painting a fmic

[kraiye]

hi all, have decided to go turbo d as a bang for buck option instead of a b16 swap. was thinking of putin a very light coat of black paint on the front of the fmic so it doesnt stand out so much. maybe not even a full coat but rather a dull mist just to tone the shinyness down
was wondering if anyone has had any experience with painting fmic's and how much it might reduce its efficiency.
i'll only be running small boost... say 8psi

[AH_HUH]

u should give a call to plazmaman in sydney. when they painted mine they just wiped it down with wax & grease remover and used a special black paint with a special epoxy in it to reduce heat.

[saxman]

depends on how you paint it... you can get some radiator paint that doesn't mess with the heat transfer too much


be sure not to get a paint that's ceramic based.

I can't imagine why you would want to use a paint with an epoxy in it that would reduce heat... generally a paint like that acts as an insulator, which is just going to reduce the efficiency ever more.


Also what you need to keep in mind is how it's applied. Try to spray the intercooler from a very sharp angle... as close to parallel as you can get. This will ensure that the paint is getting more on the ends of the fins instead of coating the entire fin through the depth of the intercooler. Use lights coats and whatever you do, don't just spray straight on.

The other option that I've heard works well is having the intercooler adonized, all though I have no idea what that costs or how much it actually effect efficiency.

[Q_ball]

Saxman, do you have any more information on adonizing?
Much appreciated mate :)

[Q_ball]

Is that when you attract another metal onto the cooler via some form electrical current? lol
Brings me back to physics at high school...

[kraiye]

yeah anodising would be perfect. and being aluminium makes it even better.
many computer heat sinks are anodised aluminium and they're made to transfer heat :)
would make for some awesome bling with bright blue/red/green whatever
surprised more ricers dont go this way

some light reading...
http://www.anodising.org/index.htm

[saxman]

Saxman, do you have any more information on adonizing?
Much appreciated mate :)
the link kraiye posted has way more info on the subject than I could ever start to pull out of my ass

[kraiye]

the link kraiye posted has way more info on the subject than I could ever start to pull out of my ass
LOL!
thats classic :)

thanks for the painting tips mate i didnt even consider the angle but it makes perfect sense :thumbsup:

i was just thinking of grabbing $2.50 can o paint from like the warehouse / crazy clarks etc. is this a bad idea?

[AH_HUH]

I can't imagine why you would want to use a paint with an epoxy in it that would reduce heat... generally a paint like that acts as an insulator, which is just going to reduce the efficiency ever more.



"generally" ? they tested it on a dyno and proved to drop 2degree's.

[saxman]

"generally" ? they tested it on a dyno and proved to drop 2degree's.
well, I obviously don't know exactly what paint they used, but a paint that's advertised as reducing heat is generally an insulator. Could simply be an issue with a different interpretation of the description to the paint they used and the paint I'm thinking of.

[clokx]

dont paint the fmic !!
u regret it !!

[Q_ball]

dont paint the fmic !!
u regret it !!
Why's that??

[bennjamin]

Why's that??

depends on what type of paint used ofcourse...but the term heatsoak comes to mind.

[aaronng]

When you paint your intercooler, you increase the number of interfaces that the heat has to pass through as well as the paint having lower thermal conductivity. At best, you lower the efficiency of your intercooler, and at worse it'll become the same as not running an intercooler at all. So after painting, you might have to reduce the amount of boost you are running if your intercooler efficiency was greatly reduced by the paint depending on the thickness.

I agree with anodising. It'll be the best choice if you want to maintain intercooler efficiency.

[Cold Fusion]

the link kraiye posted has way more info on the subject than I could ever start to pull out of my ass

new siggniture...thanks :)

[kraiye]

^ lol!
i'm proud to be a part of it :p

[1996ek1]

dont paint the fmic !!
u regret it !!

Bringing back old topic but,

Once you paint it, if you want it silver again, cant u just turn your intercooler over?

[aimre]

Hasnt this topic been done before???




The other option that I've heard works well is having the intercooler adonized, all though I have no idea what that costs or how much it actually effect efficiency.



Anodized coatings have a much lower thermal conductivity and coefficient of linear expansion than aluminum. As a result, they will crack if exposed to temperatures above 80°C, although they will not peel.

*** Edwards, Joseph (1997). Coating and Surface Treatment Systems for Metals. Finishing Publications Ltd. and ASM International, pp. 34-38.


u should give a call to plazmaman in sydney. when they painted mine they just wiped it down with wax & grease remover and used a special black paint with a special epoxy in it to reduce heat.


If u payed more than $3 for this u got ripped


When you paint your intercooler, you increase the number of interfaces that the heat has to pass through as well as the paint having lower thermal conductivity. At best, you lower the efficiency of your intercooler, and at worse it'll become the same as not running an intercooler at all. So after painting, you might have to reduce the amount of boost you are running if your intercooler efficiency was greatly reduced by the paint depending on the thickness.

I agree with anodising. It'll be the best choice if you want to maintain intercooler efficiency.

Well, talking bout increasing interfaces.

Then u spray ur own cooler, u cover the tips of the fins, maybe 5mm deep, the other 75mm remains uncovered.

Now when u anondize, the liquid the cooler imersed in gets BETWEEN the fins, thus covering the entire 80mm (or however thick ur cooler is) of fin with pain.



Seriously, just paint it with a $3 can. If it chips, a quick spray covers it.

Im not gonna say any more, but if u guys wanna waste >$100 for something u can do for <$3, Go ahead, i tried to help.

[1996ek1]

Thats what i was going to do, my question was if you want it silver again, cant you just turn it over? lol

[aimre]

yeah.

[1996ek1]

yeah.

Cool. Thanks :thumbsup: