What's the easiest way for me (a wrenchlet), to build a cold air intake box for this shitty aftermarket intake someone put on my car? Ideally it seems like I need something that both reflects heat (reflect-a-gold) and something that blocks heat (insulator).
Common youtube advice would be to mock it up with cardboard and then use aluminum and build a box around them, with the bottom open to the front fender.
But aluminum doesn't reflect heat and is a terrible insulator. About the only good thing about it is that it's easy to work with, it's cheap, and it blocks hot airflow.
Alternatives:
>high temp foam (expensive, not widely sold publicly)
Example: FR-4700 TOOLING FOAM BOARD
>silicone sponge (relatively affordable, great insulator, good heat resistance, but floppy and reflect-a-gold won't adhere)
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Silicone-Resistant-Insulation-260-280%E2%84%83-Stamping/dp/B0C33JX7TS
>corrugated plastic sheets (melts, but better than cardboard which starts on fire easier) - potentially works if wrapped in reflect-a-gold
>aluminum foam board - harder to work than simple aluminum sheets, but better at blocking heat (if you get the right type with high temp foam inside and not regular shit)
https://www.gteek.com/Aluminum-Foam-Core-Panels
>???

Heatsoak only matters when stopped in traffic.

The only correct way to make a cold air box is plastic, have it fit so the hood closes on it against some kind of rubber for gasket, and use airgap + metal shrouding between the box and the rest of the engine bay.
Anything else is a waist of thyme.

>Heat soaks through the plastic anyway.
Your intake temp being cold at the filter isn't actually important. You're not gaining power from this shit except on 80s Hondas with intake bottlenecks the size of a quarter, it's just for the nice sound. The heatsoak shit is from when you idle too long with an open intake sitting there (like from waiting in line 15 min at the drag strip idling), but it corrects in milliseconds when you start moving. Not important.

>>28545004 (OP)
you have to put the pipe down and realize you want to try and use foam and sponges(lol wut)to try and not let warm air into your intake. just leave it alone or get the original parts

>the lengths wrenchlets will go through to get a 2hp increase because they lack the skill to put a turbo on their engine

>>28545004 (OP)
It adds literally no power. It looks cool though.

>>28545056
can has a turbo already

>>28545072
Then turn up the boost and get a bigger intercooler

>>28545072
*car
>>28545031
yeah, I'm thinking of using the silicone sponge for that on the top. sort of just build a wall between the intake and the turbo and let the hood seal the top by pressing down on the silicone.

>>28545004 (OP)
>>28544940

>>28545075
>cold air does nothing for a turbo
>hot intake air totally doesn't make the intercooler's job harder
this board really is just pajeet bus riders

>>28545080
Certainly not to the point of needing foam insulation on your airbox lmao

>>28545084
no other race is so confidently arrogant in its ignorance, truly baffling.

>>28545089
>HELP THE HEAT IS ABSORBING INTO MY ALUMINIUM AIRBOX AND TRANSFERRING INTO THE TINIEST AMOUNT OF AIR THAT COMES INTO CONTACT WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE BOX FOR 0.2 SECONDS BEFORE IT MOVES INTO THE HOT TURBO AND CHARGE PIPING AND THIS IS CAUSING THE AIR TO HEAT UP 0.00004° MORE!!!!!
>QUICK MAKE A THREAD I NEED FOAM INSULATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>>28545031
Pretty much. I've really only heard of insulation being useful for enshrouding turbos because of the heat, or enshrouding the engine because you live in Siberia and the engine block will freeze solid if you don't give your car a blanket.

>>28545080
>What is an intercooler

>>28545574
I don't know

>>28545004 (OP)
NGL, from the thumbnail I thought it was a refrigeration unit

Isn't cold air blasting in from outside anyway? Like the heat from your engine will never make it to the intake unless the intake is literally behind the engine at which point you gotta wonder who designed that piece of shit.

>>28546034
Heatsoak happens to the manifold runners, not the pre-throttle body intake pipe. 99% of car's computers are using, what we call IAT, the Manifold Air Temperature. The INTAKE MANIFOLD runner pipes.

CAIs dont do shit.

>>28546062
>inb4
>hurr I put on a pipe and relocated the intake sensor and got a tune
>(switched the IAT from MAT/MAT calculated to true intake pipe sensor)
>and it says 15 degrees colder
Congrats you're telling the ecu to run +5* timing when it absolutely should not and are LOSING power and slow-knock-deathing your pistons.
>but I feeeeelllll itttttt
Nigger when I tuned my car out for 35 more HP I could barely fucking tell and needed to verify accel times from the data from 5 logging sessions.
You absolutely have no idea if you lost or gained 5 horse. That can barely be verified on a dyno.