The Big Fat Track Car Cooling Thread

[AlbertD]

No build thread yet, I will have a racing journal and build info on our projects page on our website when I have time to sit down and write everything down. I have tons of pics as the car was being built and want to get a little closer to being done before I share everything.

I relocated the battery and the coolant bottle so there would be more room up front, I remounted the top of the radiator forward about 20* and built fiberglass ducting to seal off all the airflow from the grill openings and force it all to go through the rad. I also replaced the GT PP grill for the Ecoboost grill as the open area is much larger than the PP grill.Once the ducting was built and installed we have had zero issues with coolant temps, and the OEM oil cooler is doing a reasonable job as long as you are doing short sessions, 25 min or less and oil temps stay in check. I will see what happens on longer stints and may need to add an additional oil cooler. Having the Moroso pan with its extra 2.5qts of oil should help extend the time on track a little as well. Adding the hoods vents should help extend it some more too.

Dave

Thanks Ewheels... I searched a bit more and seem to have found ddozier's post above in reference to the relocation... This looked to work out great so I may pursue something like this.

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[sigintel]

That is my blue mustang
So i have trackspec still on the side but i did change the central one with RACELOUVER one.
It seems well done. But to be fully honest i don't have personal data providing they work BETTER FOR ME than the central trackspec one.
I did a trackday with the new setup in LAGUNA SECA but temps were around 70f so not really big issues in overheating.
Aug 1st i have thunderhill where we will be at 100f. I do have data there with full travkspec setup so should be nice to see differences.

On wind tunnel RACELOUVERS generates more downforce also. (About 20lbs more)

Fyi guys

I did this video when i got the car to test the OEM vents.
They do almost nothing even with removing the Underhood foam.
They are done to dissipate heat when the car stops.

Nice work!
Consider a video with firewall plastic coping and the weatherstrip underneath removed?
Then add a gurney lip and back edge of hood...
Then add hood spacers/ washers tokyo style to lift the back edge of hood...

 

[Ewheels]

Nice work!
Consider a video with firewall plastic coping and the weatherstrip underneath removed?
Then add a gurney lip and back edge of hood...
Then add hood spacers/ washers tokyo style to lift the back edge of hood...

This is bad advice. Please do not spread this misinformation. The rear of the hood, at the base of the windshield is a high pressure region. Lifting the hood will actually suck air back into the engine bay rather than evacuating it. This is precisely how cowl induction hoods work on drag racing cars.

I would like to ask that you edit your post so other readers don't get mislead with incorrect thinking.

 

[AlbertD]

This is bad advice. Please do not spread this misinformation. The rear of the hood, at the base of the windshield is a high pressure region. Lifting the hood will actually suck air back into the engine bay rather than evacuating it. This is precisely how cowl induction hoods work on drag racing cars.

I would like to ask that you edit your post so other readers don't get mislead with incorrect thinking.

I concur, aerodynamics does not work as one would think... immensely complicated animal and best not to muck with it unless it is fully understood. The one nice thing about it is that anyone can conduct tuft testing to easily see flow direction and attachment/detachment characteristics. If you taped yarn at various places to the rear of a hood that has been "opened up" and took a drive, you would easily see that air will want to get sucked into the engine bay, not out of it.

 

[sigintel]

This is bad advice. Please do not spread this misinformation. The rear of the hood, at the base of the windshield is a high pressure region. Lifting the hood will actually suck air back into the engine bay rather than evacuating it. This is precisely how cowl induction hoods work on drag racing cars.
I would like to ask that you edit your post so other readers don't get mislead with incorrect thinking.

uhhh I think I said "Consider a video" ... cause it would SHOW THE FLOW and be freakn cool like his other videos..
You are you opposed to making videos?
Or opposed to people understanding airflow?
Or you think @Flyhalf was going to be smart enough to make a video, but somehow he wouldn't understand the flow from the video he makes and go crash his car?
edit: he is badass to actually test and share.
You dont want him to make a video showing how smart you are?


Seriously though, tracked a 2015 GT with a Whipple on road courses around hot arse Texas for two seasons.
I used a 90 degree GURNEY FLAP at the back of the hood with open cowl. Sooo, got a little bit of experience w thermal issues.
The open cowl was freakn AWESOME for stop n go traffic too.
But yeay, everyone should do their own testing and not take the advice of anyone.

Heck, I remember first testing the 2015 and finding so much lift on top of the front bumper I rebuilt the front clip almost a whole inch lower by rotating the entire front bumper downward. Thread somewhere. Funny how the 2018 bumper came out lower than the 2015?

Ill be in the corner crying if you need me. After that, Ill go outside n play a game of hide n go f myself.

 

[Thub]

uhhh I think I said "Consider a video" ... cause it would SHOW THE FLOW and be freakn cool like his other videos..
You are you opposed to making videos?
Or opposed to people understanding airflow?
Or you think @Flyhalf was going to be smart enough to make a video, but somehow he wouldn't understand the flow from the video he makes and go crash his car?
edit: he is badass to actually test and share.
You dont want him to make a video showing how smart you are?


Seriously though, tracked a 2015 GT with a Whipple on road courses around hot arse Texas for two seasons.
I used a 90 degree GURNEY FLAP at the back of the hood with open cowl. Sooo, got a little bit of experience w thermal issues.
The open cowl was freakn AWESOME for stop n go traffic too.
But yeay, everyone should do their own testing and not take the advice of anyone.

Heck, I remember first testing the 2015 and finding so much lift on top of the front bumper I rebuilt the front clip almost a whole inch lower by rotating the entire front bumper downward. Thread somewhere. Funny how the 2018 bumper came out lower than the 2015?

Ill be in the corner crying if you need me. After that, Ill go outside n play a game of hide n go fuck myself.

The cowl is a well known high pressure area of almost every car. That's the reason "cowl induction" is a thing (it's not just a cool marketing phrase) I'm sure I'm not actually teaching you anything by saying that, but it's useful for anybody else reading.

 

[Ewheels]

uhhh I think I said "Consider a video" ... cause it would SHOW THE FLOW and be freakn cool like his other videos..
You are you opposed to making videos?
Or opposed to people understanding airflow?
Or you think @Flyhalf was going to be smart enough to make a video, but somehow he wouldn't understand the flow from the video he makes and go crash his car?
edit: he is badass to actually test and share.
You dont want him to make a video showing how smart you are?


Seriously though, tracked a 2015 GT with a Whipple on road courses around hot arse Texas for two seasons.
I used a 90 degree GURNEY FLAP at the back of the hood with open cowl. Sooo, got a little bit of experience w thermal issues.
The open cowl was freakn AWESOME for stop n go traffic too.
But yeay, everyone should do their own testing and not take the advice of anyone.

Heck, I remember first testing the 2015 and finding so much lift on top of the front bumper I rebuilt the front clip almost a whole inch lower by rotating the entire front bumper downward. Thread somewhere. Funny how the 2018 bumper came out lower than the 2015?

Ill be in the corner crying if you need me. After that, Ill go outside n play a game of hide n go fuck myself.

Wow....someone is insecure.

This wasn't an attack on you, dude. Maybe I misunderstood your post. I thought you were suggesting raising the rear of the hood would improve cooling and airflow, which is incorrect. I didn't want a new reader to scroll through this thread and get wrong information.

 

[sigintel]

Wow....someone is insecure.
This wasn't an attack on you, dude. Maybe I misunderstood your post. I thought you were suggesting raising the rear of the hood would improve cooling and airflow, which is incorrect. I didn't want a new reader to scroll through this thread and get wrong information.

Right?.. English is second language so maybe I failed there?
meant to be construed as asking someone to make a video, not "advice". so my bad.

I was hoping to get a video of 3 non-stock aero setups:
0.(Assumed reference) Stock, W coping/etc
1. No coping, No weather strip
2. No coping, No weather strip, Added gurney flap
3. No coping, No weather strip, Added gurney flap, Rear hood lift

Consider a video with firewall plastic coping and the weatherstrip underneath removed?
Then add a gurney lip and back edge of hood...
Then add hood spacers/ washers tokyo style to lift the back edge of hood...

 

[Bridgie]

I'm currently installing Trackspec hood vents to my 2015GT.
Holes are cut and ready to fit. However I ran the car out last night on an errand and saw Air intake temps 20Deg above ambient.. (Normally 5-10max)
I have a GT350 Air intake fitted as part of the Perf Power Pack 2, So I guess it was sucking air in from the hot engine bay.

1. Has anyone closed off or partial close off the GT350 Open airbox..?
2. Would this effect the Ford Performance Tune..?
3. With the Filter now exposed to the elements - Anyone use a Pre-filter cover..?
4. Has anyone made a Rain / water deflector plate for the airbox, to enable use on a DD, to be removed at the track.?
5. Should I get a closed airbox..?

So many questions.. Thanks in advance.

 

[AlbertD]

@Flyhalf is the guy to talk to.

Being that the under hood pressures are now changed with the hood venting, I would highly recommend going back to a closed box or since it sounds like you already have a pp tune... ensure that your current air box is completely sealed. Before the hood vents, the engine bay was pressurized with air which allowed the open element to work well... now the air is going to want to vacuum out the hood so it changes things. Going with a sealed box ensures you have proper intake flow and keeps the intake temps down closer to ambient. This also solves the issue with water getting into the filter.

Did you do the center vent as well? If so, you will most likely need a rain guard for that one as water can get unto some of the electronics in that area. I made a custom one out of some aluminum bar/sheets. I can take some pictures for you if you are interested.

 

[Bridgie]

I haven’t gone for the Center vent (yet). Small steps...
Aim is to reduce temps and hood buffeting on the straights. As it’s my daily and track car I want the best of both worlds.

I guessed the increased airflow would upset the pressure balance..
Any suggestions for a closed box which will fit the GT350 TB.?
The offer of pics is welcomed, I have access to fabricate something, but ideas are appreciated.

 

[AZHowln50]

@Flyhalf is the guy to talk to.

Being that the under hood pressures are now changed with the hood venting, I would highly recommend going back to a closed box or since it sounds like you already have a pp tune... ensure that your current air box is completely sealed. Before the hood vents, the engine bay was pressurized with air which allowed the open element to work well... now the air is going to want to vacuum out the hood so it changes things. Going with a sealed box ensures you have proper intake flow and keeps the intake temps down closer to ambient. This also solves the issue with water getting into the filter.

Did you do the center vent as well? If so, you will most likely need a rain guard for that one as water can get unto some of the electronics in that area. I made a custom one out of some aluminum bar/sheets. I can take some pictures for you if you are interested.

I would be interested in seeing your custom rain guards. I know I’m going to endure a monsoon here in AZ at some point. Thanks.

 

[AlbertD]

I haven’t gone for the Center vent (yet). Small steps...
Aim is to reduce temps and hood buffeting on the straights. As it’s my daily and track car I want the best of both worlds.

I guessed the increased airflow would upset the pressure balance..
Any suggestions for a closed box which will fit the GT350 TB.?
The offer of pics is welcomed, I have access to fabricate something, but ideas are appreciated.

I would probably try and seal what you have first and see if that helps. I've seen folks use plexiglass to create a lid for the 350 intake, otherwise... not sure what would fit the 350 TB. I am still running the stock 15-17 air box myself.

If you have some fabrication resource, two cost effective things that will give you better temps...

1. Box in the radiator to force air through it. The stock setup isn't completely enclosed so air can find it's way around it (air likes the path of least resistance) and now that you have the side vents, air will probably want to go out the sides of the radiator even more than a stock setup. I think I spent about $40 bucks on some HVAC sheets from Lowes and I was able to build an enclosed box with that and a ton of foil tape. Wasn't hard to do, just took a lot of time fiddling with cardboard and test fitting things.

2. When I was conducting tuft testing on the hood venting (trackspec and verus) I noticed air was being extracted at speed, but not as much as I was hoping for. I built some custom wickers to force a low pressure zone right above the vents and it worked like a charm. Afterwards I had noticeably increased flow. I started out with some 90 degree wickers out of aluminum angle and then built another set with 135 degree aluminum angle. Both worked great. About 20mm+ of wicker height seems to work well. I included a pic of my wickers below...

I would be interested in seeing your custom rain guards. I know I’m going to endure a monsoon here in AZ at some point. Thanks.

Went out and took some pics for you guys...

I started out with some cardboard and masking tape and went through various of iterations of cutting, test fitting, and reshaping until I had each part mapped out. Then I built an aluminum frame out of spare bar and covered it with aluminum sheeting. I reused existing holes in the hood as mounting locations. I believe the plastic push pins are 1/4in, but don't quote me on that. With those push pins I can take the guard off within a minute at the track with some pliers. I've had this thing through multiple monsoon seasons with the car parked outside and never had any problems with water. It's lasted me about 3 years now of street driving and still going strong...

 

[AZHowln50]

I would probably try and seal what you have first and see if that helps. I've seen folks use plexiglass to create a lid for the 350 intake, otherwise... not sure what would fit the 350 TB. I am still running the stock 15-17 air box myself.

If you have some fabrication resource, two cost effective things that will give you better temps...

1. Box in the radiator to force air through it. The stock setup isn't completely enclosed so air can find it's way around it (air likes the path of least resistance) and now that you have the side vents, air will probably want to go out the sides of the radiator even more than a stock setup. I think I spent about $40 bucks on some HVAC sheets from Lowes and I was able to build an enclosed box with that and a ton of foil tape. Wasn't hard to do, just took a lot of time fiddling with cardboard and test fitting things.

2. When I was conducting tuft testing on the hood venting (trackspec and verus) I noticed air was being extracted at speed, but not as much as I was hoping for. I built some custom wickers to force a low pressure zone right above the vents and it worked like a charm. Afterwards I had noticeably increased flow. I started out with some 90 degree wickers out of aluminum angle and then built another set with 135 degree aluminum angle. Both worked great. About 20mm+ of wicker height seems to work well. I included a pic of my wickers below...



Went out and took some pics for you guys...

I started out with some cardboard and masking tape and went through various of iterations of cutting, test fitting, and reshaping until I had each part mapped out. Then I built an aluminum frame out of spare bar and covered it with aluminum sheeting. I reused existing holes in the hood as mounting locations. I believe the plastic push pins are 1/4in, but don't quote me on that. With those push pins I can take the guard off within a minute at the track with some pliers. I've had this thing through multiple monsoon seasons with the car parked outside and never had any problems with water. It's lasted me about 3 years now of street driving and still going strong...

Perfect!! Thanks Albert. The rain guard will be my next project.

 

[wazatataza]

I'm currently installing Trackspec hood vents to my 2015GT.
Holes are cut and ready to fit. However I ran the car out last night on an errand and saw Air intake temps 20Deg above ambient.. (Normally 5-10max)
I have a GT350 Air intake fitted as part of the Perf Power Pack 2, So I guess it was sucking air in from the hot engine bay.

1. Has anyone closed off or partial close off the GT350 Open airbox..?
2. Would this effect the Ford Performance Tune..?
3. With the Filter now exposed to the elements - Anyone use a Pre-filter cover..?
4. Has anyone made a Rain / water deflector plate for the airbox, to enable use on a DD, to be removed at the track.?
5. Should I get a closed airbox..?

So many questions.. Thanks in advance.

to answer the questions art about the pre filter. I purchased the hydro shield and it did not help out at all when it came to rain. At least if the car is not moving. If your moving, it’s no issue since the air is being extracted from there and water can’t make its way in. Otherwise any rainstorm could cause you some MAF issues.

like the other guys said, a plexi glass cover is a great and cost effective way of sealing up the box. Should have no effect on the tune.

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