PTP Turbo Blanket:
With my recent engine replacement, I felt it was time to explore possible enhancements to my APR K04 turbo while it was off my car. I researched ways to reduce engine bay temperatures and increase exhaust gas temperatures (EGT) for faster possible turbo spool. The most popular turbo upgrade seemed to be a turbo blanket as its non-permanent and an easy DIY upgrade. I started with a ”K04 Turbo Blanket Interest” thread and poll where I found that carsfeverguy has been running one on his K03 turbo for a year already with great feedback. After researching brands with the best feedback I came across a 2011 Import Tuner article called ”Turbocharger Heat Shielding - Fact or Fiction” where they tested PTP Turbo Blankets and found power and torque increases as well as a spool time decreases. After this review was posted, PTP Turbo also published a study from the University of Texas titled ”Performance Improvements of Turbocharged Engines with the Use of a PTP Turbo Blanket”
Curious of the impact and benefits of running a turbo blanket on such a small turbo (K04 or K03), I spoke with Joe at PTP Turbo Blankets. Joe explained that a turbo blanket, no matter the size of the turbo, will offer many performance benefits such as reduced under hood temperatures and increased exhaust velocity. Joe said that K04 owners (and possibly K03 owners) would best benefit from a lava turbo blanket which is far superior to fiberglass turbo blankets and is what he recommends to all customers. Joe said that the construction on the K04 lava turbo blanket will be just like all of their other lava products. It will have a dual layer insulation composed of super wool and high temp silica, the outer cover is composed of their lava material and edged out with a high temp vermiculite protection and it would be rated at 1832F inside and 1800F outside.
After my insightful conversation with Joe, I decided to ship my APR K04 to PTP Turbo Blankets in Texas so they could design and ultimately offer a line of K04 specific turbo blankets for our community. As nervous as I was to see my APR K04 go, I knew it would be great to help create a new product for our community. Joe feels that this same K04 lava turbo blanket may work for the OEM K03 turbo and asked me if I knew anyone interested in testing this for them with a money back guarantee (send me a PM if you’re interested). For possible performance gains, component protection, and a 1 year warranty I made up my mind to ship my APR K04 to PTP Turbo Blankets. Below I will cover more of the advertised benefits from using a turbo blanket.
Exhaust System Coating:
While my APR K04 was at PTP Turbo Blankets, Joe kept me updated on the progress of this new design and also turned me on to additional turbo customizations while the turbo was off of my car. Once the K04 lava turbo blanket was done, my APR K04 was shipped to SoCalPorting in California for porting, polishing and exhaust system coating (or ceramic coating). In the near future I will have a separate review titled “HYDE16 Reviews - SoCalPorting K04 Turbo Port, Polish & Exhaust System Coating” which will cover this custom work in depth.
I wanted to discuss this additional work in order the highlight the use of the PTP turbo blanket with an “Exhaust System Coating”. From what I gather, most companies seem to use just about the same exhaust system coatings from Techline Coatings. While my K04 turbo was at SoCalPorting, I had the hot side of the turbo and exhaust manifold treated with two coats of black Techline Coatings “Turbo-X”. The PTP Turbo Blanket website had a great explanation under their FAQ section.
Would you recommend installing a turbo blanket/heat wrap over ceramic coating?
Yes. Our turbo blankets and wraps have been proven through extensive testing to be much more effective than ceramic coating in isolating exhaust heat and reducing under hood temperatures. However, if you already have ceramic coating, the additive effect of using the turbo blanket/wrap, as well, would only increase the beneficial effects.
PTP Turbo's K04 Lava Turbo Blanket Product Description:
K04 Turbo Blanket - Lava:
With an outer layer made from actual pulverized volcanic lava rock (continuous-filament basalt) formed into fabric and woven into a tight mesh weave, these turbo blankets are internally insulated with high temperature calcium magnesium silicate wool, overlaid with a high temperature silica fabric for increased durability and for improved thermal resistance. The Lava Turbo Blankets are designed to withstand the harshest of conditions. PTP K04 Turbo Blankets are designed to fit stock Audi / Volkswagen K04 turbochargers and will cover both the turbocharger and manifold.
K04 Turbo Blanket - Lava Heat Tolerance:
Interior Surface:
Max Temperature Rating: 2300 °F / 1260 °C
Continuous Use Limit: 1832 °F / 1000 °C
Exterior Surface:
Direct Contact Limit: 1800 °F / 982 °C
Radiant Heat Limit: 2500 °F / 1371 °C
PTP Turbo's K04 Lava Turbo Blanket FAQs:
What are the benefits of using a turbo blanket?
First, a turbo blanket protects components within your engine bay. The turbo blanket isolates the heat produced by your turbocharger, and prevents that heat from damaging, or even igniting, components surrounding the turbocharger within your engine compartment, such as plastic and rubber hoses and electrical wiring, as well as painted surfaces, such as the engine bay and the surface of the hood. Also, it prevents areas of localized high temperature from damaging the engine itself. For example, a common cause of head gasket failure in turbocharged vehicles is localized heating of a portion of the engine. The heat differential between the portion of the engine near the turbocharger and the rest of the engine can cause warping of the head, and thus, head gasket failure. This has been a known cause of head gasket failure in both OEM and aftermarket turbocharged vehicles.
Second, a turbo blanket improves the performance of your turbocharger by keeping "the hot side hot." In keeping the exhaust gases within the turbocharger hot, turbocharger efficiency is improved. As you may know, the hotter a gas is, the more expansive it is. Within a contained system of a specified size, the more expansive a gas is, the greater the pressure derived and thus, the greater the flow of gas to escape the containment. With this increased pressure and flow rate for a given engine RPM, the acceleration of the turbocharger's impeller is increased as compared to the same turbocharger with the engine at the same RPM but with cooler exhaust gases. This equates to faster spool up of the turbocharger, as well as greater attainable levels of boost. What a driver will experience with a turbo blanket is greater turbocharger responsiveness. The faster spool up of the turbocharger means less turbo lag and a more linear power curve.
Third, a turbo blanket improves the performance of your turbocharger by keeping "the cool side cool." As you may know, it is very important to keep engine intake air cool. This is why intercoolers are often utilized with turbochargers. Similar to above, the cooler a gas is (such as intake air), the more dense it is. The more dense the intake air, the more oxygen it contains per unit volume. The more oxygen reaches the engine, the more power can be obtained. In keeping the heat of the exhaust gases contained within the hot side of the turbocharger and away from the cool side of the turbocharger and the intake path, more oxygen per unit volume reaches the engine, and thus, more power.
Will a turbo blanket damage my turbocharger?
No. There is a misconception that the heat retained by the turbo blanket will cause damage to the turbocharger. This is not correct. Turbochargers are designed to handle well in excess of peak engine exhaust temperatures. Maintaining the heat of the exhaust within the turbocharger will not damage the turbocharger. However, as with all turbocharged vehicles, whether utilizing OEM or aftermarket turbochargers, it is very important to not shut off the engine directly after periods of heavy acceleration. It is advised by us, as well as all OEM and aftermarket turbocharger manufacturers, to allow a period of time to let the oil (and in some cases water) circulate and cool the turbocharger. We recommend that before shutting off the vehicle after periods of heavy acceleration, you should allow one to two minutes of idling to allow the turbocharger to cool down effectively. You may also consider purchasing a turbo timer to allow the engine to idle for a predetermined amount of time after you have left and locked your vehicle.
Would you recommend installing a turbo blanket/heat wrap over ceramic coating?
Yes. Our turbo blankets and wraps have been proven through extensive testing to be much more effective than ceramic coating in isolating exhaust heat and reducing under hood temperatures. However, if you already have ceramic coating, the additive effect of using the turbo blanket/wrap, as well, would only increase the beneficial effects.
What is the life expectancy of an installed turbo blanket/heat wrap?
If cared for appropriately and installed correctly, PTP turbo blankets and heat wraps will likely outlive the vehicle in which they're installed. Our turbo blankets are made of incredibly resilient, high quality materials, which have been rigorously tested for durability and longevity.
What Makes A PTP Turbo Blanket Different?
PTP Turbo Blankets are hand-crafted in N. America, and a high quality product is guaranteed. PTP is well known in the turbo blanket industry for their high standards of material selection, design, overall construction, and for providing these high-quality products at an affordable price point. It is important to note that there are many low quality imitation turbo blankets out there. These imitations are often made in China and are manufactured using inferior materials. Imitation turbo blankets are generally ineffective and can be extremely dangerous if flammable materials have been used. Every PTP turbo blanket comes with a 1yr manufacture warranty against any defect that occurs during normal usage. This PTP turbo blanket warranty does not cover problems from incorrect installation or improper usage. PTP Turbo Blankets are the result of years of product R&D. The same materials used in PTP turbo blankets and heat wraps are currently being used in military applications across the world. PTP materials are on the cutting edge of heat insulation technology and have been tested and proven to handle extreme conditions.
PTP Turbo's K04 Lava Turbo Blanket Overall Results and Recommendations:
Will this be worth it? Honestly, I think adding the turbo blanket (independent of an exhaust system coating) will absolutely have a worthwhile effect. I for one am not planning on going with a larger turbo so I’m all about increasing efficiency or squeezing every morsel of power out of this amazing K04 upgrade. Is the turbo blanket overkill with an exhaust system coating? Could be, but I feel the coating will work well to insulate any leftover radiant heat inside the engine bay. Plus, how cool would it be if my PTP turbo blanket was cool to touch after a hard run?
As for the pricing, we need to remember something, this company took the time to fabricate a custom blanket for K04 owners (and possibly K03 owners) from scratch. They didn't take another blanket and make alterations so it would fit. They didn't use an existing blanket that would fit loosely (T3/T4 blanket). The hot side of the turbo can't be individually wrapped like some other simple lower priced strip blankets you see on PTP Turbo's website (Genesis, WRX, 500, Dart). They also decided to forgo the less expensive fiberglass turbo blankets for the proven lava turbo blanket so we get the best performance. This K04 lava turbo blanket uses much more fabric and intricate cuts to fit around the exhaust flange. The other added benefit is that it not only covers the hot side of the turbo but is molded to cover the ENTIRE exhaust manifold. After holding this turbo blanket in my hands last night, I could tell how high quality the cuts/stitching/filling/molding was.
At the time of this review, my APR K04 is not currently installed on my car so I am unable to provide “butt dyno” feedback or temperature results. As soon as I’m back up and running, I’ll circle back to this review to post temperature readings of the turbo and engine bay to compare with other K04 owners not using a turbo blanket. Installation seems simple and as per PTP, it should not require removal of the turbo. I'll know more when I re-install my K04 but it looks to slide right over the turbo and uses a spool of thin flexible wire to wrap around each of the posts to keep the blanket tight against the turbo and exhaust manifold.
Just as an FYI, Joe from PTP Turbo Blankets said their first run will be a limited quantity of 50 turbo blankets for the K04 owners (and possibly K03 owners), after that there will be a 2 week backorder. In the near future I plan on reviewing their PTP Turbo Lava Wrap on my 3” downpipe. The main benefit of their Lava Wrap is that application does not require the typical use of a silicon spray which means I may not need to remove the downpipe!
Photos after installation.
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Originally Posted by babadudu
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