Is chrome hot or what???
The question has come up several times, "does chrome make a stock engine
run hotter"? We're talking temperature naturally, not performance. As you can see from the photos I have several items chromed on my Marauder engine. Why? Well........that's just the way I like it. Today I had the opportunity to do a little research on this subject and I thought I would pass my results on to the members of our site. What I did was take my bone stock MM next to a bone stock none chromed MM and measure the temperature at several of the same spots on both engines for comparison. Please understand, I am not representing this as any sort of scientific controlled lab test but just what I observed. I started out letting both run at Idle for 20 minutes to make sure they reached operating temps and the fans had come
on and the thermostats open. All temps are Fahrenheit. The outside temp was 80 degrees. I used a Raytek Minitemp pyrometer "ray gun" and I tried to take all readings at about 1 foot but most important I tried to make sure
that each comparison reading was at the same distance.
To start, the fenders measured 100 (stock MM) 101 (chrome MM). this was just to see that both were in the sun approximately the same.
The upper part of the radiators when measured through the grill were 112 for the stock MM and 116 for the Chrome MM.
OK now here are the results I saw;
Upper coolant hose at the Radiator 168 stock, 158 chrome motor
Lower hose, approximately at the center of the curve 163 stock, 147 chrome
Upper coolant pipe 174 stock, 135 chrome
Vertical hose to coolant pipe, 163 stock, 157 chrome
Center of intake manifold 124 stock, 116 chrome
Right cylinder head front 159 stock, 126 chrome
Right cylinder head REAR 173 stock, 152 chrome
Please notice how much hotter the right rear runs, no surprise though
Left cylinder head front 160 stock, 129 chrome
Left cylinder head rear 158 stock, 120 chrome
One thing I need to mention that I feel is important is that the stock MM had
20,000 miles on the clock while mine only has 3,000. I am sure that because
of this mine tends to run somewhat cooler. I think it also shows that a coolant system flush and maybe a conditioner is important to our engines.
I guess that my answer to the original question "does chrome make your
stock street engine run hotter" is "Nope, not really and if it does, not so you
can tell".
There ya go my friends.
Ex Marauder owner,
May 5th, 2003, March Bought new
February 2007, Installed Trilogy,
March 30th, 2011, sold to a great home.
Great car, great people, great times, wonderful memories.