Valkyrie

So, I have a custom metal front underpanel, but my oil cooler and brake duct area is completely open.
All the original plastic trim is gone. Which is to say, I don't have brake ducts, so much as just holes in the bumper.

Am I leaving aero gains on the table?
Or is having it open worth it for the brake and oil cooling benefits?
Or is it actually hurting my cooling not being blocked off?

Should I close it off and add some sort of brake ducts straight to the back of the rotors?

I would appreciate any info on what bits the FD came with from the factory, and why.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

Not sure whether you are leaving aero gains on the table but you are losing efficiency on the oil coolers if they do not have ducts into them. Without the ducts, most of the air will go around them instead of being forced through them.. So, yeah, probably losing some cooling capability there. I still have the OE ducts on my oil coolers and highly recommend something there.

Regarding brake ducting, the stock R1 air directing to the wheel well area is kinda brute force. It just directs air the wheel well. Doesn't direct it specifically to the brakes or hub. The stock routing is probably a little effective. Can definitely be improved upon for track duty. But brake ducting is a challenge given all the stuff that's in the way. ptrhahn has commented on brake ducting and perhaps other veteran users like damien and such back in the day. I'm kinda indifferent on these. I suspect it helps somewhat. I've seen some splitter type products that attempt to funnel air into the area. For a dedicated track car, I'd try to get some more airflow into the hubs and brakes - for reliability purposes on cars with bbk; for brake performance and reliability on stock brakes. For a street car, meh

my 2 cents

Valkyrie

Good point! My oil temps aren't too too bad, but if a bit of ducting could improve them on hot days, it would give me peace of mind.
Better oil temperatures then means better water temperatures.

For the races I do, at the courses I drive, the brakes don't really overheat, though they are slightly softer by the end.
My car only weighs something like 2600 pounds with me in it, and I make less than 345 hp at the flywheel on a perfect day.

I definitely want more front downforce from the stock R-package lip, though... maybe I'll just drop the front a bit.

gracer7-rx7

iTrader: (16)

2600 is amazing!
I would be considering a mild front splitter and some hood venting for track duty. Race Louvers has some cool youtube videos of both in action.

Valkyrie

I don’t have a cage, and this is without much gas, though… oh, and it was measured with skinny 16s, come to think of it…

BLUE TII

iTrader: (9)

The Porsche 911 style brake cooling deflectors that mount ro the front lower control arm and direct air to the brakes are getting more popular in the aftermarket.

There is also a Subaru variant that has a duct built in as well instead of a simple deflector.

Incase you decide to ditch the R1 air dam for a flat splitter and lower the whole car the 2" clearance gained from deleting the tall R1 air dam.

Valkyrie

Hmm, I hadn't heard of those. Sounds like a simple solution.

I don't want to lower the car toooooo much, just because I have no way of measuring the bump steer (have adjusters though), and don't want to change the geometry excessively.
I also don't want to spend any more time and effort on bits like aero when I really need better coilovers and a clutch pack LSD first.

I should probably be saving up for a new transmission at some point, since mine was a gift from a friend with a looooot of miles on it....

That, and get it registered at some point....