views required - thermo-tec insulating wrap for turbos
Turbo Mini Forums

I posted a topic about hot starting problems late last year (fuel vapourising etc - you all know the score!). I have noticed that avonbar sell a thermo-tec insulating wrap for turbos, and I quote:

"Turbo Kit
Improves the operating efficiency of all turbo chargers, reduces turbo lag and will reduce under bonnet temperatures"

No i'm not too fussed about reducing lag, but would this drastically lower the amount of heat getting to the carb? (I have the 'tro carb heat sheild fitted too)?
I'm thinking that if it does it should help to curb the hot start grumps'?

Has anybody used this product? I don't wanna shell out 100 lizzies if its a waste of time!!!!
Cheers, Choppo

Hannibal: There are two ways we can do this: the easy way and the hard way. In a few minutes my friends and I are going to come down on you like your worst nightmare. You're gonna wish the Earth had opened up and swallowed you whole.
bad guy: What's the easy way?
Hannibal: That WAS the easy way.

Hmmmm would not a cooling fan similar to una turbo be any good

Metro turbo weekend driver,Mini turbo in the making again!

I'll take a guess that it's ?50 (more????) and tbh - I can think of a lot more to spend 50 notes on!

Also can't think the last time i saw one of these covers on a WRC car or a stock engine.

If you want to get rid of the heat, follow mr dangerous' suggestion and get the cooling unit of the 1300 uno turbo, or R5GT and use that to drag cool air from the front to the problem area... I've got one of each in my parts lot, and the uno one is the one to go for!

As if by magic!!!

Edited by turbodave16v on 23rd Feb, 2005.

In one of the books I read on turbocharging, they advise against wrapping exhaust/manifold/turbo, as they said it can cause real problems with degradation of the material owing to heat build up, unable to escape.

Thanks for all the reply guys, think i'll do what Dave suggested and hunt me down a prec' fan for a GTT or Uno. I'll let you know how I get on!

Choppo

Hannibal: There are two ways we can do this: the easy way and the hard way. In a few minutes my friends and I are going to come down on you like your worst nightmare. You're gonna wish the Earth had opened up and swallowed you whole.
bad guy: What's the easy way?
Hannibal: That WAS the easy way.

no wrapping,no heat shield,just using a cooler off a maestro turbo with timer.

I wrapped my turbo + exhaust last season. No probs with the material. But does not cure hot start problems.

Bimmer Twinky headed and turboed A-Series:
http://www.minifreunde.at/harry/projects.htm

i can get hold of a R5GTT fan verry easily when i pick my engine up, but i cant think of were i would fit it, any ideas?

thanks, Dan

Im thinking about blowing air round and piping the demister vents to the turbo box so I don't need a heater..Any one tried this

Metro turbo weekend driver,Mini turbo in the making again!

going to cover your screen with smelly oily air......not going to be nice on a long journey.....

Yeah it will be like being in a beetle.....forgot to say it will mainly be a track car and I think some form of demister is reqd.can allways be blanked off when nit reqd

Metro turbo weekend driver,Mini turbo in the making again!

a cloth within easy reach counts as a demister hance i have removed the heater and never had any issues with the mot. Something you may find useful :)

mini heaters are bloody hopeless anyhow!

i was speaking to one of my college lecturers who is a turbo specialist and he recomended lagging the turbo as the hotter the air in the turbo is the more it spins due to the air being less dense.
Hope this helps,
Anthony

I'm puzzled why noone uses this. If you look at the exhaust manifold of the turbo, its 2,3mm (Approx :) ) from the inlet. This means that the exhaust will indeed heat the inlet to a noticeably degree. To wrap the exhaust manifold like I've done, costs no more than £15.

whats with the plastic pipe in the turbo vegard?

Team Racing

My manifold looks identical to that Vegard.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

well hear is my way of solving this problem and it WORKS!

bonet vents............ in and exit

the Turbo & engine is cooler than a cucumber

the faster you go the more air it ducts

Edited by BENROSS on 25th Apr, 2005.

That's not a solution of the same problem. I bet that of all the air that goes through your vents, NO air flows in between the inlet and exhaust. Period. I'm not saying that it doesn't help, I'm just saying that vents are not the solution of the problem.

Jim: It's the pipe to the intercooler :)

Also, I'm thinking of adding a heat shield around the turbo oil feed pipe. But, is the air behind there hotter or cooler than the oil temp??

Edited by Vegard on 25th Apr, 2005.

mmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Green engines....

vegard well the answer to my problem is solved!!!

it runs as cool as a cucumber!
(the amount of air flow is "MASSIVE" with those two vents and the buldge in the bonnet

it really does work! buddy.

so the problems solved.

no engine likes excessive heat or hotspots

i tested the vents rather "crudley" by taping the vents to a box and going a long the road hanging this out of the window in my other motor

it dont halfe FLOW

Wot vents are they?

They look like astra gsi ones to me.

I've used the thermotec to increase the temperature og the air reaching the turbo as welll. This means faster travelling gases and possibly less lag. It will perhaps not be noticeable, but there will be a diffrence. Venting the bonnet doesn't do this.
Also, more vents= more air resistance. I don't need any more of that either.
I will however be fitting a ERA vent in the near future, but that does not increase air resistance.

mike yes they are astra vents finished off with M3 capscrews
just for the poseability aspect

vegard the thermal wrap is one way to go but in my book its negligable decreasing lag............ suppose every little helps though!

venting the bonnet like i have done" i think" is the way to go

having said that, the aerodynamics of the mini is similar to a house brick! & adding vents makes hardley and diffrence if at all on a mini.

i havent noticed any drag resisistance what so ever
quite the opposite as things are cooler! and thats the alot of the problems the guys have shoe horning turbos in confined spaces
and wanting hughe power figures and the associated effects of this
well thats my view vegard,buddy

it works and i get results !!!

Edited by BENROSS on 25th Apr, 2005.