Sinister Diesel 99.5-03 Ford 7.3L Powerstroke Cold Air IntakeQ: I know it is stronger and looks better, but doesn't aluminum conduct more heat than plastic?, A: From a technical standpoint, aluminum will conduct heat a little better because it is metal, but the thin walled tubing allows the heat to dissipate from the moving air much faster. The issue with a plastic intake tubing is that while it takes just as much time to heat up, it takes a considerable amount more time to dissipate that heat build up, also