Composite Intakes

[cudabob496]

I drive a 99 Trans Am, with an LS1 engine, in addition to my Cuda.  I took the Trans Am out today, ran around for a while, came back
home, parked it, lifted hood, and the plastic composite intake was cool to the touch! Amazing.  My Cuda M1 intake would fry my fingers!
We gotta get Mopar folks to make composite intakes for old school Mopars! Someone might make some money doing that!! China will
make them cheap!!

http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=79_81

[Chryco Psycho]

Hmm Alum bolted to the top of an engine & heat rises , can you say heat sink !!  Blocking the heat crossovers & using spacer for the carb helps , but a composite intake would be good . I drove a car on the highway below freezing for an hour or so ,I had the air cleaner sealed to a SS hood scoop , it started to run badly  so I pulled over & popped the hood , we had the heat crossover blocked & the carb & Intake were ice cold , the fuel would not atomize !!

[cudabob496]

ya, got the heat riser blocked, and a phenolic spacer under carb. Heat rising, and heat
conduction from heads to intake.  Looks like a composite intake would be good
for at least 15 hp. Article says runs 30 degrees cooler, and you get a 1% to 2%
increase in hp for every 10 degrees you lower air temp into carb. That's why cold
air intakes are a good bang for the buck, but obviously, my big hot metal M1
intake manifold is reheating the air/fuel going into the heads.

Thats another reason you see guys putting ice bags on their intake manifolds
before a quarter mile race.

might be good to put a phenolic spacer between intake and heads!!!

[72cudamaan]

Composite intakes have been in use for 20+ years. But not always with good results. Dorman makes a good
percentage of their profits by selling replacement intakes because the originals warp and/or crack. If someone
could keep these things stable (especially at higher hp levels) then it would be a great idea. But it aint gonna happen.
Back in the day cool cans were used to lower the air charge temp to create a denser charge. Worked great till the ice melted.   

[Bullitt-]

Could the LS1 seem cooler because no coolant goes through the intake? 

[72cudamaan]

Could the LS1 seem cooler because no coolant goes through the intake?

Now that's thinking outside of the box. But you're right, a solid (coolant) will retain much more heat than air.

[cudabob496]

Could the LS1 seem cooler because no coolant goes through the intake?

well, as with my M1, no coolant in the intake. Its just an intake bolted
to aluminum heads. But its like a hard plastic, and conducts little to no heat.

[cudabob496]

Composite intakes have been in use for 20+ years. But not always with good results. Dorman makes a good
percentage of their profits by selling replacement intakes because the originals warp and/or crack. If someone
could keep these things stable (especially at higher hp levels) then it would be a great idea. But it aint gonna happen.
Back in the day cool cans were used to lower the air charge temp to create a denser charge. Worked great till the ice melted.   

Looks like AFR is making them:

http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=79_81

[brads70]

Looks like AFR is making them:

http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=79_81

I've held that same intake at my engine builder buddys shop. It's VERY lightweight! Cool 2 piece design too!  Curious to see how long it lasts in time with heat and fuel. UV is usually what does in plastics? Heat and time is not kind to plastics either.

[72cudamaan]

Won't work so well on a Mopar though. 

[brads70]

Won't work so well on a Mopar though. 

Same old story.... Chevys, first then Ferd and "maybe" mopar 

[72cudamaan]

Same old story.... Chevys, first then Ferd and "maybe" mopar 

Yep, and I think AFR is primarily a ferd parts supplier.     Their loss. 

[cudabob496]

I've held that same intake at my engine builder buddys shop. It's VERY lightweight! Cool 2 piece design too!  Curious to see how long it lasts in time with heat and fuel. UV is usually what does in plastics? Heat and time is not kind to plastics either.

maybe its more like the materials of a phenolic carb spacer.

Thanks to NASA, there's some pretty strong plastics out there.
I have a plastic 40cal semi automatic.

Below is a new polymer intake that is stronger than my stock composite intake:


http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-54039/

[cudabob496]

Same old story.... Chevys, first then Ferd and "maybe" mopar 

I'll send an M1 aluminum intake to China, and order 100 polymer replicas.

[GreenFish]

Looks like AFR is making them:

http://www.airflowresearch.com/index.php?cPath=79_81

That's pretty trick!  But AFR makes NOTHING for Mopars.  Hopefully this will catch on.