All of the gifts for me for my birthday and Christmas for the next 10 years or more are on my car now!!

 

well from dealing with headers on muscle cars both Painted and Ceramic the ceramic is deffinetly better as a heat barrier by far!!! i had a 60 degree drop in engine compartment temp from switching from painted to ceramic headers (the same day within 1hour) also stopped melting spark plug wires located near the header! So where the painted intake would probably absorb some engine heat (heating the air fuel charge) the ceramic would not (cooler air fuel mixture = better performance) So i would say the ceramic is deffinetly better ! Just my opinion

 

Same here. I have already put out the word all I want is HHR stuff Looks like I will be getting vent shades, stubby antenna, smoothie locks and some other goodies.

 

I've got the painted CGS...but I bought mine before the ceramic one was available. But that's ok...mine had to be modified to fit my 2.2L engine originally and I modified it a bit more today so it wasn't rubbing against the hood strut. Tomorrow it's coming back off and being sanded and painted Sunburst Orange Metallic.

 

For an intake the ceramic coating is just cosmetic. Ceramic coating on exhaust is one thing that is very useful. But the air moving through an intake is totally different. I remember a comparision test I read a while back comparing the differenance in plastic and aluminum intakes. Most seem to consider the aluminum should make the air hotter. It was very close and actually the plastic was slightly (very slightly) warmer.

So do it for the looks...

 

Slick looks aren't worth the extra expense to me... not ffor something that most folks won't see. I'm not planning on it being a show car or anything.

The car is silver, the painted intake looks like it's silver... so... it appears that it will match ok to me.

 

Deb,

How did you modify it to stop rubbing on the prop rod? I just installed mine two weeks ago and already the paint is rubbed off the intake from the prop rod.

 

Yes Deb please let us 2.2 know how you change yours. I am about to put mine on.

 

I'm playing "devils' advocate"......

Isn't ceramic tape and coatings (specifically on headers and such) designed to keep heat IN, NOT reflect it out.

The space shuttle for example has "ceramic" tiles. But, behind the tiles, is a special foam insulating product, I'm told.

 

Ok folks...here's a quick how to on what I did to mine.

First time around I had to bend the support arm and drill another hole to adapt it for the 2.2L. You will need a 6 X 50mm bolt with 1" pitch and a flat washer which you can buy at Ace Hardware for a buck or two. Without the modifications below, I had a rub like thedonn07 did.

I was talking to CJ on instant messenger the other night and asked him what he had done when he modified his so it wouldn't. I followed his information and it now lays back better and doesn't rub any more either.

The modified length of the CGS support arm on mine is around 5 1/4" from the top weld to the tip end by where the bolt goes into the head. I measured down approximately 2 1/4" from the top and put a new bend in the arm as you will see in the photos below. Then once I was happy with that bend, I marked it so I could cut off the part that overlapped over the head and cut that off with a hacksaw. I then marked where the new bolt hole had to be drilled a new hole for that.

I didn't have a vice to bend it with, so I pulled out my boyfriends hydraulic jack and put the arm in between the metal pieces and carefully bent it where I had marked it. Crude...yes, but effective.

Here's the photos I just took so you can get an idea of what it looks like. Hope this helps the 2.2L owners. Guess maybe I should put this in the how to section. Not professionally done, but a girl has got to do what a girl has to do. Another mod done by little ole me.