the engine cover reflecting would help it? i agree with troy that the turbo and exhaust pipes will heat up the luggage compartment, but the engine cover reflecting heat would only lead to the luggage compartment being hotter. if the engine cover absorbed the heat and radiated it off through the louvre vents, the ice cream would stay cooler. i put all the frozen groceries up front like a sensible person. i keep hot foods warm in the trunk. and i cook food on the grill atop the exhaust manifold.

[Bibs]

I hear from somebody who really does know about these things...

To fully understand the specification of the Engine Cover you needs to know that the foil covering is not just a heatshield as stated.

The primary function of the foil is for 'RF Suppression'

It's needed to shield the engine bay to comply with the regulations and keep the level down to industry targets.

It's not there to manage radiated heat, that's not the issue.

[Killboy]

I run mine without the engine cover, have you felt the weight of the thing!

Luckily I never have a need to carry anything in the rear compartment.

[Guest teigan]

thanks for the insider info bibs. however, if it really is for RF supression, a very loose wire mesh would have been just as effective. is the foil on a ferrero rocher for RF supression too?

[Bibs]

Yup, makes them invisible to radar too