Pictures from weekend @ Willow Springs, too hot - questions... Options

[siverson]

I spent the weekend at the NASA event at Willow Springs. It was pretty fun, and a very fast track - 125 on front stretch, about 105 or so on the back stretch. Turn 8/9 right at about 90/100 mph. Yowzers. I had never driven on that fast of corners before.

It think it was about 105 degrees out too, and my car started to get too hot in the afternoon sessions. I actually had to stop the 20 minute run sessions early. I was quite surprised by this, as I had previously been concerned that the car is running too cool on the freeways. Hmmm...

I'm running a 3.6 with a front mounted Mocal cooler that's 20x6x2 or so. Another 914 there had a 4.0 (from a 3.6) with the factory C2 cooler under the rear trunk AND a front mounted cooler that was 16x6x2 or so.

I think my DME programming might still be a little off (too lean) contributing to the heat. I'll have to check it out.

Does anyone have any real world experience with the GT engine lids? Do they really make a cooling difference? Anything else to consider besides fuel/timing and engine lid before I start cutting away for a second cooler somewhere?

-Steve

[siverson]

> how high were the temps getting?

245 and then I went in. 245 isn't crazy high, but prior to this weekend I hadn't seen higher than 210. On the freeway just cruising along it'll drop to 190-200 (right where the thermostat opens). -Really- surprised me how much harder the engine/oil cooler was working on the track.

> re: fan

Yeah, I'm not sure if a fan would help or hurt. I know temps do climb when just idling in traffic (up to 210 or so), but they go right back down once some air flow starts moving through the cooler again. A fan would help in this situation, but on the track you're always going at least 40 or so...

> re: intake sealing

the exhaust is pretty well sealed, but the input isn't. There is some room for air to "leak out". Another guy at the track suggested this. I'll look into it.

> re: Looks like a Damn Bus sitting next to that SWEET GT Look Car.

Ha! I know. I didn't really notice it at the time but that picture really emphasizes things, huh?

> re: exit air flow

I'm venting via a shroud through the trunk floor. Right now the exhaust area is about the same size as the intake area. It would be pretty easy and non detrimental to open this open more, so I think I will just for the sake of it (and it'll save another .5 pound or so!)

Hey - BTW, just for fun I put my car on the tech scales they had setup and it came in at 2184#. Lower than I would have thought for my porky 3.6 car...

Weight +'s:

- 3.6, 915 transmission, front mounted cooler

- GT reinforcement kit

- Brad Meyeur longitudinal kit (~50 lbs? I dunno, it's heavy though!)

- about 10 ft of tubing reinforcement (front and rear)

- 1/2 tank of gas


Weight -'s:
- two seats, but otherwise no interior (no backpad, door panels, no carpet, no knee pad, no sound deadening of any kind) (all windows were in)

- front and rear carbon fiber lids

- no under coating

- no top, no spare, no tools (all left track side)

That was ready to go weight, just without the driver. I was guessing it would have been closer to 2300#+s... ? Anyways, just hijacking my own thread. Thanks for the input on the oil temp problem...

Hey, is the guy that was with Scott's Porsche here? Thanks for letting my borrow some of your tools!

-Steve