Question about the Rain Tray

[Ninjak]

As a new GT500 owner I have a question. The rain tray: DO most leave it in place or do you take it out ? This is for regularly street driving, I am in S. FL, where it can rain on a drop of a hat literally.

Does it matter ? Just leave it in ? Or take it out ?

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[Evolvd]

I live in NW Florida and I’ve had my tray out for about three months and it’s been rained on multiple times. I even wash my car without installing it. I don’t have any water spots on my SC cover or anywhere else for that matter.

 

[Epiphany]

If I lived in an uber hot climate and could somehow avoid occasional massive downpours I'd be tempted to leave it off. Beyond that, unless tracking, minimizing water intrusion is never a bad thing. You aren't cutting power or airflow to the intake tract.

 

[Calif-GT500]

I took mine off the first thing when I got home from buying it. It fixed the hood lift at speed I noticed driving it home. I live in the SF Bay Area in California. I don’t drive the car in the rain. I wash the car without it as well just don’t dowse the vents. I think it might keep the engine bay cooler run as well, but that is antidotal as I’ve not measured the temp with and without

 

[Evolvd]

I took mine off the first thing when I got home from buying it. It fixed the hood lift at speed I noticed driving it home. I live in the SF Bay Area in California. I don’t drive the car in the rain. I wash the car without it as well just don’t dowse the vents. I think it might keep the engine bay cooler run as well, but that is antidotal as I’ve not measured the temp with and without

Gotta make sure you’re always anti-dotal

just busting your chops a little. I believe the word you were searching for was “anecdotal”.

 

[kilobravo]

Unless you're racing one venue or another, I don't see the upside to removing the tray. For street driving there is absolutely no need to remove it for performance. Now, if you just gotta see the silver blower cover, I get it. I don't drive in the rain either. Besides, I like my vinyl decal. :-)

 

[Houston Kid]

Come on boys and girls. It’s a engine designed to handle the elements. From day one mine was out and it rains in HTX. Had her out in downpours a few times and zero issues. Having it out helps the heat get out which is not a bad thing. Sitting in HTX 100 degree humid summers at a red light, you can see the heat pouring out of the top of the hood.
More airflow and moving heat out driving on the street is a great bonus of having it out.
Actually, when I sold the 2020 I forgot all about the tray. It’s still sitting in my garage.

Thread hijack warning…..
This reminds me of the equivalent of a eco mode for the beast. Not that anyone who drives these cars really cares about mpg, but driving in wet mode improves mpg quite a bit. It cuts HP down thus improving mpg. The car responds like a base 5.0 or worse, but mpg is better.

 

[Jmeo]

I also removed mine almost from day one and never looked back. I have been caught while driving in down pouring rain, and parked for hours in down pouring rain and could hardly tell under the hood.

I appreciate the less hood lift/shaking, and the BTU’s pouring out of the vents is never a bad thing.

 

[Houston Kid]

I would like to read about the pros and cons from the engineers or what they say are the ideal conditions for tray in and tray out.

 

[rp930]

Good discussion. Can somebody post a couple pictures with it out?

 

[Evolvd]

Good discussion. Can somebody post a couple pictures with it out?

Uhm, why? What are pictures of that going to do for ya . Just curious.

 

[rp930]

Uhm, why? What are pictures of that going to do for ya . Just curious.

Well I just wanted see if I liked the look from the outside. I’m too lazy to pull it all off to find out.

 

[Jmeo]

A quick look in my camera roll gave me these to share. Unfortunately I didn't find any looking towards the open vent. Obviously, pay no attention to my side vents, although they help quite a bit more releasing heat.

 

[rp930]

Thanks. I rarely drive in the rain so it may just come out.

 

[Angrey]

Glad to have found this thread. I've searched and searched the interweb on this subject, in hopes of finding a custom rain tray for my trackspec vent.

Generally, this thread follows the same exchange everywhere, guys ask, bunch of guys say you don't need it (which is why there's no marketplace for them).

I think the problem needs to be parsed into several categories or aspects.

If you live in South Florida, your concerns are different than if you live in Arizona.

I get that motor components are meant to be water RESISTANT (not waterproof). But it's not healthy to repetitively soak the motor, especially when the motor is hot or generating steam for all sorts of electrical connectors, components, etc. If that weren't true, everyone would simply pop their hood and pressure wash their motors (which is generally cringeworthy).

The concern isn't when driving (although sitting at a stop light, the open vents would expose the motor to downpour conditions, the concern is you're out to a movie or a dinner and a rain shower pops up and now the warm motor is sitting there steaming water that drips on it.

Maybe that's less of a concern in Arizona, but it's a likely scenario in Florida. Electrical components don't like moisture and they certainly don't like warm/steamy moisture. Long term it's a recipe for corrosion.

Can the motor withstand some of it? Sure, but it's not preferable.

Having said all that, what I'm trying to do is develop a rain tray that's easily installed/removed (i.e. like 30 seconds) so you can quick pull under an overpass and slap it in. Or you see rain coming and you just pull the tray out from the trunk and slap it in, it's not a 5 minute affair with tools, etc.

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