I have searched the Superlite forum, and could find no reference to this, so I have decided to put it here. If it should go in a different place, moderators, please, you can move it.
Since the beginning of the SLC, heat has been a problem.
Here is something that will really help us keep our SLC's cool: a material called "Aerogel."
General Motors uses Aerogel to keep the interior of its latest Corvette Sting Ray cool.
10 Awesome Things You Need to Know About the New C7 Corvette
Mid-Engine Anatomy - 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 - Motor Trend
Other component car makers are already using Aerogel to insulate their passenger compartments from heat: The American Ceramic Society | The American Ceramic Society: Ceramic Engineering, Ceramic Materials and Glass Science Resources
Where to get Aerogel? Here is a list! Aerogel suppliers
Don't want to buy Aerogel? Want to make Aerogel yourself? Here! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X24np30GS2o&list=FL5fX7S-zlCydPZw9wKDgrtQ&index=18"]Making silica aerogel at home - YouTube[/ame]
Lighter, thinner, works better than existing materials, already tested by manufacturers and component car makers, what's not to like?
Hope this helps,
Les
Since the beginning of the SLC, heat has been a problem.
Quotes edited by me for clarity.J. Salmon
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Lynchburg, VA
Another run at VIR - full critic mode (The SLC) was hot as snot. We kept the car under a tent with both doors open to keep it cooler. . . . One thing to be sure of is that you address the heat. It was a hot day for sure. The SLC windscreen is a work of art (it is my favorite bit on the car). But it also directs all the air away from the windows. So even with them removed, you will not get any fresh air into the car. I don't think you will get any water in either, provided you are moving. You have to stick your hand out the window a good 4-5 inches before you feel any breeze. Plan for some vents.
AIR CON is essential, if you ask me. Just pretend it is a LeMans racer, and realize that it is required. . . .
The engine is behind you. It gets hot. The cooling tubes get hot. This car does not have adequate heat barriers between the firewall or the cooling tubes. In 20 minutes as a passenger my right foot was pretty hot, sitting right next to the cooling tube. The footbox was clearly heating up. The engine heat was also slipping into the central tunnel, and we think this was responsible for heating up the stick shift lever. In 25 minutes it got so hot that you really could not hold it with your bare hand. Again, seal it up really well.
Plan on spending time addressing heat. This is not a new thing, and it is not impossible to tackle. But many cars in history have had too little attention paid to this area and have suffered for it. More on that next post too.. . . Liberal use of thermotec or similar insulation is highly recommended. As is sealing the cabin from all entrance of air from the motor OR the front radiator area. It obviously can work. With AC, a properly built car will be just fine on a 100 degree day for hours.
J. Salmon
Quote:
Originally Posted by CANTDRIVE55 View Post
J,
Thanks for the honest reviews. It's not too surprising however that ther would be a need for some AC and interior heat shielding. Those are certainly add-ons to my things to do list. Heat shielding was an issue I worked on for my Viper as well. I routinely ran the AC in it to prevent brain-fade from overheating. At the least, I will go with some gold foil outside the footwell and on the firewall, maybe more.
Certainly hope this is helping. All of us are spending a lot of time and thought and energy building, and I think it is important to see the bits that need to be done. Otherwise, you put the car together and get in to go for a drive... and you are sweating your butt off cursing.
Here is something that will really help us keep our SLC's cool: a material called "Aerogel."
General Motors uses Aerogel to keep the interior of its latest Corvette Sting Ray cool.
10 Awesome Things You Need to Know About the New C7 Corvette
NASA Aerogel Material Present In 2014 Corvette Stingray | GM AuthorityMany owners concur that the center tunnel in the C6 can get toasty, and with the C7 now locating the exhaust in an even tighter space, the potential to exacerbate the problem is very real. To combat this, Chevrolet is using insulation made from Aerogel, a material developed by NASA for use in space suits. Considered for years to be the lightest solid material in existence, Aerogel is 99.8 percent air (thereby replacing the liquid portion of a gel with a gas), yet it insulates 39 times better than the best fiberglass. The C7’s tunnel has a 10-mm (0.4-inch) layer of an automotive grade version of the stuff applied to its sides, and another 5 mm (0.2 inch) on top.
That's nice for theory, but how does it work it the real world?The goal is to keep the heat of the transmission tunnel from transferring into the cabin . . .
Mid-Engine Anatomy - 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 - Motor Trend
Read more: 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 First Test - Motor TrendEven after three punishing laps with Corvette racing ace Ron Fellows at the helm, the center tunnel walls stayed cool, thanks to a 10mm layer of Aerogel insulation (5 mm on the top of the tunnel). Used to insulate astronaut space suits, 1 cubic inch of the insulation has the interior surface area of a football field.
Other component car makers are already using Aerogel to insulate their passenger compartments from heat: The American Ceramic Society | The American Ceramic Society: Ceramic Engineering, Ceramic Materials and Glass Science Resources
Where to get Aerogel? Here is a list! Aerogel suppliers
Don't want to buy Aerogel? Want to make Aerogel yourself? Here! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X24np30GS2o&list=FL5fX7S-zlCydPZw9wKDgrtQ&index=18"]Making silica aerogel at home - YouTube[/ame]
Lighter, thinner, works better than existing materials, already tested by manufacturers and component car makers, what's not to like?
Hope this helps,
Les