Postby Anhevius » Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:33 am
With our cars, the air flow rate isn't enough to see a difference from switching between a panel filter and a pod. The only times you will see a requirement for air flow that exceeds the panel filters capabilities is with turbocharging (quite a lot) a four cylinder, a big V6 (like the 3.8L in my 380), or a V8.
Heat wrapping the exhaust. I've heard so many different arguments both for and against this. To be fair, if you've got a V-block engine, it CAN help keep engine bay heat down, and prolong the life of rubber gaskets (like your rocker covers). Aside from that, I haven't seen anyone able to give real tangible proof that it does anything to increase performance, but you will always hear people that swear by it. In my opinion, for an inline engine, this is a cosmetic thing, and only worth the time if YOU feel it is.
Now, when it comes to wrapping the intake, I could see the benefit to this, as it would shield it from absorbing engine bay heat. Would it be a major difference? Not really. Would it matter if you were doing everything you could to eke out every single drop of potential power from your car? Definitely.