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Experiences with Drivetrain Cooling Under Track Conditions

1958cyclist

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Hi All:

I've been reading about the various ways to keep our S550's as cool as possible during track situations. Rear differential coolers, larger radiators and front mounted oil coolers, etc. A bit of information I seem to be seeing more frequently has to do with increasing airflow through the engine bay via larger hood venting more so than increasing cooling capacity via large heat sinks. There seem to be aftermarket hoods available with GT 500 mimicked venting. I was curious if anyone has had any experience with increasing airflow through the engine bay and its effect on sustained and improved cooling.
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Grintch

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Unfortunately, aftermarket hood design is driven more by looks than function. And almost all have no aero testing at all.
Actually this is true for most aftermarket bodywork.
 

AlbertD

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Look up RaceLouvers... they perform wind tunnel testing and just flat out work. Will require cutting up your hood.

I have just about all the vents you can get for the hood/fenders, custom boxed radiator (to force air through it) and opened up the front grill honeycombs... with these mods I typically peak around 235-240 oil temps (and 230ish CHTs) driving 10/10 for 20 minutes at a time. The factory PP radiator does a great job when it is paired with proper airflow management. I haven't had a need to go with an aftermarket oil cooler and in fact... am not a fan of the "bolt in" ones that go in front of the radiator as the hot air removed from the added cooler goes right back into the radiator. Plus... you have the added headache of potential leaks.
 

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I haven't had issues with my '16 PP. I did a more open grill, functioning hood vents as well as weatherstripping above the headlights to avoid hood flutter.

I regularly run at Thunderhill where 100 degrees is a cool day.

In general, I'm trying to avoid extra coolers and lines to avoid the weight increase.
 

NightmareMoon

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Try a search in the Track sub forum. This isn’t the first thread on cooling.
 

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BimmerDriver

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I think it depends too on the track and how severely you beat up the car. I've only done one event in my GT with no PP and had no cooling issues with temps in the upper 80s at VIR North. I am an experienced former instructor, but I don't flog the car or run at 10/10ths the entire session.

So, maybe work your way up to it and see if you are going to actually have problems before you start modifying the car?
 
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1958cyclist

1958cyclist

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Look up RaceLouvers... they perform wind tunnel testing and just flat out work. Will require cutting up your hood.

I have just about all the vents you can get for the hood/fenders, custom boxed radiator (to force air through it) and opened up the front grill honeycombs... with these mods I typically peak around 235-240 oil temps (and 230ish CHTs) driving 10/10 for 20 minutes at a time. The factory PP radiator does a great job when it is paired with proper airflow management. I haven't had a need to go with an aftermarket oil cooler and in fact... am not a fan of the "bolt in" ones that go in front of the radiator as the hot air removed from the added cooler goes right back into the radiator. Plus... you have the added headache of potential leaks.
What you suggest your experiences have been are what I've also read in other blogs, which is why I was looking for validation by someone who has actually tried these options. I wonder if the GT 500 hood would fit a 2017 model? Ford said that they had to use the original headlight design due to packaging of the front end, but I can't recall the particulars...
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