I was looking into this just because I like having an advantage but I don't see this as being good. Now aparently people have been doing this for years so there may be a simple explanation for my worries...but then again people used leaches for years to cure illness. So lets think about this. You have combustion going on and the temperature is very high and all that heat has to go out somewhere. Usually it goes out your cylinder walls, heads and from the top of your piston down to the oil underneath. Now basic science teaches us that energy can not be destroyed only transferred. With that in mind if you put a barrier on the top of the piston keeping that heat energy from transfering through it won't it just expand back up and superheat your heads or cylinder walls? The same amount of heat energy is still there your just giving it less area to be displaced. Looking further, materials can only displace heat at a certain rate and since now instead of say 20 cubic inches of material to displace the heat we're left with 13 and its being pushed to displace all that heat. There is going to be left over heat energy in the cylinder on the next stroke. Continue the cycle and wouldn't it lead to potential pre-ignition? Especially in high performance engines or those running boosted/nitrous apps. Something to ponder I guess.

Well my friend has a Neon with nitrous and the only reason he saw to use the coated pistons is becuase of the super heat made by NOS. He ran NOS for a while with the stock pistons and it was hella heated and now with the ceramic its much cooler. I dont know how to explain it but its the truth. I see it all the time in his "Rice" Magizines..

The majority of the heat that doesn't go into the piston probably goes out with the exhaust. Air is an insulator, so heat is slow to transfer through it.

No your abosoutely right most of the heat does go out the exhuast. We're kinda working with percentages here which are constant. Say 90% of the heat goes out the exhaust that leaves 10% to be obsorbed by the cylinder, piston and head. This is why we have coolant in the first place, these areas get HOT. So say you have 5ci of space on the piston and 10 on the wall and another 5 in the head. Thats 20ci of material to displace the remaining 10% of the heat. NOW, you take that down to 15ci or less and leave the same 10% of heat in the cylinder. Its got to go somewhere. Remember from before that materials only displace a certain amount of heat for a given time period. Now suppose your cylinder wall is 500deg (just for a number) when it had that 20ci of space helping. Take that down to 15ci of space with the same 10% of heat and your wall temperature mathmatically should increase. Think about a small flame in a huge sealed box. No matter how long you hold that flame the box walls might only hit 150 deg. But you put that same flame in a smaller box and those walls might hit 300+. Does it make sense? Now I'm sure there'* something to explain this because like I said people have been doing it for years and I understand nascar uses it. But its just something I was thinking about

On a side note this is why most header manufacturers will void your warranty if you use exhaust wrap. If you over wrap one area the metal under it can't displace the heat so it could overheat and actually melt.

Oooh ooh a perfect example. Think of your bedroom as your cylinder. 4 walls (a cylinder) a ceiling (combustion chamber) and a floor (piston) with a heater. Without insulation in the walls your heater might only be able to take it up to 80deg. Insulate the hell out of your walls and the same heater could take it to 100deg if you wanted to. Which is exactly why they insulate walls, more effecient to HEAT your house. Even if you have the window (exhaust) open. The cylinder is the same only you have metal walls and a REALLY good heater. Am I making sense with this?

makes sense to me...

I cant help it....... where do you live???? Now what wall is the piston I need to know where to put the bed?

I actually like the example.

lol

Ty

Haha I'm always getting junk for using analogies. I always have to try and find another way of explaining things. Hey someone that read the top post might be lost then "Oooh its like my bedroom" lol who knows

Analogize on I am the same way.

Ty