Throttle body spacer

[amarlondis]

I came across a throttle body spacer for the Kizashi, which said it's Thermal Insulating which is designed to insulate and reduce heat flow to the throttle body, keeping it cooler to allow a denser fuel mixture to enter the engine and produce more horsepower. I remember installing one in a Acura Integra once and it was ok. So what do you think about this for the Kizashi?

[KuroNekko]

Sounds like pseudo-science to me.
I could be wrong, but it sounds like the benefits (if even existent) would be so minuscule that it's not worth it. I mean even a Cold Air Intake does more to reduce intake temp for the same reasons of denser air, but the power output isn't all that impressive if used alone.

I just read up on throttle body spacers for other cars and they even claim "vortex action" or "helix bore" and other nonsense as if that's going to really change the airflow.
It's kind of like the propeller junk they used to sell to put inside air intakes for creating "an air vortex" for more power and better fuel economy. Nope, they don't work just like the cigarette-lighter socket electronics marketed to save you fuel economy by "stabilizing vehicle electrical systems".
All bullshit.

I wouldn't bother, especially with a car under warranty like mine.

[bootymac]

I don't even know where to start. It's all bullshit

[11zukizashi]

I can see it maybe making a difference if you have a big hot supercharger up against the throttle body that you want to insulate

[murcod]

The throttle body is heated via engine coolant to prevent freezing in colder climates.

Free mod = bypass the coolant lines. Do so at your own risk.

[LPSISRL]

I think the cold air intakes are a crock as well. I can't figure how drawing air from inside the engine compartment is cooler than drawing from the very front right below the hoodline. Dyno testing shows no improvement in WHP with cold air intake systems. They also tested the factory and hi-flow air filters which were a waste of money too since they didn't increase HP either. I did see a video where someone made an electric twin turbo with leaf blowers that actually did increase WHP, but just a tiny bit. They were testing one of those air-intake inline electric fans that claim to boost HP and then came up the the leaf blower turbo idea. Interesting video.

[bootymac]

Yeah, factory intakes are usually optimized in modern cars. The air box is already fed with fresh cold air from the front of the vehicle, a high pressure area. Engineers also account for pressure wave harmonics too, which is what the resonators are for:

http://www.ehow.com/info_12156112_air-i ... or-do.html

Additionally, ISO testing shows that high flow filters offer no performance benefits while greatly reducing filtration:

http://forums.nicoclub.com/debunking-th ... 80100.html

Messing with intakes can only do harm. Usually people think it's an upgrade because the engine becomes louder.

[SamirD]

On some cars, there are some decent dyno gains from a spacer.

But on the Kizashi, you're asking for trouble. The car is PICKY when it comes to the air intake system. Even a drop-in K&N can mess with the idle.

[puckaveli]

I think he is talking about phenolic spacers, which have been proven to reduce heat transfer from the block to intake manifolds. I had one on my Impreza and saw intake temps drop 25 degrees, so they do work. A throttle body spacer would have little or no effect, due to the low surface area.