IMO the best hood is the hood that Rob Harris made for a few of us a year or two back - it's a Mini Cooper scoop flipped around backwards and placed just forward of the valve cover. My only gripe is that the hood is heavy (~18lbs with the headlight lids molded in) so you don't end up with any weight savings.

I'm sure a carbon hood at 5 or 6x the cost would have saved me 8 or 9lbs, but that's fruit from the top of the weight savings tree.

 

Best Miata track hoods I have seen are OEM Miata with some ducts grafted on in the right spot. Everything else I have seen is either heavier, more fragile and much less rigid or all three.

 

I agree most carbon things are expensive, but this was 499 which was cheaper then the fiberglass top I bought for 550 plus hardware was extra. The hood has internal bracing like the stock and is very rigid. I did have to readhesive the bracing to the hood though but that was no big deal. I was going to use hood pins but am going to try the stock latch as it is very well installed and constructed. It weighed one half pound more then the stock hood without the rain guards installed and adding anything to the stock hood well probably make up that difference. I really like where the vents are and their design and size, should move lots of air through the rad.

 

You're definitely not referring to the Chaser hood. Mine flutters with the wind.

 

dgmorr I have had mine up over a hundred on some back roads with no flutter at all, that is why I decided to try it on the track without hood pins. I guess our experiences with the hood have been quite different, and yes it is a Chaser hood.

 

Just wait till he closes the hood a few more times. I also don't see how it was only 1.5# more than stock. My hood struts could not hold the chaser hood up, but has no problem holding my stock hood up. I never used the rain guards (btw, Dave, if you want the rain guards, I'll bring them out to the next meet)

I wonder if Chaser switched manufacturers or had the China factory up the quality. That is possible...

 

SmokeSR I don't know what the difference is as far as your hoods and mine. We weighed it on a digital scale and it was a 1/2# more with no rain gaurds and I have opened and closed it several times already, still looking good.

 

Mine is now with dgmorr. I got mine in the original groupbuy for the hood...the one that took over a year. It's been a while so they may have improved quality since then but I have no clue. Mine was noticeably heavier than my stock aluminum hood.

 

Yours looks good and I think Andrews setup would be nice with the mini scoop reversed, I just didn't want to cut my stock hood as I might want to sell this car someday with the stock hood to the street driver crowd and I like the looks of carbon fiber also. Matches the APR wing.

 

Yeah. I'm... a sucker for carbon fiber. I have too much aeronautical background and just love the stuff in all its uses. Why I'm interested in CF specifically.

 

So are the induction turn signal mods serving any purpose...I would think they are,but alittle confused from what u guys are saying. Im looking into the Naca Ducted headlight covers in (carbon fiber) worth it? tnx....

 

Anybody? I have these turn signals already,hoping to shove some cool air into the engine bay...but because they are infront of radiator are they still helping?

 

Shoving air into the bay, bypassing the radiator, isn't doing you any good. All that does is create more pressure in the bay, giving the air that goes through the radiator more backpressure that it has to work against. Duct your front end, making sure that all the air that goes into the mouth, goes through the radiator. Then, look at possibly venting the hood to get that air out, and the pressure in the bay down. Pressure differentials ftw!

 

TSI and headlight NACA are only good if they are feeding cool air to the intake (common) or some specifically ducted heat exchanger (not common). For cooling, they are a negative for the exact reason LukeH said.

 

So should I go back to regular turn signals? My intake is pretty close to the back of engine bay on drivers side...I dont have any cooling issues but wanted to improve on under hood temps...Tnx guys
P,S..What this thread needs is proper pictures of a set up done the correct way,and pics of ducting to the intake or radiator...That would greatly help out.

 

They wont help lower your water temps. Do you want to lower your in bay temps or your water temps? Ducting your radiator (if you havent already done it) would help both.

 

Engine bay temps

 

 

You meant coolant temps, right? Not a single person here cares how hot the engine bay is. You shouldn't either.

 

I new to the ducting thing,what material do u guys use, and where can I get it...would love to see pics of someone who has properly done ducting...these tsi were on the car already... but no ducting.....