[Scottish Challenger]

Hi all,

I have a 2020 Widebody 392 Challenger which has the Hellcat Redeye double snorkel hood on it. As the hood has the inlet to dump cold air where the cold air filter would be located, I would like to add one.
Question is……. What CAF do people recommend for a 392?
Is the MOPAR CAF a good buy and how does it compare to the likes of the JLT / other manufacturers?
Can you add the Hellcat Rhombi pipe from the Air Catcher Headlamps to it?

Any part numbers would also be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[LVSRT10]

Hi all,

I have a 2020 Widebody 392 Challenger which has the Hellcat Redeye double snorkel hood on it. As the hood has the inlet to dump cold air where the cold air filter would be located, I would like to add one.
Question is……. What CAF do people recommend for a 392?
Is the MOPAR CAF a good buy and how does it compare to the likes of the JLT / other manufacturers?
Can you add the Hellcat Rhombi pipe from the Air Catcher Headlamps to it?

Any part numbers would also be much appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

I have an 18 with the single scoop in the middle. I put the Mopar CAI on the car, and was very happy with the fit and Air Intake temp reduction. Part number won't help you much, but the 20 Hellcat setup should work for you.

Good luck, post up pics!

--Jeff

 

[Himmelkat]

Buy a short piece of appropriately-sized flex duct from Home Depot or an air conditioning store and use the insulated sleeve to slide over your intake as far as you can get it in both directions without becoming entangled in anything.

You can even open it up to go around the bigger air cleaner tub/box/whatever bottom.

Cheap colder air. If you make the ends tidy, it can really look cool, in addition to being cool.

The mylar chrome-looking stuff reflects heat, also, and is tougher than the plain plastic outer shell stuff. If you get some larger stuff, you can slide it quite far onto the throttle body and what have you, as long as you are careful and use zip-ties to keep it out of rotating bits. You may be able to just slide a big flat piece under the blower and see if the engine temps melt the mylar. Maybe better to put the mylar side facing upwards.

 

[Rockster]

My 2020 Scat Pack has the Hellcat hood on it from the factory. Two vents on either side and a scoop in the middle.

Air intake is through a hole next to the head light. Monitoring intake air temperature (IAT) the factory intake system is a very good "CAI" system. IAT can be as low as just 5F over ambient. With cars since 1996 this is the best CAI system bar none.

The twin vents allow hot air from the radiator to escape. The center scoop directs outside air down at the intake and this then continues down and around the engine to force the hot air from the exhaust manifolds down and out the engine compartment.

If you attempt to capture the air from the center scoop for intake air it will be no colder than the air that enters through the hole next to the headlight.

But what you then do is eliminate the benefit the scoop air has in removing heat from the intake system and from the rest of the engine compartment. Absent this flow of cool air from the scoop this could promote hot air from the exhaust being pulled up and heating the engine compartment and intake.

Think you are better off, the car/engine is better off, if you leave the factory intake system alone.

 

[SickToo]

Both yer guys hoods are different underneath than what the op has. 20 HC hood scoops are directed to a flat surface underneath that could be sealed (with foam) to act as the airbox lid delivering cold air from above if anyone made the right box for it. Which is exactly what I am trying to do. So far I have not been able to find the right box tho.

You can modify the Mopar cai and make it work (it’s not really designed to seal to the hood even tho it comes with rubber seal on top dumb) but it still has a open bottom which when in the staging lanes etc ends up sucking in hot engine bay air

You have the right hood and the right idea… don’t give up and plz update thx

 

[Himmelkat]

If you attempt to capture the air from the center scoop for intake air it will be no colder than the air that enters through the hole next to the headlight.

What I like about this hood on the Hellcat is that it blows a steady stream of cold air across the supercharger lid, where THE hottest air is in the intake tract, JUST post-supercharger and before it gets to the aftercoolers.

One reason I like this car is that there are so many little things that are outstanding but can still be detailed to absolutely maximize them if one has the inclination.

There are so many fluids in so may places flowing through so many fittings and hoses. Optimizing those alone is a fun mental exercise. None of the pumps except the oil and air are positive-displacement, which means they only create pressure differentials, which means that any easing of the flow path results in an easier life for the pump and a higher rate of fluid flow.

I know the car is wonderful as it is, but all these fascinating little potential points for tiny improvements are very interesting to a small part of the population, of which I am part.

What the Challenger ALSO has is such a wide range of models and engines and drivetrains one can order, which allows one to order up exactly what one prefers, then, if so inclined, enjoy the process of turning it into exactly what one wants, even if this means going full-honk HHP and going for nines, eight, or whatever, or going for as much as you can wring out of the V6, taking advantage of its lower base weight, then going from there. AWD? 2WD? So many different means to so many different ends.

Sleepers? Over-the-top One-Car-Parades? You name it. Debadged, upbadged, downbadged, sidebadged, it's all there to do with as you please. A trunk-mounted hidden massively sound-muffled twin turbo system? There is plenty of room to hide it under there. I have a new invention that would help sleepers, but I have not patented it. How much stealth do you want? This car has the room to hide almost anything under the generously-proportioned skin.

Imagine a stock-looking Hellcat doing 8's. Imagine a stock-looking AWDmobile pulling 1.2 second 60-foot times. Some things are just fun to play with, mentally, even if they are not done that way in the end.

The only thing this baby doesn't offer yet is a DOHC turbo setup. Look at all that engine bay room. Imagine the fun of an obscene 3.0L inline-4 motor strapped to a giant turbo.

But, as usual, I digress. There is just so much on this car to like. The gasoline engine will not die. It will continue to thrive. It has not even reached half of its potential, yet, whereas the electric motor is almost done, as far as how much efficiency and power you can get out of it. Physics are physics.

This car has just been started, when it comes to various modifications, because it trounces most other cars so well, but over time, those who love every little detail will bring things to bear that keep inching it ever higher, just like the classic muscle cars. When they came out, headers, flat-tappets and gold-plated dual points were cool.

Then came cylinder heads. Then you were allowed to have raised ports in Pro Stock, as-cast, which was a revolution, as they used to have to build up a wedge of stick welding to angle the ports how they liked them, with 25 pounds of aluminum added to make the intake side of the heads higher than the exhaust side, then grind it flat.

Then, this as-cast raised-port configuration spilled into the mainstream with Brodix, the B1, and various other makes, and THEN the Big Three just started redesigning their engines to raise the ports right from the foundry.
Then fuel injection. Then port fuel injection, but those big V8s are still here, as will be the Hellcat and fam. They are not going to die no matter how much the governments of the world declare war on the people on whose behalf they claim to govern.

The future is bright, not only for the careful paint-mark-from-the-assembly-line-preserving collector but the most subtle to most obvious modification lovers.

If I were going to go the full race car route, I'd prefer a model other than the Hellcat or a body-in-white to start with, as I don't like defiling works of art, but, hey, once you buy it, it's your to do with as you wish.

 

[Scottish Challenger]

My 2020 Scat Pack has the Hellcat hood on it from the factory. Two vents on either side and a scoop in the middle.

Air intake is through a hole next to the head light. Monitoring intake air temperature (IAT) the factory intake system is a very good "CAI" system. IAT can be as low as just 5F over ambient. With cars since 1996 this is the best CAI system bar none.

The twin vents allow hot air from the radiator to escape. The center scoop directs outside air down at the intake and this then continues down and around the engine to force the hot air from the exhaust manifolds down and out the engine compartment.

If you attempt to capture the air from the center scoop for intake air it will be no colder than the air that enters through the hole next to the headlight.

But what you then do is eliminate the benefit the scoop air has in removing heat from the intake system and from the rest of the engine compartment. Absent this flow of cool air from the scoop this could promote hot air from the exhaust being pulled up and heating the engine compartment and intake.

Think you are better off, the car/engine is better off, if you leave the factory intake system alone.

@Rockster I don’t have the single scoop though. If you see my original post, I have the double snorkel Redeye hood.

 

[Rockster]

@Rockster I don’t have the single scoop though. If you see my original post, I have the double snorkel Redeye hood.

Still has the air intake through the hole next to the head light, yeah? That's as cold an air intake as you are going to get even if rig up something to route air from one of the hood openings to the engine. You also have to worry about water ingress from rain, road splash, even washing.

 

[baabootoo]

Watch the recent episode of "Engine Masters" where they dyno test different filters AND CAI systems.

 

[SickToo]

What I like about this hood on the Hellcat is that it blows a steady stream of cold air across the supercharger lid…

Great. But he doesn’t have THAT HOOD. Or a SUPERCHARGER lol.


I do not believe you can accurately measure a n/a motors cold air/ram air system on a dyno

It gets hot in a dyno room and whatever speed the air is hitting the front of the car is fixed (by whatever fans are present)

Just cuz this one works better than that one on a dyno doesn’t mean it will on a track

The whole thing is tricky on a n/a motor. Turbulence has hurt power even tho I made more cold air available before

 

[Himmelkat]

I do not believe you can accurately measure a n/a motors cold air/ram air system on a dyno

What I have been saying for YEARS.

A more accurate way to tell is shut the hood and get some REALLY big, high-velocity fans to blow 100mph fresh, outside air at the car when it's on the dyno.

If I had a N/A Challenger, I'd likely stick a short Mopar Pro scoop on some replacement flat hood , fit a K and N filter to it, that was a good fit, and seal it to the throttle body.

There are FAR better scoops than a Mopar Pro. It was the iconic Mopar drag racing scoop for years.

But there are no cars that can sport one other than Mopars.

To me, it is the most macho hood scoop.

If heat were a concern, I'd insulate the entire intake system down to the ports.

What used to be funny was the Pros trying to start Pro Stocker carbureted engine on hot, humid days to race it, so heat soak is a real thing.

Taking off one's manifold and insulating all available surfaces would yield some results. Insulating the ducting leading to the manifold would help, also.

 

[Rockster]

What I have been saying for YEARS.

A more accurate way to tell is shut the hood and get some REALLY big, high-velocity fans to blow 100mph fresh, outside air at the car when it's on the dyno.

If I had a N/A Challenger, I'd likely stick a short Mopar Pro scoop on some replacement flat hood , fit a K and N filter to it, that was a good fit, and seal it to the throttle body.

There are FAR better scoops than a Mopar Pro. It was the iconic Mopar drag racing scoop for years.

But there are no cars that can sport one other than Mopars.

To me, it is the most macho hood scoop.

If heat were a concern, I'd insulate the entire intake system down to the ports.

What used to be funny was the Pros trying to start Pro Stocker carbureted engine on hot, humid days to race it, so heat soak is a real thing.

Taking off one's manifold and insulating all available surfaces would yield some results. Insulating the ducting leading to the manifold would help, also.

The insulation might help a bit if the intake (and insulation) start out cold but it when the hot engine is shut off or even if operated in a slow speed environment (in town driving) it will eventually heat soak and then the insulation keeps the intake from cooling down as fast as it would otherwise.

The best intake system is one with as little mass as it can have and still withstand the rigors it must endure: Vibration, load, heating and cooling cycles, etc.

This way the intake might get hot quicker when the car is parked with a hot engine but it cools down quicker once the vehicle is underway.

From cold my 2020 Scat Pack intake air temperature stays at 5F above ambient temperature. To me this indicates that Dodge has pretty much produced a very good cold air intake system for this car.

'course, after I come back to the car after parking it with a hot engine the intake temperature is elevated. But once underway and out of stop and go traffic the intake air temperature drops. it won't get down to 5F above ambient but the intake air temperature is not that much above ambient. And there is a benefit to "heated" intake air when the engine is operating in town driving.

If I get on the freeway the intake air temperature will get down to 5F above ambient after a mile or so.

With my Hellcat the intake air temperature was elevated to about 40F above ambient. This was not a fault of the air intake location but due to the air being heated by the supercharger. The liquid cooled charge cooler could really do no better than that. The inter cooler coolant temperature was but 10F above ambient. The inter cooler cooling system was pretty good at shedding heat it picked up from cooling the compressed air. It was just not able to remove any more heat to get the intake temperature down closer to ambient.

To remove more heat from the compressed air the inter cooler would probably have to have been a foot thick.

My experience with at least one other car with factory turbos and air to air charge coolers was once underway the intake air temperature dropped to 10F above ambient. The air to air charge coolers were quite efficient/effective at removing the heat from the compressed air. The actual inter coolers were, each, about the size of a shoe box. Quite large and there was one per cylinder bank of a 3.6l engine.

 

[Himmelkat]

the insulation keeps the intake from cooling down as fast as it would otherwise.

The intake air is what cools the intake tract as it goes through it. fiberglass wool insulation does not retain a great deal of heat, as it is very light material.

People have been experiencing good results insulating the bottom of their blower and adding metallic heat-reflective film to their intake fresh air system. This has already been proven to work.

If they did what I prescribed, they would experience even greater results, just not necessarily with visual beauty. A layer of insulating blanket that is reflective under the blower, with thick-as-you-can-fit insulation would cool the underside of the blower from being radiantly-heated by the engine.

An adequately heat-resistant film on the outside and a 1-or-two-inch-thick layer of fiberglass wool on the inside for the other parts (not yet compressed air) of the intake tract will insulate the intake tract cool portions better than the thin blankets and films they use so far, but, for the most part, people just buy ready-made solutions, and have little direct experience with real-life thermal management.

To remove more heat from the compressed air the inter cooler would probably have to have been a foot thick.

There HAS been found value in insulating the blower bottom from the engine, and using heat-reflective film on the intake ahead of the throttle body.

But, if more cooling WAS desired in the existing platform, bigger aftercooler rad(s) and bigger aftercooler bricks would help, along with insulating the aftercooler coolant lines and upsizing all conduits and orifices.

 

[Himmelkat]

The actual inter coolers were, each, about the size of a shoe box. Quite large and there was one per cylinder bank of a 3.6l engine.

Yes, larger aftercoolers would be a desirable thing, indeed. Whipple approaches this with their latest design, as the air passes through the same, flat, aftercooler in the middle on its way up out of the blower rotor area, then back down through the outboard sides of the same big aftercooler on its way down to the port area, cooling the air twice.

If one were to choose a Whipple, and one had the hood clearance, one could just go whole hog and add a second aftercooler on top of the first one if one wanted true cooling supremacy,with appropriate case modifications.
However, an ATAAC (air to air aftercooler) is largely less efficient than an LTAAC (liquid to air aftercooler,) thus some of the increased volume requirement.

 

[Rockster]

The intake air is what cools the intake tract as it goes through it. fiberglass wool insulation does not retain a great deal of heat, as it is very light material.

People have been experiencing good results insulating the bottom of their blower and adding metallic heat-reflective film to their intake fresh air system. This has already been proven to work.

If they did what I prescribed, they would experience even greater results, just not necessarily with visual beauty. A layer of insulating blanket that is reflective under the blower, with thick-as-you-can-fit insulation would cool the underside of the blower from being radiantly-heated by the engine.

An adequately heat-resistant film on the outside and a 1-or-two-inch-thick layer of fiberglass wool on the inside for the other parts (not yet compressed air) of the intake tract will insulate the intake tract cool portions better than the thin blankets and films they use so far, but, for the most part, people just buy ready-made solutions, and have little direct experience with real-life thermal management.

There HAS been found value in insulating the blower bottom from the engine, and using heat-reflective film on the intake ahead of the throttle body.

But, if more cooling WAS desired in the existing platform, bigger aftercooler rad(s) and bigger aftercooler bricks would help, along with insulating the aftercooler coolant lines and upsizing all conduits and orifices.

Any increase in material -- even insulation -- means it takes longer for whatever heat it has obtained to be removed.

While I have seen engine compartments, well, at least one I can recall, lined with some kind of thin foil covered insulation -- for heat or noise? -- I have never seen an intake insulated.

Pretty much I think Dodge has it nailed with its Hellcat hood which has the two vents to give the hot air heated by the radiator a quick exit and the center scoop to direct cooler air down to and over the supercharger. This also forces any heated air from the exhaust manifolds down and out the engine compartment.

And based on my observation on how well intake air temperature is dealt with I would have to give credit to, IMHO, the Scat Pack hood which is very much like the Hellcat hood. I note how close to ambient the intake air temperature is and even when it is hot due to heat soak how quickly it comes down. Also, that the intake is not insulated which tells me something.

About all I can think of that might help matters some would be to install a engine compartment fan. Several of my previous cars came with an engine compartment fan. One fan was wired to if an otherwise empty fuse holder was populated with a fuse the fan would run all the time the engine was on. I installed the fuse.

Even with the presence of the very effective/efficient air to air inter coolers I believe the fan running all the time and blowing cool air down over the engine and out the bottom and back of the car played a role in keeping the engine compartment heat down and reducing any subsequent reheating of the intake air. And there was a lot of intake. The plumbing to route intake air from the air box to the turbos then from the turbos to the inter coolers and then from these to the intake manifold on top of the engine was quite extensive and without good engine compartment temperature control would have resulted in much more post (and maybe even pre) inter cooler heating.

 

[SickToo]

There is no reason to wrap intake runners. They are bolted to the cyl heads which are hotter than the air in the engine compartment

Besides… a 200 shot at the hit cools them right down : )

 

[Himmelkat]

Any increase in material -- even insulation -- means it takes longer for whatever heat it has obtained to be removed.

Incorrect.
The insulation with reflective material on it prevent much of the conduction, convection, and radiation from getting to the intake tract in the first place. When the engine is static, and not running, then, yes whatever heat is around the intake tract will try to get everywhere, including into the intake tract, but it will do so more slowly when all available surfaces of intake tract are insulated.

Instead of heat making its way to the internal surfaces of the intake tract by the three means mentioned above, it will now have to rely on convection and some small radiation through the intake ports and the air therein, whatever can get through the insulation from the engine compartment, and whatever can get up to the intake tract from the engine through radiation, convection, and conduction.

Since the intake tract would be thermally broken from the engine via insulated spacers and insulated/reflective blanketing on all available surface, now the heat trying to get in has to go past a thermal break for direct conduction, and also for all other non-directly-contacting surfaces, it has to go through the reflective and thermal insulation obstacles.

That leaves the supercharger lid itself as a way for heat to get into the engine, as it would not be uninsulated, but the air surrounding it would be cooler than the supercharger lid itself.

Since the intake tract is cooled from the inside by intake air, (except the supercharger lid on the Hellcat, which I would not recommend insulating and did not recommend insulating,) that means that with the insulation protecting the outside of the intake tract, the incoming air will have an easier time of it bringing internal intake tract temperatures down than if it were all uninsulated.

There are more calories/kW of heat assaulting the inside surfaces of the intake tract and thus the intake air without insulation than with insulation, under all circumstances and at all times.

Now, if one leaves the car long enough that the ever-diminishing temperature of the engine and engine compartment manages to go over the thorough insulation and reflection obstacles to heat the intake, then the selfsame intake, protected form external heat sources by the insulation and reflective material, will have little in the way of resistance to the internal surfaces of the intake tract very rapidly being brought down to the temperature of the air introduced thereinto, because when the engine is running and producing heat, the entire intake tract is being insulated from it, but it is jealously guarding the coolness (relatively) provided by the intake air entering the intake tract and traveling through it.

There is no reason to wrap intake runners. They are bolted to the cyl heads which are hotter than the air in the engine compartment

I think the intake is plastic is it not, on the 392?
If it is not, there are plastic spacers available that provide a thermal dam between heads and intake.

 

[Himmelkat]

BTW, having a mirror or mirror-polished surface facing every source of unwanted heat will further diminish its ability to go where unwanted.
Painting the inside and outside of supercharger lid Musuo black will aid in it sucking as much heat as possible out of the intake tract. Same with aftercooler bricks, if one can get it on there in an extremely thin and durable coat. Anodizing is suggested, as it provides very little thickness.

 

[Rockster]

Incorrect.
The insulation with reflective material on it prevent much of the conduction, convection, and radiation from getting to the intake tract in the first place. When the engine is static, and not running, then, yes whatever heat is around the intake tract will try to get everywhere, including into the intake tract, but it will do so more slowly when all available surfaces of intake tract are insulated.

Instead of heat making its way to the internal surfaces of the intake tract by the three means mentioned above, it will now have to rely on convection and some small radiation through the intake ports and the air therein, whatever can get through the insulation from the engine compartment, and whatever can get up to the intake tract from the engine through radiation, convection, and conduction.

Since the intake tract would be thermally broken from the engine via insulated spacers and insulated/reflective blanketing on all available surface, now the heat trying to get in has to go past a thermal break for direct conduction, and also for all other non-directly-contacting surfaces, it has to go through the reflective and thermal insulation obstacles.

That leaves the supercharger lid itself as a way for heat to get into the engine, as it would not be uninsulated, but the air surrounding it would be cooler than the supercharger lid itself.

Since the intake tract is cooled from the inside by intake air, (except the supercharger lid on the Hellcat, which I would not recommend insulating and did not recommend insulating,) that means that with the insulation protecting the outside of the intake tract, the incoming air will have an easier time of it bringing internal intake tract temperatures down than if it were all uninsulated.

There are more calories/kW of heat assaulting the inside surfaces of the intake tract and thus the intake air without insulation than with insulation, under all circumstances and at all times.

Now, if one leaves the car long enough that the ever-diminishing temperature of the engine and engine compartment manages to go over the thorough insulation and reflection obstacles to heat the intake, then the selfsame intake, protected form external heat sources by the insulation and reflective material, will have little in the way of resistance to the internal surfaces of the intake tract very rapidly being brought down to the temperature of the air introduced thereinto, because when the engine is running and producing heat, the entire intake tract is being insulated from it, but it is jealously guarding the coolness (relatively) provided by the intake air entering the intake tract and traveling through it.


I think the intake is plastic is it not, on the 392?
If it is not, there are plastic spacers available that provide a thermal dam between heads and intake.

A reflective surface only resists radiant heat. It offers at best little resistance to convection heating such as occurs as hot air flows past. Since nothing is touching the outside of the reflective surface conduction heating is not an issue, but the reflective material touches something and if that gets hot it heats the reflective material. Unless the back side of the reflective material is also reflective it gets heated by radiant heat, convection, and even a bit of conduction.

So the presence of the reflective material only works to reduce heating by radiant energy. And like I said once it gets hot from heat soak it transmits heat back toward the intake which means the intake is kept warmer.

The best simplest setup is a naked intake with as little mass as it can have and still withstand whatever forces/loads it is subjected to. It will get hot under some conditions but it can also shed this heat -- a good portion of it to the passing through intake air -- quicker.

This appears to be backed by various engine makers who do not bother with any intake insulation.

An improvement would be as I mentioned in another post to arrange to direct cool air down onto the intake via a fan. This reduces heating of the intake by simply blowing the heat down and away from the intake even with the vehicle being operated at low speeds, even stopped.

And upon resuming operation after being parked -- with the heat soaking -- this fan supplied cooler air flow helps remove heat from the intake faster than it would be removed otherwise.

 

[Himmelkat]

A reflective surface only resists radiant heat. It offers at best little resistance to convection heating such as occurs as hot air flows past. Since nothing is touching the outside of the reflective surface conduction heating is not an issue, but the reflective material touches something and if that gets hot it heats the reflective material.

Thermos flasks are made of glass where the reflective surface is on the opposite side of the glass from the contact surface with the food/drink item. Any time you have a reflective surface, regardless of what is in contact with it, it discourages heat transfer more than a black surface. The point is not that it is a magic wand to stand against all heat transfer; the point is that anywhere you want heat to NOT be transferred, you have as a reflective surface where an interface between two surfaces occurs.

If the two solid surfaces are touching, then a direct insulation is more effective, especially if it is carbon fiber, most especially silver carbon fiber, as I saw in a surf shop in Maui, I would think. They use carbon fiber insulators under valve springs in racing to keep the heat from the engine (most especially the exhaust port) away from the spring material. Making that interface reflective would not HURT insulating properties, but it would add little value, but making the interface black, similarly, would not help, and could hurt a bit.

The best simplest setup is a naked intake with as little mass as it can have and still withstand whatever forces/loads it is subjected to. It will get hot under some conditions but it can also shed this heat -- a good portion of it to the passing through intake air -- quicker.

No, the best system for the intake air is to take it in cool, and then insulate its entire path to the intake valve as much as possible, and add a reflective barrier on top of the insulation to reject radiant heat as much as is practicable therefrom. Making it thin makes it easier for the external heat to transfer to the intake air, if you do not insulate the tract from start to destination. I think you are thinking heat soak has more access to a properly-designed system than I do.

Yes, a lower-mass intake tract will suffer less from heat soak, but if it is a case of heat-flow resistant material, such as plastic, it will enable external heat more opportunity to access the intake air stream, also. Just painting the black plastic intake bright silver (if one can find a color that will stay sturdy) would have some benefit. There is even WHITE paint that rejects around 98 percent of light or so.

This appears to be backed by various engine makers who do not bother with any intake insulation.

The same manufacturers who kept death-causing drum brakes for decades when disks are and always will be clearly superior. I am personally a victim of inferior drum brake technology. They are in the business of selling cars and then fixing them. They are not in the business of helping you eke out every last erg of consistency from an engine combo.

An improvement would be as I mentioned in another post to arrange to direct cool air down onto the intake via a fan. This reduces heating of the intake by simply blowing the heat down and away from the intake even with the vehicle being operated at low speeds, even stopped.

Engine compartment ventilation is a good idea, and one reason I like the first-gen Hellcat hood. I can see the heat climbing out of the engine compartment when the car is parked.

Just as a general rule, I am not looking at how greatly things can aid or assist, but at the raw physics that is useful to minimize heat gain and maximize waste heat transfer. If it helps by one or two percent, and I am building a maximum-effort engine, it would be useful, if the price is reasonable. I noticed F1 teams, for example, used mirror-polished exhaust primary tubes leading to the turbocharger even when they had access to any finish they wanted, and no one would see the tubes, as they were covered by bodywork.

I have seen in this world of merchandising and hucksterism that science and physics are often ignored or gone against in the rush to market the latest profit-gobbling inferior piece, like the carbon fiber and aluminum pretzels-waiting-to-happen driveshafts marketed for Hellcats when the stock Demon shaft is superior in strength and endurance.

With heat, in short, insulate against its movement where you don't want it, add a reflective surface if at all possible, and to get rid of it, the thinnest layer of matt black you can put on any object you want to shed or transfer heat.

Regarding heat reflectivity of a solid, even a black solid will radiate heat better than a white or reflective solid, even though the solid is in contact with its own surface.