|
Aluminum is an excellent thermal conductor. When your engine operates, the aluminum cylinder head very efficiently transfers a huge amount of heat directly to the aluminum intake manifold increasing charge temperatures. This robs power and increases the chance of detonation. However, by placing a thermal barrier between the cylinder head and intake manifold, the heat transfer is greatly reduced creating cooler and denser intake air.
QBM Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacers are manufactured from a laminated Phenolic composite material, which has a 500x lower thermal conductivity than aluminum! The Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer fits between the intake manifold and cylinder head, creating an extremely effective heat flow barrier. This insulates the manifold, dramatically reducing inlet air temperatures in the intake manifold.
It is a fact that the density of the air and therefore power is increased 1% for every 5°F reduction in intake temperature.
The QBM Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer can free up to 3-5% horsepower due to a number of reasons. The first and most obvious is the cooler and denser intake charge resulting from the use of the Phenolic composite material. We have measured an average of a 30-35°F reduction in intake temperatures by using our spacer! A cooler intake charge also reduces the tendency for detonation. Since the Bosch ECUs on Volvos retard boost and/or ignition timing when detonation is detected, preventing detonation will allow the most boost and ignition timing advance possible for maximum output power.
If you car is an NA model, you are not left out. Our experience has shown that NA cars respond very well to the Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacers. NA cars do not have a turbocharger, which is important because radiant heat from turbos increase under hood temperatures and heat soak. Compared to turbos, NA models have a much cooler intake charge temperature to begin with. But heat transfer from the cylinder head becomes the largest contributor to the much higher-than-ambient air temperature. The Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer prevents the heat transfer, resulting in intake temperatures of near ambient!
View the dyno results below. The QBM Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer resulted in gains of 6-8HP on a stock 1995 turbocharged test vehicle (NA models produce an average of about 3-4HP). That may not sound like much, but note that the gains are not peak gains but rather gains over significant portions of the whole rpm range.

|