[Northern Goat]

Painting your engine black will make more HP.

Can some please explain how this works?

[Busster1]

??????????

[Brandi Kay]

step away from the bong...

LMAO

[Northern Goat]

This is a serious racing tip I read in a back issue of car craft. I think it has to do with a black engine being able to dissipate heat better, but I wanted more clarity.

[Busster1]

I think I see where you're going, but to my understanding black attracts heat. I may be wrong in this case but I'd like to hear others opinion and experience. Sounds interesting.

[BVR421]

cant be good for any hp and I dont believe you saw it in a mag
if it isnt shiny and expensive it cant be hyped a power producing and sold for big bucks
someone was smoking something

[krisr]

The only advantage I can think of painting an engine black is it helps hide the oil leaks

Other than that, I'd seriously doubt it will give you a HP boost or cooling advantage.

[pro-tour79]

old wives tale, but chrome valve covers may help

[DiamondJim]

Anyone here old enough to remember when we used to paint headers white to disapate heat? LOL -Jim

[Chris Roach]

heat dissipation and color only come into play with reflection form an outside heat source.

[Mr_GTO]

I remember reading that too....I associate it with Jim Taylor's '65 engine that is painted Black.

[Rob]

Actually Pontiac Blue increases Torque 20 lb-ft across the entire rpm range. I have heard of painting other colors to try and soften the tire-spin problems associated with these engines.

-Rob

[Brandi Kay]

People wear lighter colors in the summer because they reflect heat.


ever sit on a black car seat in the summer?


black obsorbes heat.


black doesnt reflect light well, you can see the diffrences comparing the two in a room or in nature.


but the other truth is chevy orance paint on a pontiac makes th owner build a 455 P-block.

lol

[White Warrior]

Black is the best color to paint an object that has to dissipate heat. Most car radiators are black for that reason. All the heat sinks and loads on the RF equipment that I work with are black for the same reason.

[Brandi Kay]

what about aluminum radiators?

[Ron Landis]

White Warrior figured it out, or should I say "reasoned" it out. I was chided for years for painting my engines black, as not many of my hot rodding buddies liked to read much. I was convinced by Smokey Yunick and Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins, who insisted a 10 hp gain was to be had. But what did they know? You probably read it in Car Craft as a HP tip, or a Grumpy Jenkins article they did years ago. I have Smokey Yunick's "Power Secrets", I'll see if it isn't listed in there. BTW...what color are GM's engines today? And it isn't so you can see oil leaks better. 'Nuff said.

[RAIV55]

Originally Posted by krisr

The only advantage I can think of painting an engine black is it helps hide the oil leaks

Other than that, I'd seriously doubt it will give you a HP boost or cooling advantage.

I like flat black, it hides those ugly oil smudges that gather dust but if you have a leak it will show up shiney.

This thread reminds me of a practical joke played with one of my buddies. I was helping to assemble his race engine and the guy wanted Chevy orange. Between about 4 of us in cohoots, we convinced him he would be giving up 10hp by not going black.

And No, the black HP isn't there if it is put over some other color

[Chris Roach]

Originally Posted by jegstek

what color are GM's engines today? And it isn't so you can see oil leaks better. 'Nuff said.

Not for increased power! GM uses black because of cost, black pigment is cheaper than pigment with color.

[Juliano]

I think the American X-15 super sonic jet in the old days was painted black so it can cool down faster when breaking sound barrier.

[george kujanski]

A black object is the ideal radiator, i.e. dissipates heat the best by RADIATION. The real question is how much is dissipated by radiation on a black engine compared to extracting heat by CONDUCTION, i.e. moving coolant thru the engine.

For street applications, It would seem to me that if it was good for a 10 degree lower temp, for example, why not just lower the thermostat by 10 degrees instead of relying on the color?

Black is also the best color for absorbing heat (from an external source), such as converting sunlight to heat.

george