Frontbar/intercooler Airflow Question

[mystery_kid]

Ok so i've been thinking about my frontbar/intercooler right and i've noticed the top edge of the mouth bit that runs along the intercooler runs along pretty much flush with the intercooler

the reason i've been thinking about this is i've noticed it gets hot pretty quick when footing it (not because i have a fetish for frontbars/intercoolers)

would cutting it back a bit allow air to creep up behind the front bar through the intercooler/radiator be worth worrying about?

here is a pic of the front bar, the mouth bit in the botom i'm talking about

http://members.optusnet.com.au/paveway_s1/IMG_6153_1024.jpg

[tridentt150v]

I'd change the number plate location

[mystery_kid]

yeah but the amount if hangs over the bar is minimal

it looks like it's alot there, but if you look close enough the shadows are playing tricks

[tridentt150v]

Hoestly though you lost me, try putting an arrow on your attched pic so we understand where you are talking about

[mystery_kid]

you're in the right area

the mouth bit of the front bar in the center that exposes the intercooler, basically just behind the number plate that extends back towards the intercooler at 90º to the intercooler face, the top bit runs right along the intercooler pretty much up against it almost

like you can see the bottom bit of the front bar, that flat bit along the bottom closest to the intercooler, imagine that up the top of that mouth except pretty much butted against the intercooler

Edited April 19, 2010 by mystery_kid

[tridentt150v]

Let me get this right [i am having a conceptual challenge moment sorry], so you want to increase the flow of air to the intercooler in this area? you'd have to cut the front bar away to wouldn't you?

Or are you talking about bypassing the intercooler and going direct to the radiator?

[3LGODZILA]

wouldnt worry about it, as said before if anything moving the numberplate would help more

[tridentt150v]

^^^^ agreed, improvement would be minute, if you overheating I'd invest in:

1. a flush out of the radiator and coolant system or,

2. a new bigger better brighter radiator.

[mystery_kid]

ok here is a cross section drawing right down the middle of the front bar

intercooler is in grey, front bar is in dark blue

the area i've marked in red is what i'm talking about, if i cut some of that away from the intercooler to allow air to flow up there

[mystery_kid]

http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2622/crosssection.jpg

[gotRICE?]

Personally i dont think shifting your number plate is going to help a great deal.

Mine used to be like this:

It didnt really bother me because the cold side was always freezing cold. But on the track etc id still remove it for a bit of extra cool.

Now, i have just bolted it to the same bracket, but raised it and bolted it at the bottom instead.

It'd still be covering more than yours id say.

Edited April 20, 2010 by gotRICE?

[lachlanw]

cutting that bit out will do f**k all if not nothing.

get a real fan/radiator

[juggernaut1]

I wouldn't cut it away because as it is at the moment it is guiding air through the cooler and radiator. Cut it away and your effectively making a bypass for the air to go up and around the cooler and radiator rather than through it. Air will always seek the easiest path to flow so you don't want to encourage it to flow around the cooler rather than through it as this would be counterproductive to what you are trying to acheive.

Moreover, aluminium coolers and radiators are excellent thermal conductors....the air that is currently going through the cooler in its present setup will chill/cool that part of the cooler and radiator....but will also chill the top part of the cooler and radiator because of its thermal conductivity properties.

If you really need to improve things then I would consider a vented bonnet as this will relieve the air banking up in the engine bay which in turn impacts on the flow through the cooler and radiator. Or run it on E85.

Edited April 20, 2010 by juggernaut1

[mystery_kid]

yep that was my other line of thinking, cutting it away would lose concentration on the bit that the air does flow through and weighing up if it's worth it. I didn't add that in cause it was confusing enough as it was lol

I know realistically i need an alluminium radiator, i was just playing around with this idea as something easy to do to possibly improve things

[GTScotT]

+1 do not cut.

Something you may find interesting tho, a project I did some time ago was a turbo NXR.

I planned the thing for about 2 years while I saved up petty cash and learnt the car inside out. The day the car came to fruition (123fwkw) was one of the best days I can ever remember, the car was blisteringly quick and with the excellent match to power and torque it also handled exactly how I had predicted. It all came crashing down when I decided the top mount was the cause of a mysterious pinging issue (with my stock DET go figure), or so I was advised by every tuner under the sun. So on I went to install a front mount .

Next thing you knew power delivery had turned to shit and it has developed a massive overheating issue.. Best of all, it was STILL pinging its guts out, worse than ever. This was the end of it, I gave up and bought an evo.

When I sold the NXR I repainted the front bar to make the new owner happy and drove it around without for around a week. Within that week the car did not ping, did not overheat, did not hiccup, did not do anything it shouldnt have other than have that crappy peaky feeling the cooler gave it.

Problem was fixed ... I probably could have prevented the whole thing with refitting my splash trays and a good oil cooler WITHOUT a damn airblocking cheap china intercooler. Didnt need an evo... didnt need to sell the car.. but it was too late anyhow.

See this pic for an idea. Hope my garbage story helps you bud.

[silbastian]

sorry if it seems like hijacking your thread but on the topic of aluminum radiator, when should you know to upgrade to one?