This is the PTP Lava Turbo Blanket installed on a Precision Turbo and Engine CEA 6766 turbocharger, which powers our Project MKIV Supra.
PTP Lava Turbo Blanket literally rocks!
Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.
When you sit down and decide to plan out a major power upgrade, you have to make sure that heat management is included. This doesn’t just mean the cooling system either.
Having the right parts to control heat, especially in a turbocharged car, is key to providing maximum performance, fuel economy, and overall engine longevity. In fact, if you can control some of the heat in the engine bay, it also means less heat exposed to all of those soon-to-be-cracking plastic components that the OEMs loves to sneak in our engine bays.
In the case of our Project Supra, we'd ordered different heat-blocking materials for various components. First, we sent our PTE CEA 6766 turbocharger's 1.15 AR divided housing and Powerhouse Racing S45 headers to Swain Tech, who applied their well-known White Lightning ceramic coating to them.
After the Swain Tech stuff we wrapped the PHR S45 headers and 3.5-in MKC Performance downpipe with some high-temp thermal wrap. We also covered the turbo housing itself with a turbo blanket, which worked well for about a year, but it later started to break down and needed replacing. After the second unit, the same thing started to happen a few months later when the Supra had a small mist of oil smoke coming out of a loosening oil-feed line. While the mist surely exacerbated any wear and tear of the blanket, we decided to search for something sturdier.
We contacted PTP Turbo Blanket to try out its T3/T4 “Lava” turbo blanket on our PTE CEA 6766 dual ball bearing turbocharger, and they sent one out.
PTP Turbo Blanket is a company which specializes in heat insulation. Its Lava brand of blankets is among the best and most popular choices in the industry.
The PTP “Lava” Turbo Blanket features an outer layer made of pulverized volcanic lava rock, which is formed into fabric and then woven into a tight, mesh weave with Kevlar high temperature and heat flame resistance sowing thread. According to PTP, they’re also insulated with high-temperature calcium magnesium silicate wool and will provide increased durability and thermal resistance under the harshest conditions.
In fact, the max temperature rating is a whopping 2300 degrees F, with a 1832 degrees F (1000 C) continuous use limit. The exterior surface can come into direct contact with up to 1800 degrees F, and the radiant heat limit is rated to 2500 degrees F.
The University of Austin’s Engine and Automotive Research program did a comprehensive test on a PTP turbo blanket, which was installed on a 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. Using an engine dyno, they found improved transient turbo response of over 200 RPM, along with a plethora of other improved engine characteristics like improved torque, oil temps, etc. You can read all 38 pages of it here or our own Khiem Dinh's take on the research in his Nerd-O-Scope article.
As mentioned earlier, our Project Supra was already heavily heat insulated, from its PHR tubular exhaust manifold to its MKC 3.5-in downpipe, both of which were already coated with Swain Tech’s White Lightning ceramic coating as well.
Here is a comparison between the turbo blanket the Supra was previously sporting (left), as compared to the PTP Turbo Blanket “lava” blanket (right).
