Tunnel Plate shield/insulation
12-14-2016, 05:00 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
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Tunnel Plate shield/insulation
OK I have searched and am tired of lookin.
Who has done the insulation and what/who did you use Please ? How/ what process, did you do the plates or just the tunnel, from underneath ?? Don't want to replace the tunnel BTW
I've got my headers on order and think it would be a good idea to insulate that area
Thanks in advance
NSF
Who has done the insulation and what/who did you use Please ? How/ what process, did you do the plates or just the tunnel, from underneath ?? Don't want to replace the tunnel BTW
I've got my headers on order and think it would be a good idea to insulate that area
Thanks in advance
NSF
12-14-2016, 05:08 PM
#2
This is what I bought: Z/Cool Thermal Tunnel Shield. Got it from a forum member/vendor. I was able to jack the car up and do it in my garage. It's a bit tricky to install lying on your back and not removing anything, but it can be done. The adhesive is some top notch monkey gism. Sticky, sticky, sticky.
12-14-2016, 05:09 PM
#3
Melting Slicks
On my 2005, I installed the tunnel plate from Elite Engineering. Did it help? A little. It is not going to be a huge difference but enough to make sure you don’t burn yourself on a quarter in the center console.
I would never do this install by itself. I only did it because I was installing headers. The install requires that you drop the x-pipe (or h-pipe) and since you have to remove the stock pipe for the header install, it made sense to do it at the same time.
I would never do this install by itself. I only did it because I was installing headers. The install requires that you drop the x-pipe (or h-pipe) and since you have to remove the stock pipe for the header install, it made sense to do it at the same time.
12-14-2016, 05:32 PM
#4
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I went the other route with Crazy Cowboys interior insulation kit. Requires removing seats and carpet but it is fairly easy. Hardest part for me was the door seal trim removal. Should have been very easy but a few of the metal clips were stuck in the adhesive used to bond the lower seal body panel. Carpet and insulation came out in 2 big tubs.
Used metal duct tape to seal all seams and doubled up around rear tires to reduce road noise. Works for both heat and noise.
Used metal duct tape to seal all seams and doubled up around rear tires to reduce road noise. Works for both heat and noise.
12-14-2016, 06:00 PM
#5
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As you know, the best time to install an Insulated Aluminum Tunnel Plate is when you have all the exhaust removed at the time your putting headers and matching x-pipe on the car.
At that point, it is really simple ... lots of small fasteners to remove and replace, but they are all easy to get to.
I used the "Elite Engineering" Insulated Aluminum Tunnel Plate (P/N: ALTA-250)
At that point, it is really simple ... lots of small fasteners to remove and replace, but they are all easy to get to.
I used the "Elite Engineering" Insulated Aluminum Tunnel Plate (P/N: ALTA-250)
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beavisr1 (08-09-2017)
12-14-2016, 07:00 PM
#6
Le Mans Master
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Thanks guys, but I don't want to replace the tunnel shield so I think this will suffice and at a reduced cost, this is costing me too much as it is 
The whole purpose is heat reduction
NSF
http://www.ebay.com/itm/C5-C6-Corvet...5TrvQi&vxp=mtr
The whole purpose is heat reduction NSF
http://www.ebay.com/itm/C5-C6-Corvet...5TrvQi&vxp=mtr
12-14-2016, 07:45 PM
#8
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$79 shipped !!!In your opinion did it help the tunnel heat at all ??
I'm not expecting a big reduction but some would be good.
Like the above illustration of install on inner part of tunnel also, gotta a few weeks to decide
Thanks
NSF
12-14-2016, 09:13 PM
#9
Race Director
On my 2005, I installed the tunnel plate from Elite Engineering. Did it help? A little. It is not going to be a huge difference but enough to make sure you don’t burn yourself on a quarter in the center console.
I would never do this install by itself. I only did it because I was installing headers. The install requires that you drop the x-pipe (or h-pipe) and since you have to remove the stock pipe for the header install, it made sense to do it at the same time.
I would never do this install by itself. I only did it because I was installing headers. The install requires that you drop the x-pipe (or h-pipe) and since you have to remove the stock pipe for the header install, it made sense to do it at the same time.
This is exactly what I did.
12-14-2016, 09:57 PM
#10
Honestly, I never felt the interior was overly hot to begin with. Yes, the cup holders got warm, and the center console storage, but to me, it was just a quirk of the car. I opted for something simple, yet what I would deem effective. With it's reflective properties, it obviously deflects some heat...and it does. I've never done any measurements, but I could tell it wasn't as warm as before.
I'm sure an all out metal heat shield that allows a secondary spacing between the shield and the car would be ideal. But in the end, I'm glad I went with this since the price was right and I feel it does its job.
I would recommend having your vehicle up on a lift rather that what I did. The directions call for fitting the entire piece in place with the adhesion side up (reflective side down / obviously). The you use duct tape on the film that is removed which exposes the sticky side. You peel that back by pulling the duck tape (I did it from back to front). Make sure everything is positioned properly before beginning that process. Once it's adhered, there's no turning back.
jf
I'm sure an all out metal heat shield that allows a secondary spacing between the shield and the car would be ideal. But in the end, I'm glad I went with this since the price was right and I feel it does its job.
I would recommend having your vehicle up on a lift rather that what I did. The directions call for fitting the entire piece in place with the adhesion side up (reflective side down / obviously). The you use duct tape on the film that is removed which exposes the sticky side. You peel that back by pulling the duck tape (I did it from back to front). Make sure everything is positioned properly before beginning that process. Once it's adhered, there's no turning back.
jf
12-14-2016, 09:59 PM
#11
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This is what I bought: Z/Cool Thermal Tunnel Shield. Got it from a forum member/vendor. I was able to jack the car up and do it in my garage. It's a bit tricky to install lying on your back and not removing anything, but it can be done. The adhesive is some top notch monkey gism. Sticky, sticky, sticky.
We did the exact same thing on my base C6. We pulled the car up on race ramps and did not remove anything but as stated above, once you line it up and STICK it to the plate you are NOT gonna remove it. I'd suggest having an assistant which will make it much easier. One person on each end. I am sure the shield helps, it has to,........but I did not notice any difference inside the car or the console. But every little bit helps.
12-14-2016, 10:20 PM
#12
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I went the other route with Crazy Cowboys interior insulation kit. Requires removing seats and carpet but it is fairly easy. Hardest part for me was the door seal trim removal. Should have been very easy but a few of the metal clips were stuck in the adhesive used to bond the lower seal body panel. Carpet and insulation came out in 2 big tubs.
Used metal duct tape to seal all seams and doubled up around rear tires to reduce road noise. Works for both heat and noise.
Used metal duct tape to seal all seams and doubled up around rear tires to reduce road noise. Works for both heat and noise.
That's what I did too. It just made the whole car feel tighter, since a lot of the road noise was gone along with tunnel heat. Since then, I've helped a couple friends do their cars. Instead of buying the pre-cut kit, we went to Home Depot and got a roll of the same insulation. I used to use lots of it in the 4' x 100' rolls for insulation in a customer's product. It's basically 2 sheets of aluminum foil bonded to 1/4" bubblewrap. Hold in place with spray adhesive and tape the seams.http://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflectix...8025/100052556
http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-17-6-o...0-24/100151277
http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-89-in-x...8777/100187909
Last edited by HOXXOH; 12-14-2016 at 10:27 PM.
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Vet Interested (12-22-2016)
12-15-2016, 12:03 AM
#13
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Honestly, I never felt the interior was overly hot to begin with. Yes, the cup holders got warm, and the center console storage, but to me, it was just a quirk of the car. I opted for something simple, yet what I would deem effective. With it's reflective properties, it obviously deflects some heat...and it does. I've never done any measurements, but I could tell it wasn't as warm as before.
I'm sure an all out metal heat shield that allows a secondary spacing between the shield and the car would be ideal. But in the end, I'm glad I went with this since the price was right and I feel it does its job.
I would recommend having your vehicle up on a lift rather that what I did. The directions call for fitting the entire piece in place with the adhesion side up (reflective side down / obviously). The you use duct tape on the film that is removed which exposes the sticky side. You peel that back by pulling the duck tape (I did it from back to front). Make sure everything is positioned properly before beginning that process. Once it's adhered, there's no turning back.
jf
I'm sure an all out metal heat shield that allows a secondary spacing between the shield and the car would be ideal. But in the end, I'm glad I went with this since the price was right and I feel it does its job.
I would recommend having your vehicle up on a lift rather that what I did. The directions call for fitting the entire piece in place with the adhesion side up (reflective side down / obviously). The you use duct tape on the film that is removed which exposes the sticky side. You peel that back by pulling the duck tape (I did it from back to front). Make sure everything is positioned properly before beginning that process. Once it's adhered, there's no turning back.
jf
I don't notice any excessive heat now but thought why not do it while it is clear to work on
They do give you instructions correct Thanks
NSF
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Not So Fast (12-15-2016)
12-15-2016, 04:58 AM
#15
Safety Car
I bought 2 sheets of the high temp stick on insulation from Amazon and installed it on the tunnel plate, the same time as the header install. One foot by two foot pieces, trimmed to the plate. "Thermo-Tec 13575 12" X 24" Adhesive Backed Heat Barrier" It did make a noticeable difference in console and cup holder heat. But I also will be doing the interior insulation this winter, as others have done above, hoping for more heat reduction, and also trying to reduce road noise.
Last edited by Seadawg; 12-15-2016 at 05:45 AM.
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Not So Fast (12-15-2016)
12-15-2016, 10:03 AM
#16
Le Mans Master
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I bought 2 sheets of the high temp stick on insulation from Amazon and installed it on the tunnel plate, the same time as the header install. One foot by two foot pieces, trimmed to the plate. "Thermo-Tec 13575 12" X 24" Adhesive Backed Heat Barrier" It did make a noticeable difference in console and cup holder heat. But I also will be doing the interior insulation this winter, as others have done above, hoping for more heat reduction, and also trying to reduce road noise.
Any idea how hot the sides of the tunnel gets ??
NSF
12-15-2016, 10:38 AM
#17
Melting Slicks
12-15-2016, 11:38 AM
#18
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Also got a call back from Kooks as I had a question so it was nice to see they do return calls
I'm slowly assembling things, anxious for sure !!
NSF
12-15-2016, 01:09 PM
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Another much simpler, quicker, and less expensive direction while the exhaust is out of the car, is a double plate.
Done on a friend's GS last Summer, but failed to document it with actual temperature measurements. He did notice a heat reduction in the console though.
All that's required is a second tunnel plate and a bunch of 1/8" thick washers. Since I had an excess of 1" OD by 1/4" ID aluminum washers, they worked perfect for him.
Just place the washers between the two plates and install as normal. The space between is constantly flowing air that takes away the heat being absorbed through the lower plate before it has a chance to be absorbed by the upper plate.
It works on the same principle as an air curtain on a building entrance that has doorways that are always open during business hours.
If you want to improve the efficiency, increasing the size of the first 2 or 3 holes from the front on the lower plate to allow the screws to pass through to the upper plate. Then you can bend the front few inches of the lower plate down slightly to capture a larger chunk of air to flow between the plates.
Now if you had an aluminum capable spotwelder or drilled/punched additional holes in the plates for plug welding, you could bypass the washers and make two narrow strips to sandwich on each side and weld together. Not only would that still allow airflow, but increase the stiffness to nearly the same as a 3/8" thick plate with only about half the weight penalty.
I would have done this years ago if all I wanted was to decrease tunnel heat in the driver/passenger/console area.
Done on a friend's GS last Summer, but failed to document it with actual temperature measurements. He did notice a heat reduction in the console though.
All that's required is a second tunnel plate and a bunch of 1/8" thick washers. Since I had an excess of 1" OD by 1/4" ID aluminum washers, they worked perfect for him.
Just place the washers between the two plates and install as normal. The space between is constantly flowing air that takes away the heat being absorbed through the lower plate before it has a chance to be absorbed by the upper plate.
It works on the same principle as an air curtain on a building entrance that has doorways that are always open during business hours.
If you want to improve the efficiency, increasing the size of the first 2 or 3 holes from the front on the lower plate to allow the screws to pass through to the upper plate. Then you can bend the front few inches of the lower plate down slightly to capture a larger chunk of air to flow between the plates.
Now if you had an aluminum capable spotwelder or drilled/punched additional holes in the plates for plug welding, you could bypass the washers and make two narrow strips to sandwich on each side and weld together. Not only would that still allow airflow, but increase the stiffness to nearly the same as a 3/8" thick plate with only about half the weight penalty.
I would have done this years ago if all I wanted was to decrease tunnel heat in the driver/passenger/console area.
12-15-2016, 01:28 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
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Another much simpler, quicker, and less expensive direction while the exhaust is out of the car, is a double plate.
Done on a friend's GS last Summer, but failed to document it with actual temperature measurements. He did notice a heat reduction in the console though.
All that's required is a second tunnel plate and a bunch of 1/8" thick washers. Since I had an excess of 1" OD by 1/4" ID aluminum washers, they worked perfect for him.
Just place the washers between the two plates and install as normal. The space between is constantly flowing air that takes away the heat being absorbed through the lower plate before it has a chance to be absorbed by the upper plate.
It works on the same principle as an air curtain on a building entrance that has doorways that are always open during business hours.
If you want to improve the efficiency, increasing the size of the first 2 or 3 holes from the front on the lower plate to allow the screws to pass through to the upper plate. Then you can bend the front few inches of the lower plate down slightly to capture a larger chunk of air to flow between the plates.
Now if you had an aluminum capable spotwelder or drilled/punched additional holes in the plates for plug welding, you could bypass the washers and make two narrow strips to sandwich on each side and weld together. Not only would that still allow airflow, but increase the stiffness to nearly the same as a 3/8" thick plate with only about half the weight penalty.
I would have done this years ago if all I wanted was to decrease tunnel heat in the driver/passenger/console area.
Done on a friend's GS last Summer, but failed to document it with actual temperature measurements. He did notice a heat reduction in the console though.
All that's required is a second tunnel plate and a bunch of 1/8" thick washers. Since I had an excess of 1" OD by 1/4" ID aluminum washers, they worked perfect for him.
Just place the washers between the two plates and install as normal. The space between is constantly flowing air that takes away the heat being absorbed through the lower plate before it has a chance to be absorbed by the upper plate.
It works on the same principle as an air curtain on a building entrance that has doorways that are always open during business hours.
If you want to improve the efficiency, increasing the size of the first 2 or 3 holes from the front on the lower plate to allow the screws to pass through to the upper plate. Then you can bend the front few inches of the lower plate down slightly to capture a larger chunk of air to flow between the plates.
Now if you had an aluminum capable spotwelder or drilled/punched additional holes in the plates for plug welding, you could bypass the washers and make two narrow strips to sandwich on each side and weld together. Not only would that still allow airflow, but increase the stiffness to nearly the same as a 3/8" thick plate with only about half the weight penalty.
I would have done this years ago if all I wanted was to decrease tunnel heat in the driver/passenger/console area.
ThanksNSF