A new racing season means being prepared for long days and weekends at the dragstrip, oval, road course, desert off-road, or other form of race track. It also means having the right support products in your trailer and tow vehicle to keep your race vehicle running as best as possible, especially during the often-sweltering dog days of summer. At Heatshield Products, we’ve developed some special products just heat support, especially for racing. We’ve also discovered excellent uses for our standard thermal-barrier products to improve reliability and performance for track vehicles, no matter how hot it gets. Consider adding these to your race support kit and racer.

Cool Can Shield™

Non-Protected Gas Can Next to Insulation Wrap Installed on Gas Can

One of the most common items at the race track is the fuel jug. Plastic fuel jugs can heat up from direct sunlight and ambient heat, and said heat is then transferred to the fuel inside. When fuel is heated beyond optimal temperatures, it can adversely affect fuel-system function, and it will also hurt horsepower. Because hot fuel is more vaporous than cool fuel, it can also increase the chances of vapor lock inside the fuel system, especially if it’s a carburetor-equipped engine. On top of that, the fuel charge generated by hot fuel is less dense, meaning less fuel being ingested by the engine into the combustion chambers, meaning less power.

The Cool Can Shield™ from Heatshield Products wraps around standard race fuel jugs (either round or square) and shields the jug from ambient heat and direct sunlight. So, even if you need to keep your jug with you in the staging lanes or uncovered pit areas, the fuel inside will stay at optimal temperatures for fuel system operation and engine performance. As an added bonus, Cool Can Shield™ also blocks harmful UV rays, preventing damage and deterioration to the jug itself. Cool Can Shield™ is also available for 55-gallon fuel drums for situations where shielding is needed and drums are involved.

Lava Oil Filter Shield™

Having cool engine oil not only helps performance, but also reduces wear and oil degradation. Although most vehicles have oil coolers to keep oil temps down, a main point of oil flow is still exposed to high ambient heat: the oil filter. Lava Oil Filter Shield™ prevents extreme ambient heat generated by the headers and exhaust system from heating the filter as well as the oil passing through it. You can read our blog, in which we tested the Lava Oil Filter Shield™ and found it lowered oil temps more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit. This kind of protection can be especially useful when you’re stuck in the staging lanes or during slow-moving pace laps when there’s minimal airflow to carry that ambient heat away. The Lava Oil Filter Shield™ has been constructed to protect the filter from being punctured by rocks or other debris that could be kicked up underneath your vehicle. And it’s easy to install and remove for oil changes, thanks to its built-in, high-strength magnets.

HP Sticky Shield™

HP Sticky Shield™ is a great multipurpose thermal barrier that blocks ambient heat from affecting components, panels and myriad other things. For example, a metal gas tank that faces the ground could be affected by heat radiating from the hard surface, such as when your race vehicle is parked on hot asphalt or concrete surfaces. HP Sticky Shield™ can be easily installed on the tank’s underside to stop that radiated heat from transferring to your gas tank, and in turn heating up both the tank and the gas inside. HP Sticky Shield™ will also help deflect ambient heat generated by exhaust pipes that run near the gas tank, eliminating another source of heat that can negatively affect the fuel inside the tank. And keeping the tank cooler will also help reduce the risk of vapor lock in the fuel system.

Catch Can Shield™

On high-compression and boosted race vehicles, PCV catch cans are crucial components that help separate oil vapor from the air ingested back into the engine. This keeps oil vapor from mucking up the intake and leading to excessive carbon buildup in the intake system from the manifold through the heads. The catch cans also prevent oil vapor from being burned in the combustion chamber, which can cause power-robbing carbon buildup inside the combustion chambers and atop the pistons.

Catch Can Shield™ ensures that the ambient heat in the engine compartment doesn’t heat the catch. The cooler the engine’s catch can stays, the cooler the air inside it will be, providing for a faster transition and separation of the oil vapor, and cleaner, more oil-free air being sucked back into your engine.