Phenolic Intake spacers: do they work?

[94mustangcobra]

does anybody know if the phenolic 1" spacers for between your upper and lower intake actually help with anything? have a positive effect by increasing runner length, actually drop intake temps? mine's a bbk 1" and the upper intake still stays pretty hot. just wondering out loud here.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

They really don't do much in the way of isolating it from engine heat. You have to figure, it still has bolts that are making metal to metal contact between the upper and lower that will still transfer heat. They're usually helpful in clearance issues between the upper plenum and your driver's side valvecover, or the EGR and passenger side valvecover.

 

[94mustangcobra]

so the main honest gain from one of these is just valve cover clearance. i'll just pull the upper intake that way i'm not working around it. because of this spacer i can't run my ford racing strut tower brace and i'd like to have it back on.

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

You might gain a little on the bottom end from increasing the runner length, but I doubt you'd notice it from the seat of the pants test. They're best for clearance issues. If you can't clear with the FRPP brace, the BBK may allow clearance, unless of course the FRPP is just the rebadged BBK brace in the first place...

 

[95Vert]

Yeah, they're mainly used for clearance or to lower the rpm range with more spacer.

 

[ProKiller]

the bbk strut tower brace goes around the intake so you shouldn't have much problems with the spaced intake. seems to me the only hp gain intake spacer would be a nitrous spray bar

 

[Venom351R]

Ive been thinking about running the 1" spacer w/ the Trick Flow R intake

 

[RIO5.0]

I run a 1" myself.. I noticed a huge dif in the upper temp, from unable to touch it, to lay your hand right on it, that was on my 93 Cobra...My GT40 tubular runs even cooler... Been running em for years...

 

[Venom351R]

I run a 1" myself.. I noticed a huge dif in the upper temp, from unable to touch it, to lay your hand right on it, that was on my 93 Cobra...My GT40 tubular runs even cooler... Been running em for years...

Good to know, makes me feel better about dropping $61 on one.


Anyone ever taken a tempature reading on the upper intake of w/ and w/ out the spacer on

 

[madams74]

I know that on a dyno run with a carb spacer my brother picked up 15 HP with a 1in spacer. The theory is that the fuel atomizes more and less droplets are pushed into the combustion chamber. With fuel injection, that should not be a huge issue. I agree with the above claims, that the spacer is used for elevating the height of the upper plenum, so the valve covers will clear. I can not be sure that the temperature difference would matter much as the air is flowing so fast into the engine, it surely would not have much time to change before it hits the combustion chamber. I could be wrong. I used a set of Fox valve covers on an SN95 and had to grind some of the upper plenum ears off. A spacer would have helped. I am now running a Lightning intake on a 351 with the Ford Racing valve covers. Still needed a spacer.