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The Big Fat Track Car Cooling Thread

luc

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read through the thread, incredible amount of great info here. Has anyone switched to a 170F T-stat and added some water wetter? I've done this to a few of my cars through the years (mostly camaros & vettes) and it helped with cooling quite a bit.
?????
A thermostat no not control the maximum coolant temperature but rather the minimum
What control the maximum temperature is the cooling system Btu’s ( British Thermal Units) capacity
The only thing a lower rated thermostat can do is to slightly delay the maximum temperature
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Flyhalf

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read through the thread, incredible amount of great info here. Has anyone switched to a 170F T-stat and added some water wetter? I've done this to a few of my cars through the years (mostly camaros & vettes) and it helped with cooling quite a bit.
My race car is 90% 1water wetter. Some coolant for lubrication.
 

Ewheels

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My quote of ewheels was specifically in regards to the Mishimoto Oil Cooler kit for the S550 Mustang GT. If that’s what he is considering, I highly recommend against it.
No doubt the Mishi kit is small but ducting the radiator and oil cooler on the front and venting the hood at the back will definitely help with your temps
 

ZPD

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So I eventually gave up on the large oil cooler in front of the radiator and made brackets to hold 2 smaller coolers in front of each wheel. It was a lot of custom, measure plenty times type work, but the end results seem good. The air comes in through the spot light holes, and then I made a box around each cooler to force air through. I drilled holes behind cooler in the wheel liner to let air out.

Also what I learned the hard way is oil coolers must be rubber mounted to prevent them from cracking. My old center cooler setup would crack every year because I didn’t mount it with rubber isolation.

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When I had my front torn apart a few weeks ago I was contemplating this location. Did you ever think about using the oil coolers with fans on them instead of trying to direct the air? Also good call on the isolators. I have been working my setup over the weekend with the oil cooler mounted to the front of the frame parallel to the ground like Harrop and I put rubber isolators between the bracket and the frame rail.
 

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TeeLew

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So I eventually gave up on the large oil cooler in front of the radiator and made brackets to hold 2 smaller coolers in front of each wheel. It was a lot of custom, measure plenty times type work, but the end results seem good. The air comes in through the spot light holes, and then I made a box around each cooler to force air through. I drilled holes behind cooler in the wheel liner to let air out.

Also what I learned the hard way is oil coolers must be rubber mounted to prevent them from cracking. My old center cooler setup would crack every year because I didn’t mount it with rubber isolation.

F6FF91EB-9219-4881-9BB3-5E0E17608ECD.jpeg
94731051-8586-40DA-87A7-B6C10951AEBC.jpeg



D29C3D2E-8ADC-404D-ABB0-753461C6EF54.jpeg
I don't know what your fitment constraints are, but if you were to rotate that cooler forward at the top so it was at a 45* angle to the floor, then you would have a very nice cooling air exit path to the fender louvers. As it is right now, you're not going to get much cooling out of the rad because you have a very nice entry path for the air, but there's no where for the air to escape.

You've done a version of what I think might be the best plan. Two auxiliary rads on the sides of the main and then cool the oil with a heat exchanger. You've done it with oil coolers getting the air directly. I'm curious if you pull too much heat out of the oil.
 

TundraOnKings

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I don't think there is such a thing. If there is on some arctic morning, a rag stuffed into the hole should do it.
3 weeks ago, with the Mishimoto oil cooler mounted directly front and center, I was in the yellow on the edge of the red for engine oil temp……when it was 30 degrees out….and snowing on track. Literally.
 

NeverSatisfied

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3 weeks ago, with the Mishimoto oil cooler mounted directly front and center, I was in the yellow on the edge of the red for engine oil temp……when it was 30 degrees out….and snowing on track. Literally.
The factory oil gauge is not an indication of oil temp once you’ve separated the engine oil cooling from the coolant.

Need to get a separate gauge on it.

Although it does indicate you’re still pushing your engine coolant heat rejection capacity.
 

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When I had my front torn apart a few weeks ago I was contemplating this location. Did you ever think about using the oil coolers with fans on them instead of trying to direct the air? Also good call on the isolators. I have been working my setup over the weekend with the oil cooler mounted to the front of the frame parallel to the ground like Harrop and I put rubber isolators between the bracket and the frame rail.
I think the fans would only be helpful at slow speeds versus 80mph track speeds.

how much 'Shore' on the rubber isolators?
I purchased the setrab installation bracket which came with rubber isolators. It felt pretty soft, like bicycle tube type rubber, with the cooler floating between two pieces.

I don't know what your fitment constraints are, but if you were to rotate that cooler forward at the top so it was at a 45* angle to the floor, then you would have a very nice cooling air exit path to the fender louvers. As it is right now, you're not going to get much cooling out of the rad because you have a very nice entry path for the air, but there's no where for the air to escape.

You've done a version of what I think might be the best plan. Two auxiliary rads on the sides of the main and then cool the oil with a heat exchanger. You've done it with oil coolers getting the air directly. I'm curious if you pull too much heat out of the oil.
Easier way might be to buy an aftermarket GT500 bumper, from what I’ve seen it seems to have good openings and space in that area.

I did drill a ton of holes in the fender liner behind the cooler to allow the hot air to escape.

I live in Texas, so over cooling is hardly ever a problem, and I’ve still got a sand plate which prevents the oil from over cooling.
 

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shogun32

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TeeLew

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I think the fans would only be helpful at slow speeds versus 80mph track speeds.



I purchased the setrab installation bracket which came with rubber isolators. It felt pretty soft, like bicycle tube type rubber, with the cooler floating between two pieces.



Easier way might be to buy an aftermarket GT500 bumper, from what I’ve seen it seems to have good openings and space in that area.

I did drill a ton of holes in the fender liner behind the cooler to allow the hot air to escape.

I live in Texas, so over cooling is hardly ever a problem, and I’ve still got a sand plate which prevents the oil from over cooling.
I was looking at a GT500 nose last weekend. That'd be the easier way to go, for sure.

On that fender liner, you might have tapped into a high pressure area, in which case the holes are fighting you. If it's not cooling as well as you think it should, I'd take a 2nd look in that area.
 

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Interesting discussions.. after my Tirewall incident I am replacing the whole front end.
Vicerez GT500 bumper, GT350 fenders and liners, triple vent Anderson Composites CF hood.
Plan is to go Setrab cooler on drivers side, behind lower vent. I’m also looking at areas to mount brake cooling ducts. As I will have an APR splitter, I doubt the air directing planes on the control arms will get enough air.

Does anyone have experience using the planes with a flat full splitter.?
Plenty of openings for additional cooling over the stock GT.
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SVO MkII

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Is there any way to disable the factory "safe modes" associated with high inferred oil temp on the factory gauge? I have several cooling mods, including race louvers on the hood, and I am now seeing approx. 40 deg difference between my mechanical oil temp gauge, and the factory inferred temp (mech gauge reads 245, and inferred temp is in the yellow, where the ECU starts pulling boost, approx 285).
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