Thoughts on hood insulation?

[Benzy Boy]

I don't think it serves any purpose as far as protecting the paint is concerned.
It makes the fenders even hotter when it's installed so if it had anything to do with paint it would cause the paint there to fail prematurely, which does not happen.

It also insulates the engine sound, but is this even a good thing?

I removed my hood insulation and now I can hear my M119 noises much more clearly including the intake noises and all those other wonderful engine sounds.

Why would anyone want to muffle their M119?

 

[gsxr]

Typical MB owners want the sound reduction... but us gearheads might actually prefer more engine noise.

I do think the insulation helps extend the life of the paint, which otherwise gets more engine heat without insulation, than it would with insulation. However, I'm really not sure how much difference this makes for paint lifespan.

 

[Bogeyman]

W113s did not come with insulation and my early R107 doesn't have it either although later ones do.