Overheating in Your Cockpit – Here’s Why and How to Solve It
What Causes an Overheating Cockpit?
With engine bays getting tighter, and builds becoming more extreme, it is becoming more and more common to see high power builds producing huge heat under the bonnet! High temperatures result in heat soak which can lead to reliability issues.
Whilst components work well at an optimal temperature, overheating oil, fuel, or Air Intake Temperatures can have a negative effect on performance and efficiency. Running components too hot can also lead to expensive failures and stop your car running all together.
The cockpit of your car is no different. You, sat in the driver seat are the most important part of any car. Excessive heat in the driver cabin can result in poor decision making and drowsiness. Increasing the chances of making an error – this only becomes more important at speed. Bulkhead protection is a simple way of combatting this. From adhesive blankets, to metallic products that look like they have come out of the factory.
What can I use to reduce cabin temperature?
Although some cars on the market feature very thin ‘carpet like’ protection as standard on their bulkheads, some vehicles feature no bulkhead protection at all, and leave the firewall completely exposed. A simple Heat Barrier can help keep the heat away from the driver. Allowing them to maintain concentration and perform better on track, or reduce tiredness over long drives!
Does bulkhead protection really work?
Funk Motorsport supplies the highest categories in motorsport with heat management suited to their requirements. From GT Racing, to the World Rally Championship (WRC).
When BTCC Champions (BMR Racing), contacted us in 2017, they were suffering with cockpit temperatures in excess of 50 Degrees C, when measured inside ECU casing! Put a driver in a fireproof race suit, and conditions are far from ideal for piloting in combat at the front of the grid!
The BTCC Subaru Levorg, opted for our Gold Adhesive Heat Blanket to line their bulkhead, and exhaust tunnel. Driver cabin temperatures immediately by 20°C, resulting in improved concentration and driver performance.
Monster Energy driver Steve ‘Baggsy’ Biagioni, experienced very similar, in a completely different application. His 2JZ Powered Toyota GT86 Drift Car produces over 1000 BHP. With little engine bay ventilation, constant demand for wheel speed and power output, temperatures in the cabin begin to rocket! Baggsy chose our Silver Adhesive Heat blanket to help maintain a comfortable temperature in his cabin.
A Quick Look at Some Famous Examples of Bulkhead Protection
Reflective Bulkhead protection isn’t new. It has been used in Race Cars for decades. In 1992, the three seater McLaren F1 (known for holding the highest speed record for the any road car for well over a decade), lined its engine cover and bulkhead in REAL 24 KARAT GOLD! This was thin, very expensive, and only protected against radiant heat transfer.
Now days, we can achieve both Radiant heat reductions and Convectional heat reduction using a combination of gold laminate and other heat insulation to provide great heat reduction for your car. Our Funk Motorsport Gold Reflective Heat Blanket features a ceramic fibre blanket topped with Gold Reflective Foil for ultimate heat protection.
Custom, or Off The Shelf Solutions For Your Road Car?
All the Funk Motorsport heat barriers, are designed to be cut and shaped to suit the unique contours of your vehicle. Whether you are using the standard boltholes or fixings, or looking at sticking directly onto the body panel with an adhesive blanket, or spray on adhesive, the process remains the same. Simply create a card template to help transfer the exact shape onto one of our versatile materials.
However, some people are looking to take things a little further, with a thick insulative blanket – similar to that found in our world-famous Turbo Blankets. This will provide huge convectional heat reductions, and provide a slightly different look. Below, you can see an example of how one of our customers have used our titanium skinned 4-layer construction within the engine bay of his Ford Sierra Cosworth.
Never Overlook Your Heat Management
Whatever the car, track use, motorsport, or even road car. Heat management is vital for ensuring the correct running and efficient operation of the engine. This can vary car to car, but equally the same principles apply. At Funk Motorsport, we offer a range of heat shields intended for bulkhead protection.
Still unsure what will work best for your application? Get in contact, drop us some images, and we will be more than happy to either find something off the shelf or help to tailor a bespoke solution to get your cockpit temperatures under control!
