Anyone know if that underbody reflective sheeting will work on a street car? Tens of thousands of miles,rain, etc.

Yes it works on a race or enduro car, obviously. Different applications.

I think it will, especially if you clean the surface where it will go. You might want to put a strip of duct tape or other tape that sticks well on the corners for safety.
I don't think the aluminum tape nor the glue on it will burn much especially on the transmission...

Check it when you change oil etc to make sure it won't come loose and ball up on to the drive shaft :bang:

Crusher is not exactly a fair weather car or a trailer queen, those guys are not afraid of getting it dirty or driving in the rain. I agree though, I too am curious as to how its held up, or if he has any other materials recommendations. The Crusher thread would probably be the place to ask. Emilio is usually pretty good about answering, but I think they are still out in Utah?

As I said, I know it holds up to enduros/races. That's why I said that.

Exhaust wrap is fine for race cars. It's less fine for street cars. There simply are differences in the applications.

I use exhaust wrap on my downpipe also. And some re-purposed factory heat shield tin from the Miata and others. A lot of pickup trucks have 2.5-3in diameter exhaust with factory heat shielding at the u-pull-it junkyard.

The OEM style tin shield held directly by the pipe itself is a great move. I looked at my stock exhaust pipe and considered removing the shield but it looks like the shape and diameter will be a problem.

Right now I'm not too keen on using header tape. :nono:

Ok I put this stuff on everything but the steering wheel. :p
I hope it woks. It is really close to the heat shield.

Here's a solution for the transmission tunnel from a local miata shop.

Mainly works on street cars, so sounds like this is a cheap easy and effective way to go.

What it is: http://www.designengineering.com/cat...und-insulation

Where he's selling it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Miatamecca-I...-/390436403927

You should protect the throttle cable, speedo cable, and maybe the dipstick handle (mine melted and ruined my oil pump and turbo bearings). The brake valves and lines are important to keep cool also.

That's pretty slick. I would imagine starting on the drivers side (possibly at the fraimrail) would be more effective, especially with the big ass unshielded 2.5-3" turbo exhaust. He didn't cover cleaning surface prep though, and that would be my big concern.

If/when I pull my front subframe out, I'm definitely putting a sheet of that stuff in the tunnel, and cutting up another one to run up the firewall.

It didn't seem like surface prep was important, besides clean it up.

Besides, his method shows how to do the install with the transmission in the car. If you're going to be pulling out the drivetrain, might as well do it with custom cutouts Crusher style.

I wonder how the edges hold up over time. I'd be tempted to seal them up by folding over the edge with DEI Cool-Tape to keep it from delaminating, or use a sealant like what's used on firesleeve:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1378916501

Of course, I tend to overthink and over complicate these things :bang:

Mike's Place mainly serves the wine and cheesers around here, who don't like getting hands dirty (it gets on the chrome and wood, you know), and want everything just so. If Mike does it, I'll take good odds that it holds up quite well over time.

The stuff I used is a $22. and change at the local Home Despot.
Mine was a bear to install because of the stuff in the way.

Agree - the Miata has always needed more insulation and tends to be hot even with the top down.

Thanks for the tip man !!!

I tried a small strip right on top of the turbo heat shield and went for a few errands on a 90 degree day ....
When I got home I popped the hood real quick and took some readings.
So basically the foam coated insulation did not melt despite getting placed right on top of the turbo hot side of the heat shield. It also cut down the temperature by about 100 degrees. Note that the piece that I stuck on top of the heat shield is about 1 inch wide so I'm guessing that some heat goes around the material.
Still, the R value is only 3
I'm planning on doing the entire heat shield.

Frost King E/O 12 in. x 15 ft. Self-Stick Foam/Foil Duct Insulation-FV516 at The Home Depot

Any idea what temperature that thing melts?

Should say in the MSDS sheet.

Well, I drove all over today in 90 degree heat and the piece that I glued on top of my heat shield is still ok.

I'm going to slap some more when I get a chance.

See pic if it loads

I've got it all over the back side of my heat shield around the turbine outlet area and it hasn't shown any signs of distress.

I used similar stuff made by Thermotec on my tunnel. I didn't trust the adhesive to hold up on the track so I put a small pop rivet and fender washer at each corner. I don't like the full location of his install because it leaves bare metal right next to the header/downpipe where your right foot needs to be. I folded mine down around the floor a bit and concentrated on where the radiant heat from the downpipe would be closest to my right foot and leg.

Keeping the heat from soaking into the tub should be the goal to keep overall cabin temperatures down but the NBs (perhaps other generations too?) have a nice foam and foil insulation piece that is formed to the inside of the tunnel next to the driver's right leg. It is attached to the carpet and pretty rigid. I harvested it from the carpet set of the donor car and taped it to the tunnel with foil tape.

Insulating both sides of the tunnel took me from heat rash on my right calf during early shakedowns to relative comfort and only cost a few ounces of low center weight.

I also have scraps of the thermotec material on the master cylinder reservoir, brake line, throttle cable and heater hose return. The most impressive results were to wrap the air box and intake into the turbo. With a DIY dryer duct from the air dam to the air box, I am getting ambient IAT pre-turbo. If I let it idle hot, it will soak up a few degrees but go right back down when the car starts moving again. A few pics:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379383699

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1379383699