Wrapping stock intake with tinfoil bubble and then heat resistant wrap?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by h1ph0panonymous, Jul 11, 2025.

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  1. Vman455

    Vman455 Senior Member

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    I don't think I've written about the intake specifically but you can find a bunch of other posts on aerodynamic testing at the blog in my signature. I've been posting intermittently while I finish up a degree in aerospace engineering but plan to be more consistent once I have more free time in the spring.

    I believe the duct I used was this one.
     
    #181 Vman455, Jul 17, 2025 at 2:05 PM
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  2. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    You say that the coolant is not the source of heat in the engine bay, it's the heat of the engine heating the air in the engine bay.

    Guess what cools the engine? Yep, the engine coolant... lower engine coolant temperature will equal lower engine temperatures. Lower engine temperatures will result in lower coolant temperatures. Get a thermostat that opens at a lower temperature, or remove the thermostat like everyone has been saying.

    If you want to wrap stuff, you might want to wrap the header and exhaust tubing in the engine bay, and also the larger radiator hoses. They all radiate more heat into the engine bay than the heat that gets picked up from the intake tubing.

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #182 xliderider, Jul 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    At the same time, the coolant loop accomplishes that mostly by exchanging that heat ... via the radiator ... into the air flowing into ... the engine bay.

    So the coolant ... while cooling the engine ... also is a major source of the heat ... in the air in the engine bay.

    I'm not sure what any of that means for the OP's interests, mainly because I'm still not sure I could coherently explain the OP's interests.
     
    #183 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2025 at 6:28 PM
  4. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    actually I’m going to gold wrap section of the coolant reservoirs that is facing the engine area and leave the other side stock of the reservoir, I could also wrap coolant lines facing the engine as well and leave the other sides stock or just get thicker tubing for the coolant lines.
     
    #184 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 7:21 PM
  5. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    What will you do about the radiator? That's where most of the heat in the coolant gets transferred into the air entering the engine bay.
     
    #185 ChapmanF, Jul 17, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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  6. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Have you actually fixed your car yet?
     
    #186 frodoz737, Jul 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2025 at 7:58 PM
  7. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Other than moving the radiator out of the engine bay, OP is better served by ducting heat out of the engine bay, maybe with ducts and fans.

    Otherwise, a lot of heat is dumped into the engine bay from the radiator, as you pointed out.

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #187 xliderider, Jul 17, 2025 at 7:43 PM
  8. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    A manual switch to the radiator fans would be safer when at a stop light to cool down heat soak temps since car isn’t moving through air.
     
    #188 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 8:03 PM
  9. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    Manual switch for the radiator fan at stop light heat soaks.
     
    #189 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
  10. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Where do you think the radiator fans are forcing all the heat from the radiator? Into the engine bay, increasing your so called heat soak potential.

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #190 xliderider, Jul 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
  11. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    Negative, have my rock auto shopping cart ready to order just making sure I don’t need anything else. Needed some 1/2 drive socket extenders but found some on amazon, along with some drill attachment bore brushes to clean out the caliper bracket slide pin tubes for the new slide pins, also some plastic missing clips for the underbody if anyone has the correct clip part numbers for those.
     
    #191 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 8:08 PM
  12. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Cut some holes in your hood and slap some scoops on the hood so the hot air in the engine bay can vent outside.


    Graphics optional.
    Screenshot_20250717_144606_Amazon%20Shopping.jpg

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #192 xliderider, Jul 17, 2025 at 8:48 PM
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2025 at 9:03 PM
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  13. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    Maybe, but at a stop light air isn’t going in those vents itself so a manual radiator fan switch would help more at stop light heat soaks.
     
    #193 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 10:55 PM
  14. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    Install the vents with the openings facing the rear of the car, the radiator fan blows front to back and the hot air rises naturally where it will vent at the rear of the hood. Installed this way, they are vents not scoops.

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #194 xliderider, Jul 17, 2025 at 11:27 PM
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  15. h1ph0panonymous

    h1ph0panonymous Member

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    Yes that would be nice, and then seal them off during the winter and disable manual switch to radiator fans too as I learned in real time and here that Gen 3 needs to contain engine bay heat to not get so low in temp that ICE is always running to stay above 130 degrees or something. Resolved with grill blocking.

    What is that car in the picture btw?
     
    #195 h1ph0panonymous, Jul 17, 2025 at 11:49 PM
  16. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    IDK, a random car that popped up when I searched for hood scoops/vents.

    SM-S936U ?
     
    #196 xliderider, Jul 18, 2025 at 12:08 AM
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