Insulation anyone?

[varanus]

About a week ago I posted "I'm melting" in my viper. Tonight I drove it again and took some temperature readings.
Parked with engine idling over a 10 minute span of taking readings

Ambient outside air temp 62 degrees, temp gauge reads just past 190 to 1st mark, but fan cylces on to keep closer to the 190 while it idles.
Air thru vents with fan on "3" setting: 88 degrees
Air temp in footwells : 90 degrees
Air next to passenger seat between sill and seat: 95 degrees

All I can think of is that the headers may be throwing out a lot of heat even though they are coated in addition to my hot cats.

So my ideas are are to use thermotec products:
http://www.thermotec.com/products/full/full.html
1. Wrap all exhaust pipes from the end of the header collectors with header wrap.
2. spray the inside of the side sills with 2000 degree hi temp coating
3. Enclose or wrap cats with muffler cat heat shield
4. line side sills with aluminzed heat shield material
5. Put on header blanket
6. Maybe use some of the heat shielding under my mats or under the carpet.

I know it sounds extreme, but the car really is unpleasant to be in. It was too hot tonight at 62 degrees. I drove down the freeway with both windows down , but my feet we still uncomfortable from the heat. Whenit get 80 degrees I think I am actually losing weight from sweating it off.

So have any of you done this or something like it before?
will wrapping any of the parts mentioned damage the parts?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Sean Roe]

Hi Kevin,
A couple quick questions:
- Did you have the setting on recirculate?
- Have you had your Freon level checked lately (any bubbles in the sight glass on top of the dryer)?
- Is your air intake box insulated from header heat? You know that the air, when not on recirculate, has to come through the plastic airbox over the passenger footwell. We used a sheet of aluminized fiberglass insulation between the header and side of the footbox / underside of the plastic airbox to keep the box cooler.
Regards,
Sean

 

[Motor City Mad Man]

So my ideas are are to use thermotec products:
http://www.thermotec.com/products/full/full.html
3. Enclose or wrap cats with muffler cat heat shield
4. line side sills with aluminzed heat shield material

So have any of you done this or something like it before?
will wrapping any of the parts mentioned damage the parts?

Any help is appreciated.

Be careful, I used the Thermotec cat-shield to replace some damaged side sill insulation and after I installed the thermotec, re-installed the side sill, and started the car up smoke started literally billowing out from under the side sills. I took the side sill off to inspect it and the thermotec was all charred and smoldering.

 

[varanus]

Hi Sean. Air was on fresh and not using the ac, just vents. The box was not insulated but I was planning on using the thermotec sheets to insultate the airbox and was thinking of trying to put some sheeting between the engine and bulkhead wall. Got any pics?

 

[picflight]

Hi Kevin,
A couple quick questions:
- Did you have the setting on recirculate?
- Have you had your Freon level checked lately (any bubbles in the sight glass on top of the dryer)?
- Is your air intake box insulated from header heat? You know that the air, when not on recirculate, has to come through the plastic airbox over the passenger footwell. We used a sheet of aluminized fiberglass insulation between the header and side of the footbox / underside of the plastic airbox to keep the box cooler.
Regards,
Sean

Sean, I would love to see pics of your install of the fiberglass insulation.

 

[2001 Sapphire Blue]

Have you tried cutting a hole underneath your driver's side "speaker" vent on the hood? It allows heat to escape just like the passenger side vent.

 

[GTS Bruce]

Thermotec shielding on passenger compartment air intake box etc.After headers I could not touch the inside of the air intake on the passenger side.With thermotec its now just warm.use it on parts of the footwell,brake lines,ps pump backside,etc,etc.PIA to cut and put on.Doesn't look that great.Tends to peel off which can be rectified by gluing down some of the lifting edges with 3M super weatherstrip adhesive.It will be a big help.Things that have also dropped temp.Free flowing cat back(corsa).NO cats.Vented cowl painted to match car.(All parts through Jon B)The grill on the painted cowl is too hot to touch after going for a drive. Bruce

 

[varanus]

thanks guys

I thought about the hole cut out-but past posts gave it mixed reviews

Bruce did you put it at the footwells on the engine compartment side?

 

[Sean Roe]

Hi Kevin,
Oops, I didn't read you post thoroughly enough and thought you were running the A/C.
I'll try to post or send you some pictures soon. We're still not 100% on our computer system yet and have to reload a lot of software, such as the Kodak camera program.
I almost forgot about this. I met one of the co-owners of the company that makes the factory Viper heat shielding at the SEMA show two years ago. He sent us some sample heat barrier material with Hi Temp 3M adhesive strips. I'll go take a look at it and see if it's something that will help you out.
Regards,
Sean

 

[GTS Bruce]

Yes. Bruce

 

[ChoiceViper]

Check out dcperfomanceinc.com
Hit the "alloy covers" link.
Dan Cragin sells an entire thermal insulation kit for vipers.
Not cheap though. I think around a thou or twelve hundred installed

 

[varanus]

I called on Dan's insulation kit from ATP > it's not 1200 bucks, try more like $8,000 .
A bit too much for me.

 

[Hissses]

Ok I had the same concern and did a search and found lots of ideas from cutting the speaker opening to installing a new vented cowl, DEI insulation, to the kit Dan sells. Saw a Trucks show on tv and it showed a company called Quiet ride that made insulation kits for car/hot rods. Called and talked with Tim about the foot well heat problem in the Vipers. He told me of the product he uses.( http://www.quietride.com/heat_sheild.html ) He had been wanting to do a Viper but could not find one, asked if I would be interested. I live to far away so I posted on the form and he now has a car. here is his E-mail back to me.

----- Original Message -----
From: Timothy Cox <mailto:[email protected]>

Sent: Monday, July 28, 2003 11:20 AM
Subject: Viper Project

Hi Michael-

We have a customer who will bring his 97 GT Viper to our shop from Pleasanton California the first or second week of August.

We will make the kits for the Viper and install it for him since we have to take his car apart partially. At the same time, we will do some pre and post sound and heat measurements which will give us the data to answer owners questions about the product effectiveness.

I will keep you posted on the progress and send you some photos from the installation session.


Thank you for turning us on to the project.

Tim


I am looking forward to seeing the results of this product as it will be a cost effective solution. Will keep everybody posted with the results.