File this post on DIY cold air intakes under your new go-to budget mods. Here at Heatshield Products, we believe that you don't need to spend big bucks to make your vehicle more powerful and improve performance. We also believe that learning how to make an effective cold air intake shouldn’t require hours and money spent in the shop. With an affordable and effective air intake heat shield, you can easily turn your aftermarket, stock, or DIY cold air intake into a true cold air intake.

How We Made a Cold Air Intake

Factory and aftermarket intakes are made up of black plastic composites and soak up heat. That heat then reduces the density of the air in your engine and limits the power your vehicle can make. Aftermarket intakes are better at reducing turbulence than factory intakes, but the plastic components can still soak up heat. Polished aluminum intakes actually soak up even more heat than stock plastic composites because aluminum is a better conductor for heat. With an effective heat shield, however, you can keep radiant heat at bay which will lower air intake temperatures, improve performance, and, hopefully, boost your fuel economy.

To see just how much of a difference using a heat shield could be in creating a truly cold air intake, we did a before and after temperature test with our friend, Arthur’s DIY cold air intake on his 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. In order to reduce turbulence and improve airflow, Arthur learned how to make a cold air intake and created a simple $20 DIY cold air intake heat shield kit. By eliminating the sound tube between the throttle body and factory air-cleaner box, he increased airflow by reducing the air turbulence headed into his engine.

In addition to the DIY cold air intake heat shield, Arthur’s Grand Cherokee also had a K&N air filter and a SuperChips performance tune installed in the ECM.

To see if Arthur’s DIY cold air intake made a true cold air intake, we collected temperature data using an Actron tool. The initial reading of the engine temperature showed an ambient temperature of 71° Fahrenheit. After a 15 minute drive to work, the unshielded system was measured and read 205-207° Fahrenheit for the coolant temp and 139-145° Fahrenheit for the inlet air temperature (IAT).

The next day, Arthur showed us how to make a cold air intake and recreated his DIY cold air intake. Using Heatshield Products’ Thermaflect Sleeve (part No. 274304), he wrapped the entire air tube of his Jeep Cherokee. He then used Cool Foil Tape (part No. 340110) to secure the ends of the sleeve. For the airbox, we used Heatshield Products Thermaflect Cloth (part No. 711002) which is capable of reflecting up to 90 percent of radiant heat.

Before starting our follow up drive with the new DIY cold air intake, we measured the engine and got a slightly higher 72° Fahrenheit reading. After the same 15 minute drive, we took another set of readings and found that the coolant temp was 205-207° Fahrenheit and the IAT was 122-126° Fahrenheit.

Now that’s a true cold air intake! That drop in air inlet temperature will make a difference! Arthur reports that not only does his Jeep feel quicker, but as a bonus, he says that the fuel economy has improved from 13 to 14.5 mpg: that’s more than a 10 percent improvement!

Impressed? Shop our automotive heat shield solutions today, and share down below what you will use Heatshield Products on next!