In a nutshell I'd like to know if ceramic coating the heads and/or pistons works well
Does it stay attached to where it was applied?
Does it really help control heat?
Is it worth the cost?
What are the downsides?
Who's the best at applying this stuff?
I remember reading about Duke having endless frustration with his coatings. What do you guys think or know about this?
I know the web is full of info on this but I'm wanting M30 or s38 specific info from folks I know
Ceramic coatings on engine parts
Swede, during the LH build, I used these guys for the headers:
http://www.calicocoatings.com.
We used their CT-24 Coolblack coating on the headers. Excellent results; first-rate thermal barrier.
Engine itself:
http://www.polydyn.com
This was for their ceramic coatings applied to the heads and piston crowns; used their dry film on the piston skirts.
Don't recall what the $ costs were; over 11,000 miles, the operating results have been nothing short of superb.
In any case, the work on LH was done in 2004, so 7 years later and prices then aren't really comparable to now.
I'm of the opinion that a great deal of what kind of results one gets is a function of how the parts are prepped. This is a topic you need to take up with the coatings shop and your engine builder.
Typically the use of coatings will affect various clearances on the pistons, so this needs to be addressed as far the ring grooves and skirt-to-bore tolerances are concerned.
We didn't do a bare metal vs. coated radiated heat comparison on the head, but the temps do seem to be lower on exposed areas...not far above coolant temps.
The Calico CT-24 does keep the external header temps significantly lower--by at least a couple of hundred degrees.
http://www.calicocoatings.com.
We used their CT-24 Coolblack coating on the headers. Excellent results; first-rate thermal barrier.
Engine itself:
http://www.polydyn.com
This was for their ceramic coatings applied to the heads and piston crowns; used their dry film on the piston skirts.
Don't recall what the $ costs were; over 11,000 miles, the operating results have been nothing short of superb.
In any case, the work on LH was done in 2004, so 7 years later and prices then aren't really comparable to now.
I'm of the opinion that a great deal of what kind of results one gets is a function of how the parts are prepped. This is a topic you need to take up with the coatings shop and your engine builder.
Typically the use of coatings will affect various clearances on the pistons, so this needs to be addressed as far the ring grooves and skirt-to-bore tolerances are concerned.
We didn't do a bare metal vs. coated radiated heat comparison on the head, but the temps do seem to be lower on exposed areas...not far above coolant temps.
The Calico CT-24 does keep the external header temps significantly lower--by at least a couple of hundred degrees.
I haven't yet had pistons or my head coated, so I can't comment on your first questions.
There shouldn't be any downsides. You're keeping the heat out of your cooling system and in the combustion chamber and exhaust tract so it can do work on your pistons and turbine to make power.
I used Swaintech about 3.5 years ago to coat my td exhaust manifold and turbine housing. Nothing has worn off on either part. I'm planning on having my head and pistons coated by them.
There shouldn't be any downsides. You're keeping the heat out of your cooling system and in the combustion chamber and exhaust tract so it can do work on your pistons and turbine to make power.
I used Swaintech about 3.5 years ago to coat my td exhaust manifold and turbine housing. Nothing has worn off on either part. I'm planning on having my head and pistons coated by them.