i just ordered 5/16 spacer, iso thermal upgrade with aramid gasket and coolant control valve, copper iso thermal upgrade with aramid gasket and copper throttle body heater from the motordyneengineering.com site, (wow are those two last things i mentioned the same? i was looking into it more and now im thinking the copper one is the upgrade to the iso thermal one? or are they different =/ if they are the same will i have a problem returning? actually one has the coolant control valve, is that important?) i also ordered stillen groundwire kit....im new to this and i was wondering if someone can guide me, give me a lay out of what i have to do to install all this stuff myself...is it difficult?....i want to learn its not to save money....is it too tricky where i should just let someone else do it? could i mess anything up or is it ok?...aight help me out someone plz....

 

The ISO thermal and copper upgrade are different. You only need the copper iso thermal if you live in a fairly cold climate. I know the spacer comes with detailed directions that are pretty well drawn out. I dont know about the grounding wires as i dont have those yet.
-GP-

 

yeah like Gdup said you only need the copper component if you live in the frigid zones. The spacer is a very simple install and can be done in about an hour if you read the install doc well prior to installing.

I highly suggest that you buy your own inch lb torque wrench becasue you will likely need it again later to re-torque the bolts. Make sure you have all the required tools and bolts before gettig started and it should go over without a hitch.

 

I don't think the 5/16 ISO Thermal spacer gives that much more of a gain then just getting a 5/16 Spacer.

 

the spacer(iso thermal part) is not meant to give power, its meant to prevent the loss of power when heatsoak may come into play. e.g. Track time, traffic, hot days.

Allows cooler intake temps which = more dense air which = more power.

 

So what is ISO Thermal?? Is it another piece of metal or plastic that just doesn't heat soak as bad as the piece. I look at intensepower.com and they have the ISO thermal upgrade and to me it doesn't seem like that little piece will make that much of a difference to justify the price. When you are literally on top of the motor I think heat soaking is inevitable.

 

There are two types – they both have a thermal gasket between the lower plenum and intake manifold, it is designed to reduce heat transfer… the other component is a bypass for coolant flow to the plenum, again to address heat. The difference between the two types is a manual valve for coolant flow and a copper unit that will adjust coolant flow automatically… The reason for the copper option is in cold climates you need the coolant flow the keep the throttle body from freezing, so this unit automatically opens when needed in cold weather and closes in warm weather…if you live in fair weather the manual valve is fine. I have the manual valve and it has been left shut since installed – through one summer season and one winter season (and now second summer) with no issues. (I’m in So Cal so it doesn’t get cold enough to be an issue.)

I did a series of before and after plenum temp readings and this combo definitely reduced upper plenum temps. There are threads out here with data on spreadsheets… As for the spacer, I highly recommend it! It addresses completely different issue with air volume and two front runners being starved due to angle plenum – blah, blah, blah… All I can tell you is butt dyno noticed a difference and several actual dynos resulted in respectable numbers.

I’m no rocket scientist – but I hope that helped. Good luck with the choices you make – Motordyne products are very good and Tony is a great guy – you are on the right track with your research and decision-making!

 

Easy install, just have a torque wrench.

 

Well I purchased a freaking 5/16 plenum spacer and I didn't get the ISO Thermal one and I live in Miami, FL so heat soaking with me will be a major problem.

 

I would like to add that it should be an Inch Lb torque wrench. In Lb wrenches that start at 25 or 30 inch lbs are kind of hard to find and suggest that anyone looking for one jsut go to sears and buy the craftsman 3/8 drive in ln trq wrnch.

 

Thanks for the follow up Foo G. Inch/LB wrenches are hard to find and I think the Craftsman one sells for about $65. Everyone should own a torque wrench and you really can't do this install without one or I wouldn't suggest it.

 

also, if you get a 3/8 wrench, you'll need to get a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer as most 10mm sockets are 1/4".