What is the purpose of the black plastic engine cover?
Does it help reduce engine noise or is it purely aesthetic?
Does it impede heat dissipation or help airflow?
I posted this youtube link I found because I'm thinking of removing my my engine cover and going with the SVR heat shield mounted to the bonnet.


Any thoughts?

 

Two thoughts:

1) Dude in the video needs Xanax. I was ready to cut my wrists if I heard any more of that drivel. No room under the hood to modify the engine? wtf?

2) Search is your friend. Lots of posts about removing the engine cover....

 

General consensus is to remove the cover. Not sure about the SVR heatshield. Unhinged had the supercharger polished. Saw it in person. Looked great. He has a post on it somewhere if I recall.

 

I researched the SVR thingie a while back and I believe it's for sound, not heat. I didn't have an SVR handy, but conscripted the gent at the parts counter of my local dealer to waste some time on my behalf. I think it's a molded rubber piece.

 

There was also a dude that painted his engine cover bright orange and cut a window in his hood. Thankfully he got banned (and no, not for his awful taste in mods).

Cover does reduce noise and traps heat.

 

AND he thinks the V8 is a Ford motor (which it is NOT, although entirely designed/engineered by Jaguar and built in a dedicated facility at the (Ford) Bridgend plant). Little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

 

He's still here. New user name.

 

I thought he was banned a 2nd time too?

 

Xanax will just make it worse. Depression & Aggression! He needs Prozac.

 

IMHO the look of the engine without the cover is dreadful. I purchased an engine cover just for shows with the bonnet raised. I'm also curious about JLR's claim that SVR's don't come with engine covers because it inhibits heat dissipation. This summer I will test that assumption to see if there is any adverse effect on the engine temperature or operation with an engine cover...

 

I think the plastic engine cover looks cheap.....rather look at the blower even if it isn't the prettiest...

2 cents,
Dave

 

I considered the Carbon Fiber cover but couldn't justify the cost vs. benefit for a $3,000 engine cover just for car shows...

 

Somebody already did that with an IR thermometer (maybe it was Unhinged?). I think they saw about a 40 degree difference at the track.

 

I don’t remember the actual differential being that much, but it was significant. It’s posted in a related thread someplace.Polishing the intercooler makes a huge aesthetic difference.


Before



After

 

Woah - did you just cut and buff like you would paint? Rubbing compound -> polishing compound? That looks awesome.

 

It DOES look awesome.

But just to be Devil's Advocate: If you smoothed the casting 'bumps' off the aluminum, wouldn't that decrease the surface area of the piece and thereby DECREASE the heat dissipation?







Full disclosure: Our engine cover is off, as well!

 

You are quite asstute. . Yes, I would think by a smidge, but more than offset by the removal of the cover.

 

I get the 'pun'.

Is that a Metric Smidge, or the Imperial measure?



"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is." - Yogi Berra

 

And then we can debate whether an RCH is a metric or imperial unit of measure.

 

Curious how you went about polishing the cover? In place or removed? DIY or other?

What kind of maintenance other than periodic cleaning is required to keep it looking polished?