While installing my boost gauge through the drivers side wheel well, I had a chance to dissassemble the ducting that pulls air from the front of the car, up and over the wheel well, and then out the scoop thing on the side of the car. Is this intended to cool the wheel well (brakes) just by passing over it, or should it be venting into the wheel well somehow?

I started wondering while I was in there whether I could somehow tap into this source of fresh, cool, air for my homemade intake.

So, I guess my question is, what is the current purpose of this ductwork, and how does it accomplish anything?

 

that is the oil cooler ducting. fresh air blows through bumper, through oil cooler and up, around, and out through the fender vent. I'm not sure if the vent is actually there on the passenger side of non-R models or not. To be honest, it might supplement the intake air but I don't see how it could flow THAT much more than the stock intake anyways (by itself). I do know a few people have tried to run piping down to the front vent where the oil cooler would be (on non-R models obviously). I'm not sure how successful they were.

 

IMHO, you would be better served getting a second oil cooler than trying to duct an intake, not that it wouldn't work, for an intake it would be perfect, but the oil cooler is more important, to me anyway. Try ducting between the radiator and frame rail instead.

Frank

 

Mazda makes brake ducts for the stock R1 spoiler. This is different from the oil cooler ducts described below. The brake ducts connect to the openings in the R1 spoiler. PM me if you're interested in a pair...

 

there really isn't much room on the non-r1 models between where the oil cooler would have gone and where the intake is. U'd have to either leave u'r lights popped up all the time OR cut through some of the frame of the car. With the lights down, i can't even fit my hand, let alone some piping. I think it DOES help in general for cooling purposes to remove the plastic cover blocking the passenger side oil cooler duct on the non-r1 models tho.