The Big Fat Track Car Cooling Thread

[shogun32]

hood vent allowed vastly better air-flow thru radiator which seconds as an oil cooler.
Help me convince @SteedaTech to sell a ready-to-install combo of their CSF 7072 rad and CSF oil cooler on a single layer bracket.
or FHP30x 15MU likewise married up to the CSF oil cooler in high-mount.

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[Flyhalf]

I was at the track last weekend and wanted to share my temp info.

Previous track event, the car was bone stock cooling-wise other than exhaust wrap near the diff and BG 75w90 fluid. Oil temps were in the yellow, CHT and diff were around 225. Ambient was maybe high 60s.

This last weekend, I switched to 0w40 oil in the engine and had the Race Louvers hood vent. Oil temps stayed in green the whole time. CHT hit 230 at peak but mostly around 220 +/- a few degrees. Diff hit 241 at peak. Ambient was high 70s, low 80s.
I'm trying to hold out on an oil cooler until I absolutely need one. The 0w40 oil seemed to help a lot. I'd like the CHT to be a bit lower so I may add more hood venting or just get a 3 core radiator.
Diff never seems to be an issue. I know I'm not the fastest guy out there so that's probably part of it.

Eric
I don't think 0w40 helped to lower the temps. I suggested you mobil1 0w40 more for engine protextion at higher temps with of course my friend motorkote.
Vents definetely helped. But i think is more due to the fact you are progressing as better driver. So you start using gears better. Also the different conf of buttonwillow might helped with cooling (?)
The prove you are progressing is the diff getting higher temps. So u are using more the car. And probably better.
The more you get faster andnthe omore heat you will generate tho.
So diff cooler will be important. (I know a guy with an extra one )

More then oil cooler i would Duct and box everything

This will help you a lot
Ale

 

[TeeLew]

I suspect the differential type is at least a portion of the rear end cooling issue. Torsens in general are a good plug & play option, but they're also known for being a bit of a power hog & producing excess heat. At a track like BW, especially in the bus stop & Esses, is a place where it often shows up (Sears Point Esses as well). They seem to be always differentiating & never really lock, which creates a lot of excess heat.

The Trac-Loc is always 1 burn-out away from being an open, so that's not a great option. I am curious about 2 others, the OS Giken, which is a ramp/plate Salisbury, and a spool, which doesn't differentiate at all. The spool wouldn't work for me in an autocross, but on a track, I'd be willing to bet it's pretty damned sporty.

 

[TeeLew]

hood vent allowed vastly better air-flow thru radiator which seconds as an oil cooler.
Help me convince @SteedaTech to sell a ready-to-install combo of their CSF 7072 rad and CSF oil cooler on a single layer bracket.
or FHP30x 15MU likewise married up to the CSF oil cooler in high-mount.

The GT4 has a radiator about the same height as an ecoboost rad that sits on the oil cooler. I think they can get away with this because the GT4 is restricted and makes less power than most track-day cars.

I'm hoping I can run a full size GT rad with the CVF 'Race' intercooler and then an inline oil-to-water heat exchanger.

 

[Ewheels]

Eric
I don't think 0w40 helped to lower the temps. I suggested you mobil1 0w40 more for engine protextion at higher temps with of course my friend motorkote.
Vents definetely helped. But i think is more due to the fact you are progressing as better driver. So you start using gears better. Also the different conf of buttonwillow might helped with cooling (?)
The prove you are progressing is the diff getting higher temps. So u are using more the car. And probably better.
The more you get faster andnthe omore heat you will generate tho.
So diff cooler will be important. (I know a guy with an extra one )

More then oil cooler i would Duct and box everything

This will help you a lot
Ale

I'll likely be going to ACS next month but after that, boxing the radiator will be my project for the winter.
I am much smoother and consistent than I was last year. Now need to pick up some speed. If only I knew a fast Italian to coach me

 

[Flyhalf]

If only that italian didn't crash at Sonoma lol
But you know you can ask anytime.

 

[SVO MkII]

He's saying that adding coolers only goes so far if the air has nowhere to go upon exiting the cooler or is allowed to flow around the cooler. I think your next mod should be proper hood vents and boxing the front end.

All the coolers in the world are irrelevant if the airflow sucks

OK, I'm convinced I need hood vents! I did a HPDE at Road America last weekend after installing the larger Mishimoto radiator (also have the Mishi oil cooler). Virtually zero improvement in coolant and oil temps. Still had a great time, but had to short shift the whole weekend. I'm leaning towards getting another hood and cutting holes in it for Trackspec GT4 vents.

 

[Flyhalf]

OK, I'm convinced I need hood vents! I did a HPDE at Road America last weekend after installing the larger Mishimoto radiator (also have the Mishi oil cooler). Virtually zero improvement in coolant and oil temps. Still had a great time, but had to short shift the whole weekend. I'm leaning towards getting another hood and cutting holes in it for Trackspec GT4 vents.

Unfortunately vents won't fix the issue.
I guess you havr the hreen yellow red gauge for oil?
ALSO what temps did you get for CHT

 

[Plimmer]

OK, I'm convinced I need hood vents! I did a HPDE at Road America last weekend after installing the larger Mishimoto radiator (also have the Mishi oil cooler). Virtually zero improvement in coolant and oil temps. Still had a great time, but had to short shift the whole weekend. I'm leaning towards getting another hood and cutting holes in it for Trackspec GT4 vents.

If you haven’t sealed all four sides of your radiator then you will get overheating no matter what you do.

And I mean properly sealed in, as in NO air that enters the front can bypass the radiator. This step is the most important for effective cooling. Most guys use aluminum sheet, but I’m not a good metal worker, so I used plastic corrugated sheet and duct tape and double sided tape to seal against radiator.

 

[Plimmer]

OK, I'm convinced I need hood vents! I did a HPDE at Road America last weekend after installing the larger Mishimoto radiator (also have the Mishi oil cooler). Virtually zero improvement in coolant and oil temps. Still had a great time, but had to short shift the whole weekend. I'm leaning towards getting another hood and cutting holes in it for Trackspec GT4 vents.

Here is what I mean. My mishi is keeping a 600hp TT cool in the Texas heat. The incoming air is forced through the coolers, can’t escape around any of the 4 sides.

 

[shogun32]

And I mean properly sealed in, as in NO air that enters the front can bypass the radiator.

do you have track vents too or just boxed rads?

 

[GT_Roadcourse_Newb]

Pardon the intrusion.
Would copper vs. aluminum boxing be potentially beneficial? Very heat conductive..? Wondering if there may have been some research or comparison, or people's opinions.

Cheers

 

[Flyhalf]

Pardon the intrusion.
Would copper vs. aluminum boxing be potentially beneficial? Very heat conductive..? Wondering if there may have been some research or comparison, or people's opinions.

Cheers

It won't. Ducting is before the radiators.
to direct air only through coolers and radiator itself.

 

[GT_Roadcourse_Newb]

Thanks!
Always been a fan of thermal conductivity, to my embarrassment!

 

[GT_Roadcourse_Newb]

I'm not sure I can let this go totally! (just having fun)

The thermal conductivity or heat transfer rate of copper is 92% versus aluminum which is approximately 49%

Heat will radiate outward despite a bunch of airflow, am I wrong?

So if heat from the radiator / whatever heat source - is boxed with copper, there will be better heat dissipation, right?

We aren't creating anything even close to a vacuum around any car parts with air channeling, unless I am an idiot and you are godlike. So just the transfer of heat to non essential components might be worth it.
What if there were some fins?

Sorry but I'm bored

Cheers

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