Recommendations for a hot day Options

[Grosbard]

Hi all,

Temperatures here will be 100 degrees this weekend. I'm planning a drive tomorrow, so I would like to ask you guys for recommendations for keeping the engine from getting too hot. i.e. Not improvements to make for the future (I have a plan for that already), but just tips and suggestions to improve things for tomorrow.

1. My thought is as long as I'm willing to pull over at a rest area whenever the temperatures get high, and turn the car off and let it rest for 20 minutes or so, I'm thinking I should be fine. Am I correct in saying that or is 20 minutes not nearly enough for getting temps down an appreciable amount?

2. What would you say is the ideal RPM for max cooling? On the highways here, I can sometimes get as low as 2400 RPM in 5th gear while driving the speed limit. I suspect that 2400 RPM is too low for optimum fan cooling - although it also generates less heat than a higher RPM, so the question is where is the tradeoff optimal point of RPM.

Thanks in advance!

[michael7810]

I have a good amount of experience driving in 100+ temps. My car (1911 cc w/Webers) runs normal temps (oil 220F heads 325-350F) up to about 65mph cruises. Above 65 or in the mountains the head temp creeps up. Once the heads exceed 350 I keep the revs around 4000 and that keeps them from exceeding 375. On prolonged periods above 4000 the oil temp starts to creep up. At that point I will slow down a bit or be sure to lower rpm on the flats or downhills to lower oil temp without raising head temp. Having both head and oil temp gauges is critical IMO.