From those of you that have installed the thermoblock spacers,what are your comments?You feel you car run better,runs cooler...

 

what r these n what do they do i hear alot about them n was woundering thanx....

 

I have them and I can say without a doubt my intake manifold runs a lot cooler than before. I even still have the coolant bypass lines connected (from the winter) and the throttle body is cooler. As for gains, well unless you're planning to do a dyno, I doubt you'll notice the hp gains (I think someone posted something in the 3-5hp).

If you've already installed all the performance mods you can, it's definitely worth a look.

 

Oh and this will not make the engine run cooler, you need to go with the Mugen or Spoon cooling mods (tstat, radiator fan switch, and rad cap).

 

Will it have any negative effects on the engine,longterm?

 

No.

 

The engine does not run hotter. There is no reason for it to. The thermostat still opens and closes at the same temperature. If the air temp is higher and causing the engine to run hotter the thermostat opens and regulates the temperature accordingly. The only way the engine would run hotter is if it ran so hot the thermostat was always full open, fan always on and werent able to keep up with the temp rise. This has never been the case.

This is a myth that someone started because they thought the manifold was some type of heat sink that magically cooled the engine. This is a liquid cooled not air cooled engine.

I checked the engine and oil temps and they are identical as before. Other people on the forum have done the same. No change.

The manifold does feel slightly cooler to the touch. Thermoblok claims about a 10 degree drop which is believable. The themoblok is an insulating material that is also used by home window manufacturers. The lower intake temps supposedly increase horspepower by 1-2% which is about 5 HP. I even disconnected the throttle body heat as they suggested for race applications which further cools intake air.

I did dozens of timing runs both 0-60 and 60-90 in third gear before and after the swap in identical temperature, time of day, road, etc. The difference in time was almost negligeble. When I averaged out the times and also looked at the best times for each configuration the difference was barely 1/10th of a second.

The car does not feel any faster. Some people say they noticed a difference but even if it does the 5-7 HP Thermoblok claims no human could tell the difference by the seat of their pants. It would take a good half second improvement in 0-60 times to feel a slight difference.

People have reported the throttle is more responsive. The Thermoblok does not change the power curve or make any changes that would cause this. The reason they may feel that is because when you install the throttle body spacer the throttle cables need to be adjusted. From the factory the cables are slightly slack so pressing the pedal doesnt cause the car to jump by a sudden throttle opening. The slight give makes it a more gradual response. When I readjusted the cables I did what anyone would do. I took all the slack out until the slightest pressue opened the throttle. This does make the car feel like it jumps off the line.

In my opinion this is a good mod for the money and it probably does increase horsepower and lower intake temps as the manufacturer claims. However in 225 HP car you are not likely to feel a 1-2% horsepower increase but when you couple a few mods that each add 5 HP like pulleys, icebox, etc. you are more likely to see real world gains.

Also there is no damage to the engine or overheating caused by this part in any way

 

there was a thread done in the 3rd gen side not too long ago,where people posted how they felt about the spacer and how long they have had them installed......................BTW I have them and so far so good.For a 100$ it was a very nice mod to do.

 

Or more likely is that the intake temp is slightly lower which the engine likes cooler air creating a better burn

 

Seems like a good deal to me. Almost 1/10 of a sec for $100 and an excuse to clean the IM is a bargain.


I agree.