Differences in cooling system between base GT and PP

[Thub]

I track my car (18 base GT) a few times a year, and during the summer months, I ran into overheating problems. I added a PP radiator from Tasca, which was indeed thicker than the original piece, a reische 170 degree thermostat, and some water wetter. Expecting my problems were solved, I went back to the track, and still overheated. (There was an improvement though)
At 235* CHT, I can feel the ECU pull power. Two other guys there with PP cars have had no issues on their stock system, while turning similar lap times.
What am I missing?

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[BmacIL]

Who's your tuner?

 

[Thub]

Ford. It's still the stock tune.

 

[aleccolin]

I thought the radiator was the only difference, but maybe the oil cooler is also?
Edit: part numbers show as the same, so I have no clue.

 

[vernonator]

The PP has a different "tune" from the factory than a base/std that could be your issue - how does the ECU know you have a bigger rad and a different thermo so it can react accordingly?

 

[EFI]

The PP has a different "tune" from the factory than a base/std that could be your issue - how does the ECU know you have a bigger rad and a different thermo so it can react accordingly?

No difference in ECU tune for base or PP. And the computer doesn't need to know the thermal capacity of the radiator for it to work well. There's nothing in the ECU that need to react accordingly besides the temps at which fans start up. But at 235 CHT the fans are on full blast anyway so it will make no difference if the tune has been changed to bring on the fans earlier. And once you move past 15mph, the fans mean diddly squat all the cooling comes from moving air due to a moving car.

The OP's issue are not ECU or tune related.

@Thub are the other PP cars 15-17 or 18+?

You may want to check that the thermostat is opening fully, could be a blockage in the path.

 

[BmacIL]

Thermostat opening rationality needs to be set. You should go back to stock Tstat but with the pp radiator.

 

[Troy Carter]

I"m guessing here because I really don't know but:

The 18+ base cars have grill shutters which close off airflow to the radiator presumably for fuel mileage improvements but the PP cars do not have these. These shutters can and will block airflow. I would assume that they would stay open once the motor gets hot but it may be too late by then. These can be overridden in the tune if you have the car tuned so that they stay open all the time.

Is this the issue? I have no clue but you can look into them to see if they are staying open while you're on track the whole time. Even if they just close for a bit that's lost cooling that you may need on the next straight.

 

[Thub]

I"m guessing here because I really don't know but:

The 18+ base cars have grill shutters which close off airflow to the radiator presumably for fuel mileage improvements but the PP cars do not have these. These shutters can and will block airflow. I would assume that they would stay open once the motor gets hot but it may be too late by then. These can be overridden in the tune if you have the car tuned so that they stay open all the time.

Is this the issue? I have no clue but you can look into them to see if they are staying open while you're on track the whole time. Even if they just close for a bit that's lost cooling that you may need on the next straight.

This sounds like it might be the issue. I might head to a ford dealer and snoop around on a PP car and see how different that part looks.

Thermostat opening rationality needs to be set. You should go back to stock Tstat but with the pp radiator.

I've never heard of thermostat opening rationality, but the car doesn't throw codes, and when it's fairly warm out, it will still get to the temperatures where the fans kick on (190 or so) under normal driving.
I can drop the temp to 175 or so at will by turning on the AC, which forces a fan on all the time, so the thermostat is functioning correctly.
The thermostat is mechanical, and on the track CHT it's hitting 235 or so, so the fans are on full blast.
Is there a place i can learn about thermostat rationality?

 

[Thub]

I thought the radiator was the only difference, but maybe the oil cooler is also?
Edit: part numbers show as the same, so I have no clue.

I did too, but the '18s all get the oil cooler too. I checked, it's in there.

 

[aleccolin]

That grille shutter idea sounds like a winner, might be able to just bypass it, unplug the harness to the servo maybe.

 

[H@mmer]

I wonder if it has something to do with airflow in the engine compartment due to the PP splitter/belly pan.
Also, I would definitely try putting the stock thermostat in. Just to see what happens.

 

[ApplesAndOranges]

Not directly related to engine temperature, the performance pack cars also have a differential cooler which is a huge bonus on a track.

Can anyone confirm if pp a10 cars have larger transmission fluid coolers?

 

[EFI]

Not directly related to engine temperature, the performance pack cars also have a differential cooler which is a huge bonus on a track.

Can anyone confirm if pp a10 cars have larger transmission fluid coolers?

No GT or EB have a diff cooler, regardless of trim.

And yes, the autos have a separate trans cooler although it's relatively small.

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