front mount spray paint

[Guest]

i am deciding whether i wanna paint my front mount black, does anyone know if i can use enamel spraypaint?? could i use the same spray paint for my intercooler piping??

[dubbedup]

I have used $3.99can (from warehouse) matt/gloss black on itnercoolers i ahve painted in the past...no probs with either

[Swindog]

Can o brake caliper paint as its harder and resists stone chips better.

[nt_a_foz]

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good

[pl0x]

yea im thinking of duing the same thing, any black should do front the front mount mite chip etc but easy to repaint

[wrx_lou]

i was going to do my piping, thought id use an etching primer first so it sticks nicely. cans of car paint would probably be my choice. youd be surprised how much heat they can take.

[Koom]

I'd be wary of using any paint that was too thick as it could create an insulating layer an negate the benefits of having a larger intercooler.

[subieboy]

 nt_a_foz said:

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good

Just wondering:

In theory wouldn't using the heat paint defeat the purpose of having a front mount, since the paint was designed for use on manifolds to hold the heat inside them... ???

[Koom]

 subieboy']

[quote name='nt_a_foz said:

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good/quote]

Just wondering:

In theory wouldn't using the heat paint defeat the purpose of having a front mount, since the paint was designed for use on manifolds to hold the heat inside them... ???

Apparently there's another type of heat paint that helps thermal conductivity. I think VHT do it. Haven't seen any but have never really looked but if it does exist it would be a much betterer idea than a normal paint.

Thinking out loud here.....wonder if anyone, anywhere has tested the intake temp's before and after painting the intercooler??

[Swindog]

 Koom']

[quote name='nt_a_foz said:

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good/quote]

Just wondering:

In theory wouldn't using the heat paint defeat the purpose of having a front mount, since the paint was designed for use on manifolds to hold the heat inside them... ???

Apparently there's another type of heat paint that helps thermal conductivity. I think VHT do it. Haven't seen any but have never really looked but if it does exist it would be a much betterer idea than a normal paint.

Thinking out loud here.....wonder if anyone, anywhere has tested the intake temp's before and after painting the intercooler??

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php?topic=1644.0

I want my car to remain a sleeper/stealth. Can I paint or anodize my intercooler so it is not easily visible?

Yes! It is not uncommon at all for an intercooler and endtanks to be anodized black to keep attention away from the car and help it maintain a sleeper appearance. A very light coat of paint on the core and endtanks is also another option, usually much cheaper and easier than anodizing, with a negligible performance loss.

[Koom]

 Swindog']

[quote name='nt_a_foz said:

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good/quote]

Just wondering:

In theory wouldn't using the heat paint defeat the purpose of having a front mount, since the paint was designed for use on manifolds to hold the heat inside them... ???

Apparently there's another type of heat paint that helps thermal conductivity. I think VHT do it. Haven't seen any but have never really looked but if it does exist it would be a much betterer idea than a normal paint.

Thinking out loud here.....wonder if anyone, anywhere has tested the intake temp's before and after painting the intercooler??

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php?topic=1644.0

I want my car to remain a sleeper/stealth. Can I paint or anodize my intercooler so it is not easily visible?

Yes! It is not uncommon at all for an intercooler and endtanks to be anodized black to keep attention away from the car and help it maintain a sleeper appearance. A very light coat of paint on the core and endtanks is also another option, usually much cheaper and easier than anodizing, with a negligible performance loss.

Yeah thats nice and all. But got any actual real world results and some temperature figures to back that claim up that it will have a negligible performance loss??

[Optical]

coincidentally I have just bought some black paint for the intercooler. just generic vht stuff

I'll do a before and after data log if you're really interested, although it might be hard to get things consistent as outside temps might have a big influence

perhaps the rate of temp climb will be comparable

[Koom]

I've always thought that it would be a difficult test to get conclusive results from. Although if testing at least doesn't show up any major issues, then it could then be assumed that the effect of painting is negligible. But even if it changes the IAT by ~5 degrees (for example) for a given ambient temperature then that would be a bad thing.

For the record I painted the front face of mine with some generic acrylic paint but have no idea if it changed anything. Looks heaps better though

[wrx_lou]

 Koom said:

I'd be wary of using any paint that was too thick as it could create an insulating layer an negate the benefits of having a larger intercooler.

Having that on your piping couldnt have the oposite effect however. Especialy on the return side insulating the cooled air from the heat as it passes over the engine to the intake.

[Swindog]

 Koom']

[quote name='nt_a_foz said:

I used the heat poaint i painted my manifold and piping with ...worked all good/quote]

Just wondering:

In theory wouldn't using the heat paint defeat the purpose of having a front mount, since the paint was designed for use on manifolds to hold the heat inside them... ???

Apparently there's another type of heat paint that helps thermal conductivity. I think VHT do it. Haven't seen any but have never really looked but if it does exist it would be a much betterer idea than a normal paint.

Thinking out loud here.....wonder if anyone, anywhere has tested the intake temp's before and after painting the intercooler??

http://www.clubsub.org.nz/forum/index.php?topic=1644.0

I want my car to remain a sleeper/stealth. Can I paint or anodize my intercooler so it is not easily visible?

Yes! It is not uncommon at all for an intercooler and endtanks to be anodized black to keep attention away from the car and help it maintain a sleeper appearance. A very light coat of paint on the core and endtanks is also another option, usually much cheaper and easier than anodizing, with a negligible performance loss.

Yeah thats nice and all. But got any actual real world results and some temperature figures to back that claim up that it will have a negligible performance loss??

Noone has as its never been tested as far as i know. You can get a thermal coating that helps with cooling but who cares. As it works on air pasing the core having the front of it painted means nothing, its the air that passes through it that matters. As long as you dont block any of the fins up how can there possibly be any major loss of cooling?

[Swindog]

To be honest with you i can find no evidence for one way or the other. Although one guy on an evo site said he had tested before and after and figures didnt change.

[Koom]

 Swindog']

To be honest with you i can find no evidence for one way or the other. Although one guy on an evo site said he had tested before and after and figures didnt change.

The only reason I have an issue with this is because there doesn't seem to be any documented evidence to prove/disprove that painting the front of it doesn't cause any ill effects. There is alot of people who do it and then say that its all good though, but no one has real proof. I've also painted the front face of mine and haven't noticed any effects but I don't even have IAT compensation in my ECU so I wouldn't have a clue what my intake temps are.

I agree with what you've said about the front face not effecting it too much as the cooling happens in the core. I have also seen the way that some people paint things (i.e. extra thick layers) and that's why I'm wary of the method of coating that some people choose.

[quote name='Koom said:

I'd be wary of using any paint that was too thick as it could create an insulating layer an negate the benefits of having a larger intercooler.

/quote]

Having that on your piping couldnt have the oposite effect however. Especialy on the return side insulating the cooled air from the heat as it passes over the engine to the intake.

Also a good point as once the air has passed through the core its not going to get any cooler when its passing through the engine bay so insulating the cool side of the piping through there would be beneficial.

[Swindog]

WE AGREE, FTW!