The Rover-Landers of BC

Can anyone share their experience with // shed some light on whether silicone hoses improve performance of a defender 200tdi?

I'm not sure how they are they supposed to improve performance? If you need to replace stock turbo elbows, they are cheaper than genuine and better quality, but a hose is a hose as far as the air flow is concerned.

Let me add, that the intercooler piping on the Defender 200TDI will have no measurable pressure loss. It is well oversized for the application. Part of what I do for a living is piping design, so you'll have to trust me on this one.

Thanks. From what I understand, in theory, the problem with using rubber hoses in turbocharger / intercooler applications, is not so much the loss of pressure due to size of hose, but the loss of pressure because of intercooler hose inefficiency. It makes sense that using silicone hoses certainly will help keep the air cool as silicone is a much worse heat conductor than rubber. As we know the cooler the air, the better the performance. Now I know for a fact that increasing the size of the intercooler makes a huge difference in power output, just wondering if switching to silicone would make a noticable difference as claimed by many of the hose peddlers out there.
So, has anyone tried it and were they able to feel any difference?

First the "hoses" are just the elbows. The main runs are in metal. Second, very little of the heat loss is from the piping runs. Third, the stock elbows are quite thin, silicone elbows are quite thick and I'm sure the insulating value of the silicone is higher. Fourth, the stock hoses won't be made of rubber as they need to withstand hot oil.

If you want to increase intercooling, remove the stock shroud behind the intercooler. It is very restrictive. In my testing, removing it made a very large increase in intercooler efficiency.

And lastly, the stock intercooler is not really undersized for the stock turbo and boost (with the shroud removed). If you want power gains, increase fueling. A larger intercooler is only another step that is needed when you go up well beyond stock boost. It is quick and easy to pop a temperature gauge into the intake manifold and see if the intercooling needs to be improved.