300 F?! What the...Damn! FWIW the heater would have only dropped the water temps 1 to 2 degrees C LOL Crispy's supposed to be making my new oil catch bottle oil filler neck cap. I'm looking forward to trying it. He says he doesn't drain his catch bottle that often with his new filler neck cap design. 119 C...Wow! Why was your oil pan only 1/2 full? Are you running an oil vent catch bottle to prevent oil sprayage? I see that you put a few laps on the 10 x 18 CCWs and 285/30-18 Hoosiers 112C is what I've seen at the end of my sessions. I'd be interested to see what BMW water temps are...

RE ZumZum...RaceTire.Com charged $50/used Hoosier in 245/45-16. Not sure what their price is now, since I used this source over two years ago. Awh heck, just buy some new Hoosiers. FWIW, the new R3S04 compound is supposed to last longer with the same stick level as R3S03. Target date for release is this fall...or so I'm told by the Hoosier Race Tire "insiders"...

 

300 F?! What the...Damn! FWIW the heater would have only dropped the water temps 1 to 2 degrees C LOL

Not on my car If I forget and leave my control on the cool side my temps climb like crazy. IME On the street its only about 1 or 2 but not on the track and this is without running the inside fan.

I'm looking forward to trying it. He says he doesn't drain his catch bottle that often with his new filler neck cap design. 119 C...

Don't have a catch on this car but I think I'll have him make me one as well 119c is too hot but seeing the needle over the 3/4 mark was really what made me slow down. Thankfully the temps came right back down. I try to keep the oil topped off but it slipped my mind on that run.

I see that you put a few laps on the 10 x 18 CCWs and 285/30-18 Hoosiers

First time was at VIR a couple of weeks ago with NASA on the north course. With NASA you can pass anywhere so it was a blast Simply amazing setup for our cars.

112C is what I've seen at the end of my sessions. I'd be interested to see what BMW water temps are...

They are not too interested in water temps and made me feel stupid for asking



300? OMG and WTF............that's unbelievable............and here I am getting my panties twisted at anything over 215. Sheeesh.

The suprising things is he was not too concerned

agree on the Hoosiers. I have an extra set of stock rims and happened across some 245/45 16's for $100 for all four and threw them on..........lap times went from around 3:00 to 2:48 and I was lovin life..........

My only dilemna is that whereas they were in real good shape prior to the session I wore through them in 5-6 hours of track time..............I can't really afford to burn up a set every track day.............momma would def change the locks on me................any suggestions? I've heard:

I'm sure once I use these up I will go with some cheaper tires...Kumhos or something more reasonable but damn they are really nice. I've been told that the current Dunlop slick is the stickiest yet I'm going to turn them around or run the inside on the outside to try to get more mileage. I want the fun to last as long as possible.

SEE YOU AT VIR

 

Stock motor, stock turbos at 11psi, stock radiator, aluminum AST, 80% water/20% coolant, stock oil coolers with Castrol 10W-30 motor oil.

Coolant mods: Sides of radiator inlet in nose closed off, Miata thermoswitch, heater on max.

1.7 mile roadcourse (www.motorsportranch.com), sunny, 95 F degrees outside.

Temps taken from throttle body coolant line. Constant flogging and 7500 rpm shifts spiked temps to 230ish F degrees. Shifting at 6500 held temps to approx 220 F degrees.

Engine, radiator and hoses are approx one year old.

 

Boy, this thread is making me feel a little better about my temps at Buttonwillow (full 3-mile course, Config #1).

stock motor, stock turbos at 13 psi, 75%/25% water/coolant in Fluidyne radiator, single OEM oil cooler, Mobil 1 oil, PFC with fans set to come on at 92C (198F).

Temps after 3 laps: water: 225-230F, oil: 255-260F, block temp (from PFC): 105C (221F).

This was with full-on driving (7500-8000 rpm shifts), never getting below about 5000-5500 rpm. Ambient temps were 95-97F, god knows what the on-track temps were.....

 

Its not really making me feel 'better', but at least it shows that high temps are not that uncommon at the track.

Our temps still don't sound all that safe, though

 

Well said. I don't feel good about the temps at all, but at least I don't feel alone....

 

Yeah, with street driven Rx7s, ie, not dedicated racing Rx7s, 220 to 230 F is on par for a hot day, IF you're driving the Rx7 at serious speed on track. Brad Barber's and Fabian's cars make much less heat, but their cars are race cars (track only anyway), and run single turbos, which create less heat stress than our sequential twins. The moral of this thread is to keep an eye on your water temps, and know when to back off, or pit-in to let the motor cool down. Great posts from the serious track racers...we're in good company here, fellas!

 

But I feel so alone here when you guys talk about meeting up at the same track

 

THATS FUNNY

Its amazing what we put up with for the joy of driving these cars which of course speaks volumes for the car itself. Poor mans you know.....

 

Speaking of which, there was a Ferrari 308 at the track. It WASN'T overheating....

Yes, it is amazing what we put up with. To be honest though, when I was sitting in the pits after having pulled off early, watching the rest of my run group having fun while I sat there with the fans on and the hood up.....I actually had a few moments where I could see myself selling the car for something more durable...

 

Hey guys,

I've been checking in and out on this thread. Great reading and extremely interesting first hand temperature experiences. I'm curious to know if any of you are using the Evans NPG+ coolant. As I'm sure you're aware, Rob at Pineapple racing claims that you can run Evans comfortably up to 260F without damaging the engine because the coolant transfers most of the heat energy. I've never understood exactly how the stuff works but from what I understand it's supposed to keep the metal housing temps lower than the traditional water/EGW mix. Anyone with data who can confirm or deny these claims? Several list members have been running this stuff now for nearly 2 years, so I would think that someone must have first-hand knowledge, especially guys who track the car?

Let me know what you've discovered!

 

Ok, DamonB, we won't leave you out next time. It's such a long haul to Texas you know...

 

maxcooper runs this stuff, but I have not read anything from him regarding whether Evans is better or worse than conventional coolant?

 

I can't believe this tread took off the way it did. I have been away for a while. With my set up I am using 3 gallons of Evan's coolant in my non pressurized system. I haven't had any over heating problems so far. I payed $15 per gallon now it is being sold for $25 or more. Every time I drain my motor I have to save every drop. PIA. 80% H20 to 20% coolant is a much better heat sink than Evan's in my opinion. The only problem is the low boiling point of H20 especially with water cooled turbos in street application. That is why Mazda uses the AST. I have no complains with Evan's coolant. I purchased it because I was going to keep my factory turbos. Then I got a hair up my ARSS and went overboard. I think it was a good thing though. My ride turned out satisfactory for a street car. It usually does what I need it to do and has so far been very reliable though my sorting out process. ( Stile on-going and never ending )

 

Are u still using an overflow tank and does the evans ever get to it? I can't seem to understand, if there is no pressure in the system, how does the Evans get sucked back from the over flow? I'm using the Evans in my FD but with the 0 pressure cap, I just kept getting the low coolant light.

so confused!

 

Yes-
Evans Coolant expands and contracts with heat as do most things. My overflow location hasn't changed from the thermostat housing. I have a large Griffin radiator Chevy style that I modified to fit 27" X 15" X 3"( Fully ducked with aluminum.) It seems that my Idea is catching on because 1 other 3rd Gen is now currently using a similar setup. Only 1" tubes instead of 1-1/4 like mine though. I have an Approx. 6mm rubber line coming off the thermostat housing and going into the overflow tank. The tube in the overflow tank is submerged in coolant. ( The coolant level in the tank was filled to the full mark and hasn't changed - NO EVAPORATION -) When temps go up the coolant in the engine expands and is forced through the 6mm line into the overflow tank. ( My overflow tank is also vented to the atmosphere ) When the coolant contracts ( Cools ), it creates a vacuum in the 6mm line ( Which is submerged in coolant )and draws the coolant back into the system. If the 6mm line is exposed to air during the process, it will suck the less dense/lighter substance ( AIR ). This process works the same way in a pressurized or non pressurized system.

 

I'm the other car using that core! lol

Does your coolant buzzer ever come on? Mine will come on for a second than I just keep driving and it turns off. First off, is the location of your overflow and the overflow itself stock? Mine is and when it was filled to the full mark and the radiator was full to the neck, the Evans would spray out of the breather hole in the overflow. Did you just pull the seal off the radiator cap to make it a 0 pressure setup? Lastly, have you ever lost coolant from that breather hole on the overflow tank?

 

No -Yes - I am using a stock cap on my thermostat housing ( It has no spring. Just a rubber washer to seal the top. The breather tube to the catch tank is exposed under the cap. In a pressurized system a spring would push a rubber plug over the hole. If you look at it you will understand.) I didn't check yours. I just checked out the brackets that Allen made to mound your radiator and how everything was plumbed. I have not lost any coolant from my breather hole on the overflow tank.

Allen did a nice install didn't he. Your car tested out quite well. Jeff was impressed. I used 2 Spal 11" fans on mine. Lighter and seem to work at keeping it cool. Let me know how your setup works on track. If your car is the one I saw, you should be located near San Francisco. I love Sears Point.

 

Yeah, I'm near SF now. He did do a great job, but I cant seem to figure out why I keep losing coolant. It doesn't make sense. Do you plan on comin out to sears point any time?

 

Unfortunately I am in the negative funds. Hard to afford toilet paper let alone fun track time. I don't know why you are losing coolant. When I saw your car everything seemed ok. I did not drive in it. As far as I know, Jeff put a few miles on it to check it out and everything was good. Give him a call. He is very sharp. He has forgotten more about than rotaries than I currently know.

 

Do some aftermarket radiators work better than other?

I have the Koyo which some say it too thick. Would I cool better with a different radiator?

 

I don't think the koyo is too thick at all and some do cool better than others but imo your fine with what u have. I think too thick is only an issue at speeds under 30mph where there isn't enough air passing through the veins of the radiator. But thats what fans are for!