Re: Coating Performance Gains -btdt and... sites

[steveb@falcon.kla-tencor.com (Steven Buchholz)]

 # TEST RESULTS of Performance one sided?  I could use your source of
 # information.  May want to ck up on HPC, the largest coating place in the
 # world.  Try HP coatings for PERFORMANCE gains they claim:
 # 
 # http://www.hpcoatings.com/faq.htm
 # 
 # OR, go to Airborn coatings (no relation) and ck out the HP gains they claim:
 # 
 # http://www.airborncoatings.com/aluminum.htm
 # 
 # So, best case scenario, we are looking at what?  6-9 hp for a 300hp car?  For
 # 500USD?  B4B?  $55-83/hp.  That's some money for what?  Lots of other ways to
 # get 9hp with better B4B.  Or specifically, lots of ways to spend 500USD
 # getting underhood temps down.
 # 
 # Any others I should consider?
 # 
 # Coating isn't a mod many consider a valid one at all, I don't, on btdt or
 # reading up on the newest/latest.  A full out race car sure.  The rest of us?
 # Well B4B, just one hard mod to justify really.  Bell addresses it on page 163
 # too, btw.
 # 
... guess I'm not quite understanding everything here ... I checked the 
HPC website and they claimed that the cost of doing an ID/OD coating for
an in-line 6 is $165 ... which would be more in line with $18-27 per HP.
My own personal motivation would be one of trying to reduce underhood 
temps probably more than for any gain in performance ... and 20-35% 
sounds pretty reasonable to me (may I have my reduction in degK please? ;-)
When I think about the cost incurred in damage to wiring, hoses and boots 
(and reduced heat soak on the starter motor) it sounds pretty doggone 
attractive to me!  Other alternatives to reduce underhood temps ... I 
suppose that you could insulate all of those hoses and looms and starters,
but it seems to me the best solution is to remove the source rather than 
insulate all the destinations ... and what do I do about that metal trim 
piece above the grille on the '88 5kCSQW that burned the lacquer off just 
to the exhaust side of the engine C.L. ...

The only bad thing that I learned from the web site is the fact that 
the coating was sacrificial ... I thought it was a permanent insulating 
coating, like a ceramic of some sort ...

Steve Buchholz
San Jose, CA (USA)