A mechanic told me that if you do the TB bypass, you won't have a throttle in the winter time because the blades will freeze shut. I'm from Long Lisland, NY. It can get pretty cold, but it's not often we see single digits or below which is when I'd imagine this is a problem. This car is my daily driver though, so if this will be a problem, I'd best skip it.

What do you guys think? My friend told me that if it's that cold, the blades are going to stick shut one way or the other. Should I do it or forget about it?

 

What's going to freeze the blades? Are your blades made of water? My impression of the TB coolant passage is to heat incoming air under cold conditions. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

I thought it was to prevent icing of the throttle body in cold climates/conditions?

 

You should definately do this mod; its cheap and easy. Why inject hot superheated air in the intake. It is for smog purposes. Unless your living in a extraordinarily cold climate it should not be a problem. I'll post a link to an actual dyno of this mod.

http://ws6.com/mod-8.htm

 

What makes you think its for smog purposes??????

 

You should still do it. Plenty of people have done it up north and none have had a problem to my knowledge.

 

While it is true that it prevent the throttle blades from frezzing, it helps to lower emissions. Its free horsepower to bypass it. I posted a link of dyno test with this mod.

http://ws6.com/mod-8.htm

 

speaking from YEARS and probably 120K driven bypassed in all weather including double digits below zero, go ahead and bypass it you will not have any problems.

 

Places not to bypass the TB. Alaska.

Places to bypass the TB..... anywhere other then Alaska.

 

I don't see how the blades could be frozen to begin with. If there is that much moisture in the TB to freeze it, the motor would be destroyed, no?

 

Its supposed to help fuel economy without the mod, I mean the way it routes through throttle body... but it will benefit performance by doing the bypass, who cares about fuel economy these days with gas prices so low... (insert sarcasim on bold sentence)

 

I've heard that it is for better fuel economy but how can it be if the computer see's the temp from the IAT sensor which is before the throttle body. I could see if the IAT was after the throttle body.

 

Thanks guys. I guess I'll just have to pull my ***** out of my purse and do it.

 

Throttle Body Coolant Bypass - The throttle body coolant bypass kit is often sold as a magical kit that adds up to 5 horsepower. The kit retails for $20 but contains only three components, an inline hose coupler and two hose clamps. The components of this kit can easily be purchased for under $5 at any local hardware store. The theory behind this modification is somewhat sound but it deserves some explanation. From the factory GM routed a small portion of coolant through a passage in the throttle body for the sole purpose of keeping that throttle body from icing. Apparently in extremely cold weather this is a real problem, but the temperature has to be extremely cold, such as well below zero. GM engineers were probably not considering the car that the engine was going in when this feature was designed. For temperatures so low that icing could actually become a problem, the cars equipped with the LT1 engine will probably be parked anyway. The original design intent is sound, but it is not really needed in most cases. For any person living in the continental United States it is a safe bet that the coolant can be bypassed around the throttle body without causing any harm. The question then has to be asked, why bypass it? The coolant flowing through the throttle body can heat the incoming air charge somewhat which can possibly cause a decrease in performance. The benefit of this modification has never been quantified in the form of a proven horsepower gain. The real benefit of this modification is that it allows for easier maintained of the car. With the throttle body coolant circuit bypassed the intake and throttle body can be removed as a unit without having to drain the coolant from the engine, or if necessary the throttle body can easily be removed from the intake, again with out spilling any coolant. This modification takes about 5 minutes to perform and has no ill effects unless the car is routinely driven in sub zero temperatures. I list this modification in this section because the performance benefit is not as great as the convenience benefit, and it can be done much cheaper than the "kit" costs.

 

thats excactly what they were designed for, if you live in a place that snows and ices a lot, but you should still be alright if you do it

 

It's easy to do, and it works..

 

Actually there is greater risk of freezing if it is say 33degrees and raining, the pressure drop as the air rushes through the TB cools the air(think of a aerosol can getting cold as you release pressure) and the humidity from the rain in theory could fall out condensate and freeze. At temps well below zero the air can hold VERY little moisture with which to fall out and freeze.

I mentioned I had driven with it in double digits below because that puts folks at ease, not so much because it was the real test, I have done plenty of driving in boarderline freezing wet conditions too which is the real test and had no problem.