Samco make a silicone charge pipe kit for my car. I can make my own stainless steel charge pipes for a bit cheaper than the Samcos, but don't metal charge pipes conduct heat inside the engine bay? Does exhaust heat wrap and/or paint stop this?

 

what car??

i'm gona guess and say a 1.8t VW

 

Nope, MCC (owned by Daimler Chrysler) Smart fortwo, 700cc turbo. www.thesmart.co.uk

 

silicone definately insulates heat. However, your focus should be to place the turbo filter somewhere away from the engine if possible. If your trying to go cheap, get mild steel pipes ... Maybe thats what u meant anyways. Lastly, paint does not stop heat from escaping out of pipes, heat wrap does fairly well, however it will be a pain, waste of time, and $ to do on charge piping in my opinion. You do not want to keep hot air inside your charge pipes.
Keeping hot air out of the engine bay is somewhat beneficial, but with the $ your putting silicone hose kit, you can get an upgraded intercooler

 

The problem with Smart cars is that both the roadster and forwo are mid engined. The engine bay is very cramped and doesn't get a lot of airflow. The air filter is in an air box with it's own cold air feed. I am worried that stainless steel pipes will conduct heat from the engine bay and heat up the air going into my engine.

 

where u live

 

I'd use mild steel coated inside and out with duplicolor paint. It's ceramic based and insulates very well. It's the cheapest and probably most effective way to go.

 

I'm gonna say he lives in the uk

 

I'd say UK too