Turboburke

Hi,

I have an Intercooled m45 stock 1.8l NA with a big radiator. Did my first track day with it this weekend and had some issues with it running hot. I took off the whole front bumper which helped, but still ran hot. There are a lot of options out there for louvers and I wanted to see if you had any suggestions.
My options at the moment are the following.

Flying miata - I would put them on either side, but they seem to be smaller than the other options.


Hood louvers.com - big, but can be located in the low-pressure zone


singular motorsports - they look nice, but don't appear to be in the perfect low-pressure zone. I am also concerned about water dripping on the belts and since they mount on the underside of the hood it could crash with the blower outlet pipe.


Any thoughts?

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

I'd investigate why your car is overheating, first.


Once that's fixed, then Singular panels.

TNTUBA

iTrader: (1)

I use the "RunCool" hood louvers similar to the ones in your second picture. With my 11:1 motor, 24psi and all the timing, using a 1/2 width Honda radiator, I am able to keep the motor below 200 degrees with 2 drivers at a Pro Solo.

Ryan_G

iTrader: (8)

Can you qualify that statement with data? Singular motorsports did A/B testing of their hood louvers vs. multiple alternatives to design them to be most efficient. They also used verifiable pressure testing on the top of the hood as well as underneath it to determine the optimal low pressure zones for louver placement. I wouldn't discount their locations just because they don't "look right".

Other options may also be adequate but I think Singular Motorsports has the most efficient package at the moment. Your concerns about them being underneath the hood MAY have some merit but I would contact ThePass and see what he has to say.

90civichhb

iTrader: (5)

Doesn't your fuel choice also keep the engine a bit cooler?

Monk

iTrader: (3)

If you want to put them all the way up by the cowl, you're doing it wrong.
Read the singular hood vent thread by the pass, and see all of the testing that was put into the design.

unk577

Running Singular hood vents dropped my coolant temp by 10+ degrees and no longer have any hood lift at speed. Everything else you listed is a generic vent being made to work where the Singular vents are designed to go above the high pressure area under the hood and fit within the support structure of the hood.

Turboburke

Thanks for all the advise thus far.

With regards to my statement about the singular design not being in the low-pressure zone. I mentioned that because their location does not appear to line up with the low-pressure zone in the flying miata install guide. That being said, I will read up on the singular design thread. Their installation appears to be the most complete by far. I need to compare the witness marks on the underside of my hood from the blower outlet two to install location from their guide.
I will contact the gentleman mentioned and see if he has any idea about fitment.


Thanks
Burke

ThePass

iTrader: (3)

FWIW, Flyin' Miata is now carrying our hood louver kits. They just got a shipment of them, I expect they'll be up on their site soon - that was delayed while they worked on the facelift for their whole website, but you could easily call them up and order a set from them.

I promise you that nobody has experienced anywhere close to a solid 10* F coolant drop with the small generic louvers. Some of our customers have reported 15*.

The louvers mount to the top skin of the hood. The fins extend down, but no further down than the depth of the under-hood bracing, so unless you have components that barely clear the hood by protruding into a gap between the underhood bracing, there won't be any clearance issues.

-Ryan

tazswing

Seems like the cooling thread covers all these issues already. It is that thread that I am following to set myself up for the most success in keeping cool.

Did you cover all your gaps where air can escape (it's a pain to do so)? It sounds like really sealing up the radiator makes a huge difference in these cars.

mcfandango

iTrader: (1)

I've used 2 sets of these. Got them ages ago when they were MUCH cheaper. I could have sworn I paid ~40 bucks a pair but that was also 07-08??? And they were bare, I rattle canned them black.

GenRight offers the best prices and customer service for Hood Louver Set, 2pc Long BLACK to be purchased online 24/7.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

If the OP doesn't have a stock undertray and/or a sealed connection from the bumper mouth to the radiator, the car will overheat. Period.

Turboburke

I bought the singular vents yesterday.

I have a new undertray and a piece of aluminum that spans with of the front bumper and ties into the undertray. It wasn't until I sealed all around the radiator that it ran under 100 C on the highway. I'll let you all know how it works. Going back to the same track on May 31 for a track day.

tazswing

The Singular vents are not too difficult to install. Lining up the template caused me to get some help from a contractor friend who can line/measure things well. Once the template is square the rest is just taking your time. Kinda of a fun project. I bought a crappy paint but otherwise square hood off CL so I don't have to worry about messing up my only hood.

FrankB

iTrader: (4)

Oh, you won't be disappointed with the singular hood louvers. I too bought a spare hood off of Class, but the biggest thing to remember is measure twice, cut once.