Turbo Blanket or Metal Heat Shield?

[Ben Rumson]

Hi All,



I rescently bought some old silver fire suits (like the kind you see people wearing around volcanos) with the idea of piecing them together to make a Heat Shield for my exhaust manifold and turbo - a project to keep me working on my truck during the long winter months.



But before I begin, I'd like your opinions:



What are your feelings of a Heat Shield "Blanket-style" vs. a Heat Shield "Metal-style"?



What's your preference? What advantages and disadvantages to you see with either of these. Any first hand experience?



Thanks !



- Ben

 

[Diesel Freak]

Go with a full blanket over the exhaust manifold and turbine housing. Then wrap the first four feet of the downpipe.



The theory is that if you keep the exhaust gasses hot by keeping the heat in the system they move easier.



the only drawdack is that you may have slightly longer idle time to cool things off prior to shutdown.



A metal heat shield only protects other components from radient heat and is useless as a performance item IMO.

 

[Joe G.]

The stainless metal heat shield sure looks good with my chrome kit.

 

[NVR FNSH]

What are those fire suits made from? Are they asbestos?



Brian

 

[Diesel Freak]

Originally posted by NVR FNSH

What are those fire suits made from? Are they asbestos?



Brian

Ooooooooooooo good question!



make sure they won't catch on fire before you use them as an exhaust blanket. :{

 

[Ben Rumson]

Originally posted by Diesel Freak

...



make sure they won't catch on fire before you use them as an exhaust blanket. :{

Flammability... hummm..... VERY good point, and to be perfectly honest, I hadn't thought much about it. Sounds stupid on my part (and it IS), but it's true. THANKS for pointing that critical detail out.



I'm not sure what it's made of... But I WILL find out. It's very heavy (in thickness and weight) and appears to be mostly metallic fiber on the outer silver side. Judging from the weight, I'd say reflective metal weave on the outside, asbestos matting in the middle, and then a heat resistant/nomax treated quilted layer in the inside.



I fought Forest Fires for 2 summers. This material is leagues ahead of anything I've encountered there. They are the same outfits/stuff that you see scientists wearing when they're next to a volcano's Crater or with lava splattering all around them - Discovery Channel style.



A local dIEsel shop (for big rigs) told me that it would hold too much heat around the turbo - but I'm inclined to think that the turbo was made to handle the same levels of heat - the blanket would help stop the temperatures from varying so much - IE more consistent warm up and cool down, help performance due to the higher sustained heat levels, and protect everything else under the hood .



As long as I allow enough cool, idled (vs throttled) air before shut down - I can only see advantage. That's what guages are for - right?



GOOD point about the first 4 feet of the down pipe.



I'll have a chemist friend (who works in the Safety and Environmental Health industry) look at it and tell me what material it is. Stay tuned...



THANKS for your input. Any other suggestions/comments?