Therma-tec Gaskets

[oneohtwo 8]

Has anyone had any experience of these Therma-tec gaskets?

CORRADO VR6 - Products (therma-tec.com)

I've come across a bit about insulating gaskets, the phenolic type and whilst the idea seems sound the intake manifold is still sat on top of the block so can't entirely see it would make a lot of difference. Do the standard plastic type gaskets offer some thermal insulation anyway?

Edited March 16, 2021 by oneohtwo

[Dox 23]

Pass, but in use the intake is cooled by incoming air?

[fendervg 33]

Well, they're not expensive, probably cheaper than a new gasket from VAG, but I really don't think they will make a noticeable difference, and a claimed 3% power increase won't be detectable and is within the margin of error of any rolling road. I guess you could use VCDS to compare the intake mani temp readings before and after fitting these. They would probably last longer than the original style gaskets.

Sounds to me like more of the oiled filter and eco valve snake oil, but I could be wrong. At the price, it could be worth a shot.

[oneohtwo 8]

Yeah, hard to say - like you say it has a whiff of snake oil about it to me as well. The power increase claim doesn't make sense to me, maybe peak power is sustained longer under hard driving as the air coming in stays colder in theory, but how would it actually increase it? 

To be honest I left as I already had the gaskets and had fitted one. Didn't really want to wait any longer to get the rest of the engine back together, but thought I'd put it out there in case anyone else wants to give it a go.