Team Synergy Coatings: Automotive Coatings for Intake Manifolds

Team Synergy Coatings Automotive Coatings There are two reasons for coating an intake manifold; performance and appearance:

The "enemy" of an intake manifold is the heat generated by the engine. Generally, keeping the manifold cooler than normal allows an engine to generate more horsepower. A normally aspirated engine will see a 1% improvement in power for every 10oF (5oC) drop in carburator air inlet temperature. A Turbo charged engine will see a 2% increase.

To reduce the heat exposure of the manifold the areas exposed to heat (the bottom of the intake manifold, the flange area where it would bolt to the head and also the flange area where the carburetor would bolt to the intake manifold) should be coated with a thermal barrier. TCB-108, TCB-101, TCB-102, and TCB-107 are all suitable for this application. To dissipate into the surrounding moving air what heat does get into the manifold, coat the top of the manifold with TCD-201thermal dispersant.

The inside of the runners in an intake manifold can also be coated. A single layer of a dry film lubricating coating (DFLC-402, DFLC-404 or DFLC-401), also known as “fluid retaining coatings” treates the fuel/air mix as it passes through an intake manifold on a carbureted engine as a "fluid in motion" and can reduce fuel drop-out by creating boundry layer turbulence. For maximum gain, first apply a thermal barrier (TCD-201) to the inside of a runner, then a dry film (DFLC-404) over it to not only create the boundary layer turbulence, but further reduce the amount of heat that does enter the fuel/air mix.

On the cosmetic side, TCD-201 is black and may not appeal to everyone. For a bright, polished appearance coat both the bottom and top with TCB-107. While TCB-107 is a thermal barrier and coating the top inhibits the amount of heat that can be dispersed, the amount of heat that can be absorbed by the manifold is reduced because of the same coating is on the bottom creating a thermal equilibrium. The coating is extremely temperature resistant, does not blue or discolor like chrome, does not oxidize significantly as a polished aluminized surface will, so maintaining a very nice, high-polished surface not affected by fuel, oils and solvents is easily accomplished.

Team Synergy Coatings can increase the life and durability of these automotive and engine parts: