gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

I've got a track day at Buttonwillow coming up and decided to try and quickly fab up some ducting to the radiator. With the FMIC, its hard keeping temps under control and I'm hoping this helps force more air through the radiator.

The attached pic is the first proof of concept. I wanted to get an idea of how much of a pita this was going to be. So far not too bad. Managed to do what you see below in an hour. It doesn't look the best and there are a lot of small spaces that should be covered but you got to start somewhere.

I'm going to make another template and maybe find some other material that is easier to cut. Tin snips and a $5 sheet of metal from Home Depot is a pita to work with.

Doing this reminds me of back in the day when people used to share their DIY projects, not just their big dollar ones. If anyone has done this before and has some input, please do share.

twin7r1

iTrader: (1)

That looks like it maywork.... how much space is between the frame of the car and the rad in the front? mine only has at most about two inches but now that i think about it that could be alot of air..... let me know how it works!

also did you do any side ducting between the intercooler and the radiator?

weaklink

I was hoping to do something like this down the road. scroll down....

https://www.rx7club.com/race-car-tech-103/94-rx-7-track-car-project-begins-506890/page6/

damian also has some ducting posts and I believe already has a template available.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Yeah, I've seen that. Awesome work on that car. Max cooper also did something similar to the ducting I attempted to do, but he paid a professional for it so it actually looks good.

This is temporary until I finish my v-mount. Whenever that will be, I don't know...

RX7Crazy_84

iTrader: (1)

where do you put your battery? sorry i am curious cuz i am putting fmic as well and if you did put ur battery in the back, how did you get the wiring all the way to their, through inside or outside along the fuel lines?

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

I put an Optima red top in the passenger side bin. I had one of those mini batteries but they never lasted in my car. There is a great thread that I posted on that has pics and instructions. I don't have time to link you to it, but I'm sure you can find it in a search. I can't remember the guy that started it but he did a really good job of it that I followed with some changes to suit my goals.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Just got back from Buttonwillow last night after a 2 day event with the San Diego BMW club. It was a great event. Managed to put on ~200 miles of track time and learned a lot.

This little duct really seems to have helped. I'm surprised, shocked actually by the difference. I seem to have gotten a 5-7 C decrease in my cruising Water Temps. On track temps never exceeded 109 C driving at 8/10s and were usually around 104C. I'm sure I could have gone higher if I pushed it more but I that wasn't the goal of this event for me.

My normal cruising Water Temps are around 93-95 C around San Diego. The temps on my trip to/from Buttonwillow from San Diego seemed to average ~88-89 C cruising at speeds between 80-100 MPH on/off throttle and boost making my way through traffic.

The results surprise me. I think I'm going to pull this thing off and do a before/after in a more controlled environment to check temps before and after. I'll let you know what the results are.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

That's great that those have improved, but they still seem kind of high. Have you upgraded the oil coolers?

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

No just R1 oil coolers. I don't have a means to record oil temps - yet.

And yes, the temps are higher than I prefer at the level I was driving. I hope to do a vmount in the coming weeks/months if my work and travel schedule allows. This duct is just a band aid to the problem of the FMIC compromising cooling.

ptrhahn

iTrader: (9)

I wouldn't bother with the R1's. Get dual upgrades, and duct them too. Even if you can't record oil temps, the upgraded oil coolers do alot to keep water temps not only lower, but more stable.

NoMorePoison

iTrader: (1)

I just did this exact same thing! I did an metal undertray between my fmic and rad too, and noticed very similar results. However, my normal driving temps average around 81-85c.....

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Here are some more pics of my ducting project. This also helped cooling a fair amount. Lets see if the pics upload....

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Good. It worked.

Combining the duct / shield above the radiator with this "air diverter" on the undertray helped direct air up to the radiator (instead of under or over it). Without some kind of ducting or manipulation of air flow, the air that is coming in through the nose is just going to take the path of least resistance - which is over, under and around the radiator and A/C condensor.

I theorize that a vented hood is only going to increase the speed of the air around the radiator. It will decrease underhood temps though which will help keep things a bit cooler indirectly.

The last part of my FMIC ghetto ducting project was to get some clean air under the IC. I did this by adding a space between the bottom of the bumper and the Lip/Undertray using some small diameter rubber hose in 1/2" lengths and get longer bolts to attach it to the bumper. This also helped a couple of degrees since you now had some clean air going directly to the radiator instead of through or over the FMIC in the nose of the car.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

That is the end of this project for me. Hope this helps someone in the future.