Twisted Tuning BMW N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer

[Twisted Tuning]

The 1/4" spacer offers superior thermal insulation between the cylinder head and the intake plenum. This can be useful when plumbing custom intercooler piping or rotating the intake manifold. This is a Must have for anyone running an Aluminum Aftermarket intake manifold. Which Heats up the engine bay and intake temps quite fast. Withstands up to 500°F

Why it works: The concept behind the phenolic spacer is simple: isolate the heat produced by engine from the entire intake tract. This results in a cooler path for the intake air. This leads to lower and more stable intake air temperatures (IATs). Lower IATs mean you have the capability to make more power with your current set-up.

Twisted Tuning's phenolic spacers are engineered and manufactured by us. The spacer was designed using the OEM Head and Intake plenum to ensure perfect fitment. It was also designed to be used as a gasket and take the place of the common failure point of the OEM rubber gaskets which have been known and documented to melt or blow out under boost. We chose not to use paper gaskets on our kit and opted to utilize a product from Permatex which we have used on several other products called "Ultra Copper". Why Ultra Copper?


PRODUCT BENEFITS:
• Contains metallic copper to improve heat transfer and
eliminate hot spots
• Remains tacky to allow gasket repositioning
• Works in temperature from -50°F and 500°F
• Resists shop fluids, including gasoline
• Fills surface imperfections

PROPERTIES OF MATERIAL:
Chemical Type - Phenolic
Appearance - Metallic copper film

Aside from the above, utilizing our method. The entire surface of the Phenolic spacer becomes the sealing surface. Not just 2.5mm of rubber o-ring.

Each spacer is then CNC machined from a single piece of phenolic. We INCLUDE an option for longer studs if needed as well as an option to include a can of Ultra Copper.

******NOTE: Ultra copper is readily available at your local parts store FYI, so you don't need to purchase through us. The 9oz can runs about $8******

PRODUCT PHOTOS:

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

Twisted Tuning BMW Phenolic Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr


PRODUCT PURCHASE LINK:

https://twistedtuning.com/collectio...ic-intake-manifold-spacer?variant=40366682253

 

[camberadam]

YOU
ARE
THE
MAN

 

[doug@frankenturbo]

Nice. This and ceramic coating of the (aftermarket aluminum) manifold will certainly reduce heat conduction to the intake air.

 

[don detta]

am I wrong or is there another company that just put out the same thing? Once I saw this, saw another company advertising on fb Idk nice work though

 

[doublespaces]

There is this and EOS sells one. The main difference is they use a gasket and this uses a copper spray. In the end, it probably doesn't really matter which one, so long as you get a good seal on the spray and you use genuine OE gaskets, same as the stock manifold.

The one thing about using a spray, how does it handle having the manifold removed? Does it need sprayed again to ensure the seal isn't broken? I used the same kind of spray on my turbo gasket, but it only stays tacky for a few minutes, after that its basically dried copper.

 

[Twisted Tuning]

am I wrong or is there another company that just put out the same thing? Once I saw this, saw another company advertising on fb Idk nice work though

Yea EOS just put one up. I'll be completely honest here. I've had the CAD file for this done for a while now. Pretty much since I first saw people post that metal manifolds were coming.

I was just waiting on people to start complaining about heat soaking and high IATS and melted OEM gaskets before dropping it. Lol. There's nothing new here. Metal to metal creates heat.

There is this and EOS sells one. The main difference is they use a gasket and this uses a copper spray. In the end, it probably doesn't really matter which one, so long as you get a good seal on the spray and you use genuine OE gaskets, same as the stock manifold.

The one thing about using a spray, how does it handle having the manifold removed? Does it need sprayed again to ensure the seal isn't broken? I used the same kind of spray on my turbo gasket, but it only stays tacky for a few minutes, after that its basically dried copper.

With mine. Rather than adding 6 more gaskets. You use the copper or the engine Side and it stays there. This copper remains tacky btw. Continuing to keep a seal.

With mine You can also use the the copper on both sides of the phenolic spacer or just the engine Side and keep using the o-ring gaskets on the manifold side.

The copper also dissipates heat by itself. As that's what it was made for.

 

[Twisted Tuning]

Yummy

 

[Aaron]

I don't want to see logs, I want to see specific data points, and quite frankly none of these companies will put these through that testing, because retards like Tony will buy these on the ignorant belief that they work as advertised, and actually make a notable difference.

This helps with heating of the intake manifold. However, I'd ask how much of that heat does the air moving through it actually pick up? Because a hot intake manifold doesn't hurt anything, unless it's heating the air moving through it. And I doubt it has any discernable difference on the intake air.

Remember at high throttle levels, a lot of air is moving through the manifold very quickly. And the interior of the manifold is going to be smooth of course, so surface area is minimized.

I want to see actual testing. Temperatures for a realistic volume of air moved through the plenum when the plenum is at temp with and without the spacer.

 

[Twisted Tuning]

I don't want to see logs, I want to see specific data points, and quite frankly none of these companies will put these through that testing, because retards like Tony will buy these on the ignorant belief that they work as advertised, and actually make a notable difference.

This helps with heating of the intake manifold. However, I'd ask how much of that heat does the air moving through it actually pick up? Because a hot intake manifold doesn't hurt anything, unless it's heating the air moving through it. And I doubt it has any discernable difference on the intake air.

Remember at high throttle levels, a lot of air is moving through the manifold very quickly. And the interior of the manifold is going to be smooth of course, so surface area is minimized.

I want to see actual testing. Temperatures for a realistic volume of air moved through the plenum when the plenum is at temp with and without the spacer.

curious as to why you think a hot intake doesn't effect anything. Truly not even sure how you can say that when majority of people with intakes have them sitting right next to what? the intake manifold. OEM companies specifically moved to Composite intake manifolds for a couple reasons. Heat and cheaper to manufacturer. Yes, correct, the velocity at which air moves through the intake tract is quick. But, keep in mind that air also has a very low Specific heat capacity so with that it changes temperature very fast. So if its passing though something hot, the temps will rise. if its passing through something cool the temps will drop.

For example.... Heat Guns, A/C systems, Fans, and Space heaters. How do they produce hot or cold air? By passing the air quickly through a small hot or cold area. Think of the 200-300degree Aluminum Intake manifold as the Small area that the air passes through on a Heat Gun, A/C unit and etc.

Now, in addition to the above. The hotter the intake manifold gets. The more Radiant heat that it puts into the engine bay. Where 100 percent of the turbo setups on this platform bring air in from. So now you have hotter air in the engine bay, which thus increase the IATs before even getting to the intake manifold, which then also increases air temperature as it passes through the intake manifold. Which btw, is also compressed and being forced into the intake manifold an engine. Due to that its also bouncing off the walls of the intake tract and intake manifold as it makes its way into the engine. What happens then? Its also taking on heat from the entire intake tract on its way.

The point of the Phenolic spacer is to separate the intake manifold from the cylinder and create a barrier where the intake manifold does not receive any heat from the engine by way of Conduction (which cause a far faster increase in temperature) and only leaves its temperature changes effected by radiant heat from the engine (which increases at a slower rate). This keeps air temperatures down in the air path far longer. which equates to far more time before heat soaking becomes an issues. Which equates to being able to have cooler denser air for longer. Which equates to having your power not affected by air temps as fast than without the spacer. Off course eventually the temp of the manifold will rise. but the spacer will decrease the speed of the rise in temperature substantially by cutting out one of the sources of heat (metal to metal contact with the hot engine).

 

[Aaron]

So prove it. You've got everything to gain by doing so.

 

[Twisted Tuning]

Updated Product photos....

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

N54/N55 Phenolic Intake Manifold Spacer by Justin Whitted, on Flickr

 

[Derek@MoorePerformance]

Very cool stuff here!

I'm glad that we have vendors looking into the smaller but, still known issues that need resolutions.

Thanks TT!

 

[Aaron]

And vendors flatout refusing to test their products!

 

[Twisted Tuning]

Very cool stuff here!

I'm glad that we have vendors looking into the smaller but, still known issues that need resolutions.

Thanks TT!

no problem

 

[Omar@VaderSolutions]

ordered mine and excited to install it! thanks justin

 

[Twisted Tuning]

ordered mine and excited to install it! thanks justin

no problem, thanks for the order. Should arrive tomorrow.