If DaveO suggests something works he certainly has documentation to back it up as that is his nature. DaveB perhaps you have some documentation you can share..any excel spreadsheets or some tidbits of test environment variables ect.

 

The only current documentation I have is a stack of timeslips.

 

to DaveB's point, I did do some testing using digital temp meter and probes.
I found very little difference in the actuall air temp .....

But DaveO did some testing, looking at what the MAF saw.

Though we haven't gotten together to prove it, what appears to be true based on the testing Dave did, and what I did is this....

Even if the air isn't actually heating up much, the MAF is, and is giving that info to the ECU. I speculated to Dave that the heat soak occuring is really effecting the MAF not the actual air. The effective result is the same.... retarded timing, etc.

I have no doubt that the data Dave Collected is correct.
So the insulation may not be keeping the air cool, but it is reducing the MAF heating up under poor conditions and effectively giving bad info to the ECU.

When I have some time to Kill I will be pursuing this as I discussed with Dave to prove or disprove where the heat up is taking place.

 

You're right, the plastic MAF can heat soak somewhat. However the elements of the sensor itself are thin wire and I would think that the movement of air across them should quickly pull away most if not all of the heat. The housing may be hot which is easy to test, but the elements would be impossible to test.

The only way I could see testing this would be to drill a hole in the intake pipe and install a thermometer and then compare the readings between MAF and the air in the intake pipe.

 

Ther numbers DaveO saw from the MAF indicate that it remains Hot for a while.
i.e. it doesn't instantly cool down when you start moving air.

It could well be that the integration time of the readings is the issue.
That is to say, if the designers didn't consider the heat soak at idle, then full air
they may integrate the reading over a long time period. Basically preventing change at a rate of more than 1 degree per minute... or some such crap.

Like I said when I get time I will dig in, there is actually a feed to the ECU which is the Intake Air temp - it will be interesting to see at what rate it changes vs the lab meter

 

Well, I went to Home Depot and got the aforementioned item and gave it a shot.

P_Diddy, I don't know how you did it or put up with it, but I could NOT take that material. The aluminum wrap kept seperating from the foam sticky stuff. And I squeezed the material to 'fit' around the pipe and got the exact opposite-poor fit and torn material.

Needless to say, I gave up! The only good use I found for this stuff was to wrap my friend's dog up (looked like a NASA experiment).

All that being said, I am STILL a firm believer that this would be beneficial.

Someone else made a post about wrapping their Z-tube but used something else. I recall seeing the pic, it was black, maybe rubber or something black. If this is you or you know where I can find this link, please post or email me. I would be very interested in trying this alternative.

I thank you and so does the Space Dog!

Larry

 

Definitely. When I logged my ODB-II readings, the intake air usually takes 30-60 seconds of steady cruising at 25mph+ to bring the intake air to within ambient. At a stop light, in 60 degree weather, stock intake, the intake air heats up to around 70-75 degrees. Sometimes higher if the secondary fan kicks on. BTW, that's on my G35, not my old Maxima.

 

i used exhaust tape, with band/worm clamps holding 'em down. I'll post pics tomorrow, after I clean my car

 

baileyrx,
Looking forward to those pics. If you can't post them, email them to me, will ya?!

To all,
Besides the two material options (i.e., exhaust tape and pipe insulation), is these another option that is 'user friendly' and low in cost? I wish that guy who wrapped his in that rubber-ish tape would chime in!!!

Thanks,
Larry

 

I also had a problem with the material separating, so I left the adhesive portion in place and used metallic duct tape to provide the reflectivity. It looked smoother too!!

 

I did mine approx a year ago.....and am very happy with the results.

Most benefits come from stop and go driving or repeated runs where the engine heats up the tube and MAF.

My buddies dubbed it my "Baked Potatoe" intake.

 

here's the pics I promised. I also included a close-up of a new clamp I put on the MAF sensor as to not rub against my a/c line!!!

 

In case any of ya'll were wondering, that little black line, with the blue connector is my Sneaky Pete NOS line.
The new worm drive clamp doesn't come close to th a/c line, much better/safer than the original clamp, when using an after market air filter.

 

Thanks for the pics! Can I get this exhaust tape at any autoparts store? Where did you get it from and how much,please?

Also, any noticable gains with the Sneakey Peat NOS?

Thanks
Larry

 

Quick Z tube question: I read through a post warning about the dangers of messing up your AC line when installing an intake. Does this warning apply if you are only adding the Z tube? Or is it the additon of the pop charger or equivalent that can damage the AC line?