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PRZOOM - /newswire/ -
Banbury, Oxon, United Kingdom, 2009/08/25 - Performance tuning specialist Torque Developments International has expanded its range of offerings to include plasma-sprayed ceramic coatings from Zircotec.
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Torque Developments International (TDI) is now able to offer customers plasma-spray ceramic coatings from thermal barrier specialist Zircotec. Under the new reseller agreement, TDI will be able to add Zircotec’s coatings to its range of services, helping performance car owners to protect vital components from excessive temperatures. The move to make the coatings more widely accessible comes as heat management solutions become increasingly important to improving performance and reliability. Applied to exhaust system components, the ThermoHold® based ceramic coatings significantly reduce heat loss, while preventing damage to materials and components close to the exhaust manifold and pipes, and helping to reduce in-cabin temperatures.
“We first used a Zircotec plasma-spray coating on one of our own high profile racing projects, the Lotus Europa race car,” explains Mark Catchpole, managing director, Torque Developments International. “Having experienced the increase in performance achieved by coating the car’s exhaust system with such an effective heat-shield, we’re more than happy to recommend it to our customers. Offering these coatings will allow us to provide performance car owners with a proven heat management solution at a relatively low price.”
Zircotec’s ThermoHold-based ceramic coatings have proven highly successful among super car manufacturers, being adopted by companies including Lamborghini and Koenigsegg. Lamborghini recently applied a ThermoHold coating to the exhaust system of its lightweight Murciélago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce to help reduce weight and facilitate the use of heat sensitive, lightweight materials in close proximity to the exhaust pipe. The efficiency gained through reducing heat loss also helps to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.
The ThermoHold coating has also attracted the attention of vehicle modifiers, with Japanese performance car importer and modifier Litchfield most recently selecting the coating for its new Subaru Impreza STI Type-20. Improving the car’s heat management helped its twin scroll turbo spool up to speed 500-750rpm sooner than usual.
“The continual and meticulous refinement of performance cars by manufacturers is a reflection of the demand among performance car owners for increasingly better performing and more reliable cars,” explains Peter Whyman, sales and marketing director, Zircotec. “By offering owners the opportunity to purchase our coatings via TDI, we hope to extend our highly regarded thermal management solution to all performance car owners, from track day enthusiasts to super car collectors.”
Zircotec offers a wide selection of coating services to protect components against the effects of heat, wear, abrasion and oxidation. Originally developed for the nuclear energy industry, Zircotec’s plasma-spray technology allows engineers to optimise material performance in a range of demanding applications including automotive, motorsport, marine, aerospace and industrial. Its new flexible ceramic coating is the first of its kind, providing lightweight thermal protection with dramatically improved ease of installation.
Issued by Market Engineering, one of Europe’s leading communications agencies for the automotive, supply chain and engineering technology industries.
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katharine.earley[.]m-eng.com 
