Should I be doing anything extra special to make sure my cooling system is keeping up (short of upgrading it), I haven't been getting on the car AT ALL and am not running the A/C, avoiding sitting in traffic much as possible and making sure nothing is leaking, haven't had a problem with overheating (yet)

car is stock except for aluminum ast/downpipe/chopped airbox

 

its a car, it was sold in many states that see well over 90 degrees, drive it like its hot.

 

remove the weather stripping at the top of the hood where it meets the windshield. that should help slightly. but you really need an after market radiator.

 

The weather has been the same down here and if you're stuck in traffic with the AC running the coolant temperatures will climb. I was in bumper to bumper traffic the other day and my water temp reached 101C which is still at a safe level but as soon as I got out of traffic and turned the AC off it went back to 88C. If you don't have any coolant leaks or a o-ring failure letting exhaust gasses escape into the coolant system you'll be fine when the weather is like this. Personally I don't get on the boost too much when the weather is like this due to the higher intake air temps.

 

yeah i did boost it once yesterday and noticed it lacked a lot of top end from the crappy air anyway

 

NO! Dont do that, below the windshield is a high pressure area and it will push air down into the engine bay reducing the air flow through the radiator.

As long as you keep the cooling system in good shape 90's definately is not a problem for the car.

 

if your really crazy you can turn the heater on full blast to vent hot air from the engine...

 

i'll melt! mid 90s is *HOT* for michigan heh

 

You can also do the fan mod, and if you have a PFC you can lower the temp at which the fans come on

 

Exactly. People are getting way too timid. A functioning cooling system should be able to handle it. Actually, the greatest danger is to your fingers. If you try opening your hood, that prop rod can be hot! (and I often forget to use a rag for insulation.) I also leave the hood open when I get back in the garage. It helps cool things down.

 

I would sell any car that that I felt that unsure about. No car is worth that much effort.

When my car is warmed up, I drive it like I stole it. If I couldn't do that, I would see no point in owning it. An FD is going to blow its engine somewhere between 40k and 100k miles no matter what way you drive it. (And a Koyo only costs $300 or so if you think there is something wrong with your current cooling system.)

 

I'm stock, and in Summer we see over 100F easily on many days.

I found the stock cooling system to be more than adequate, even in heavy traffic with the A/C running.

I did the manual fan switch mod, using a switch in the cabin to manually activate the fans. I found this to barely effect my running temps (aftermarket temp gauge) so have since disconnected it. My fans seem to kick on at around 200F so I'm guessing the previous owner had a different thermoswitch put in.

195-200F Normal Driving
200-210F with A/C on in 100+F weather

 

no i'm just being **** and i do all my own work combined with the mileage (60k) and what i paid for it, i'm making CERTAIN any failures aren't directly related to my behavior / neglect.

 

It's all conjecture at this point until you get a water temp gauge. Boost and water temp gauges are mandatory for a good ownership experience.