Tunnel cooling

[Leck3000]

After a reasonable drive out yesterday I was reminded how ridiculously hot my tunnel and centre console get, especially in the summer. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for a solution.

I am very aware of the range of thermal materials available, I am more after ideas of mounting options.

I am considering either some metal sheet type or something like a fibreglass backed aluminium cloth for the underside however not entirely sure how it is all arranged underneath for ideas of mounting. In addition I may consider some additional material under the centre console.

I am not sure if the temps get so high because I am running a de-cat rather than having the stock cast cat and heat shield that it is emitting the heat much more. I am swapping to an RRP cat in a couple of weeks but dont expect it to change at all.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

I've been thinking about this recently too. A decat should be cooler than a cat of any flavour - resistance and reaction generates heat.

My thoughts are a rigid heat shield mouleded to the underside of the car and then potentially fixing it to the cross braces that go under the car. I've not put that in to practice as yet, just musings.

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Also, hopefully he won't mind me sharing, but if you are an 'enthusiast' who swaps a cat in and out, make sure there are no leaks at the front joint before you go on track... Friend of mine with an R3 didn't get the join quite flush and ended up burning a hole in his carpet and nearly setting fire to the whole car

[Leck3000]

Also, hopefully he won't mind me sharing, but if you are an 'enthusiast' who swaps a cat in and out, make sure there are no leaks at the front joint before you go on track... Friend of mine with an R3 didn't get the join quite flush and ended up burning a hole in his carpet and nearly setting fire to the whole car

Im going for the fit an forget option after having had enough of the bi-annual swaps.

My thought about being hotter than an OE cat is the heat would be more retained in the thick cast metal rather than easy radiation from the thin tubular. Probably complete bol**cks but just another of my musings as im sure it wasnt always that hot. Even when driving along consistently the heat was enormous and didnt seem to reduce at all. Wondering if perhaps some air channelling may assist or not as well.

[New Duke]

I'd fit this stuff, as it is relatively easy to mould into shape, requires minimal support and can be multi-layered
https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/embossed- ... m-x-1000mm

[Dr. FrankenRex]

Depending on the cat section you're planning on fitting, you could always heat wrap the pipe itself - although I wouldn't recommend it for a toyo pipe, but something a bit thicker or sturdier would probably be OK with it.

[WildMan10]

I got some aircraft turbine engine heat shield off eBay for my turbo conversion. I’m keeping it for a different purpose.

I have an RRP 200 CEL decat and I’ve not had any problems with heat. As mentioned above, make a good job of the joints.

[bigpete8]

Was there some production changes to heat shielding under the tunnel?
Having read loads of posts about the 'drink Warner' it's not something I have noticed.
(2007 Original and rusting heat shield)

[HarSc]

I'd fit this stuff, as it is relatively easy to mould into shape, requires minimal support and can be multi-layered
https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/embossed- ... m-x-1000mm

That's useful to me actually - cheers. I know we had to rip off some of my heat shielding above my cat and some of it is still teetering on my a few mounts, so may well rip it all out and start again. Got the only advisory on my last MOT for that bad boy

Was there some production changes to heat shielding under the tunnel?
Having read loads of posts about the 'drink Warner' it's not something I have noticed.
(2007 Original and rusting heat shield)

2009 R3 that mine deteriorated on, so I don't think the heat shielding was much improved I can say that much hah!

[New Duke]

Was there some production changes to heat shielding under the tunnel?
Having read loads of posts about the 'drink Warner' it's not something I have noticed.
(2007 Original and rusting heat shield)

It does take a while to heat up and is driving style and journey dependant. It should never get 'hot' to the touch unless there is an issue, just warm.

[HarSc]

Was there some production changes to heat shielding under the tunnel?
Having read loads of posts about the 'drink Warner' it's not something I have noticed.
(2007 Original and rusting heat shield)

It does take a while to heat up and is driving style and journey dependant. It should never get 'hot' to the touch unless there is an issue, just warm.

Warm enough to make a man need to drink his ice cold can of coke quickly

[Milos_Balunovic]

Just don't try keeping your chocolate bar in the centre cubbie

[RenesisRaceBuggy]

I haven't looked at an RX8 cat to confirm but most OE cats and forward silencers are double skinned - there's an inner, and then an outer skin with an airgap or a wrap of ceramic blanket between - so they radiate much less heat than aftermarket single-walled units, even versus a decat without the restriction - because it keeps the cat hotter and more efficient.

[350matt]

I'd say the idea of wrapping the pipe in some of that fibreglass bandage should work pretty well
as Dan says though it will keep in the heat in the pipe and in my expierence as long as you wrap the pipe tightly and there''s no air trapped underneath then it will be OK
As any trapped air in a pocket as that then gets superheated enough to melt the metal ( top tip is to soak the wrap in water so it stretches a little and then when it dries out it contracts and squeezes tightly onto the pipe)

When I had my gearbox out to do the clutch I added some heatshield material on the underside of the cubby and thats made quite a difference
still warm though

[Leck3000]

I'd fit this stuff, as it is relatively easy to mould into shape, requires minimal support and can be multi-layered
https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/embossed- ... m-x-1000mm

Yeah I am thinking of somehting like this, just not familiar enough of that area of the car to know a good method of attachment.

[350matt]

Tiger seal is the stuff
https://www.zoro.co.uk/shop/automotive/ ... gJ21vD_BwE

[delta0]

Maybe something like this could help https://www.mishimoto.co.uk/gold-reflec ... rrier.html

[New Duke]

Resurrection time. The bottom of my tunnel heat shield has peeled away and needs attention:

20220130_151700.JPG

The rest of the heat shield is in good condition. Apart for a slice out of it near the manifold/cat join and wear on the engine side edge. Those I intend to patch repair with this: https://www.oldhallperformance.com/heat ... -weld-tape

An aluminium plate like Warpc0il suggested would be ideal. But I'm not confident in my ability to cut and conform it to the correct shape. Or attach it. Even with tiger seal given it's an uneven surface mating to another uneven surface.

I'd also really like to avoid removing the exhaust... because I'm lazy.

So I'm looking at cutting away the bottom 'frazzled' section of foil and using a self adhesive strip instead to patch it over the orange stuff underneath. I don't care how it looks, so long as it works. The Mishimoto product is too short, that tunnel shield is 80cm long and I'd have to buy 2 lots. But here you can get it by the square metre and cut to shape: https://www.carbuilder.com/uk/gold-refl ... insulation

That's what I'm planning on getting. The damaged area is 30cm high and 80cm long.

Ideally I'd use this stuff, but I just can't afford it: https://www.oldhallperformance.com/heat ... cky-shield

I read not to attach a self adhesive heat shield to fiberglass. Does anyone know what the orangey/yellow stuff underneath is? I haven't yet entertained removing that underneath layer as well. I think then I would be making a whole custom fit aluminium section and that would be quite a big job for me. It's held on by two bolts at the bottom and another two at the top.

The car only has a cat on it once a year, so the tunnel sees much lower temps than cars with one.

Any other suggestions welcome too! I'll wrap the bottom my manifold at some point. The heat shield on that has seen better days too.

[Milos_Balunovic]

I run the oem pipe with cat cut out and replaced with straight tube section. It was how (cooler than with the cat).

I heat wrapped mine using heat resistant pain (can paint) and straight normal wrap. I made sure to paint the pipe first with zinc primer mixed with heat resistant paint (2 cans blowing at the same time) and than wrap making sure each layer is saturated. I found diminishing results are after 3 layers with 50% overlap on each. Ie, total of 6 layers in a single spot since each layer is double.
I made sure to cure the paint (2 days in sunn and than propane torch for 3 hours) before assembly the car and the first drive was still smokey. For toyo header i just wrapped single layer and avoided welds.
No more heat in foot well.

[350matt]

Nice Job Milos

there's also this stuff which is very effective

https://funkmotorsport.com/product/dual ... O3EALw_wcB

[New Duke]

That stuff looks great Matt. Just so expensive. I'm still poor from the new engine (and paying for surgery).

Maybe some kitchen foil held on by Tiger Seal

[350matt]

£38 is too expensive ? sorry but you do get what you pay for we use this kind of thing at work and it shields effectively with 900°C exhausts on one side and plastic components on the other
you would only need the small bit anyway wouldn't you ?

[New Duke]

£38 is too expensive ? sorry but you do get what you pay for we use this kind of thing at work and it shields effectively with 900°C exhausts on one side and plastic components on the other
you would only need the small bit anyway wouldn't you ?

It's £95 for the 60x60cm. I need to cover an area of at least 30x80cm. It does look like a nice product tho.