Hello fellow FFers!

As some may already know, I've been running the Greddy turbo kit for the past 5 years and noticed that my GD runs pretty hot due to the radiator being blocked by the AC condensor as well as the FMIC. I recently installed a 14 row oil cooler and a new Forged aluminum radiator which helped bring temps down a bit but I still would like better cooling for hot track days.

Water temps I see in various driving conditions:

82c - 89c cruising/highway driving
90c - 95c city driving
93c - 100c stop and go traffic
95c - 101c - track driving

Note: Radiator fan switch is set to turn on at 94c via flashpro.

When temps reach 100c/101c I tend to freak out a little so I blast my heater to quickly bring temps back down within regular opperating temps.

I was just wondering what others have done for better cooling effiiciency.

 

For the most part your oil temps seem fine.

What oil are you running?

I've got Liqui Moly 10w60 GT1.

Temps according the AEM oil temp gauge go up to 230F/110C when giving it some stick. Anything under 120C/248F should be ok. Anything above that and you'll probably have to get a new head gasket.

Get a water/meth kit since you already got an oil cooler

 

Sorry for the confusion but those are actually my water temp readings listed above. I'll edit my post to prevent further confusion.

I believe the water temp readings I'm seeing in stop and go traffic and at the track are a bit high, are they not?

to answer ur question I'm currently running 0w30 German Castrol Syntec.

 

What are you running in terms of coolant? I would look into a higher end coolant or additive and reduce/eliminate the water portion.

 

I'm currently running 70% water 30% glycol.

I've been curious about water wetter but am hesitant because I've seen some reviews stating it causes black sludge in ur overflow tank. I know royal purple also makes a similar product called Royal Ice but I haven't been able to look into it much. Does anyone have experience with either of these two products?

I've also been looking into ducting air to my radiator with a shrouds.

 

Cooling System Additives - Turbo and High-Tech Performance Magazine

Here is an article that addresses these issues for Turbo motors in Hondas I had saved. pretty solid info on different combinations.

 

I have had good experiences running Water Wetter on track even with a 50/50 mix. I just used it as a band-aid on hot days at Willow Springs. With the higher ratio of water to glycol you are running it will help you a little more than running 50/50 like I was. I never had any issues with sludge.

 

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll be giving Justice Brothers Radiator Cooler a try.

Will report back with results.

 

I'm running 10w50 total quarts oil. I'm not having cooling issues just oil temp issues. Only on slow speed tracks. I'm installing an oil cooler in a couple weeks and will be removing my condenser.

 

have a shroud will help quite a bit. Air is lazy and it would rather go around the radiator than through it if the chance presents itself.

 

I believe that wetter water or that type of coolant is mandatory on most road courses not antifreeze because of making tracks slippery after crashes.

I just had to replace the coolant fan on my GD and the part number has changed from original and it now runs 10 degrees F. cooler.

First check and make sure the fan is actually working (easy just let it idle until they come on.)

Next remove the rubber sealing strips on the front and rear of your hood.

Remove the black fiberglass hood pad from under the hood.

Next get or make a "cowl scoop" as it lets out hot air. (you can test this just by taking off the stock plastic cover before you buy the scoop.)

Get some foam backed foil insulation R-16 or better and wrap your radiator hoses where they are exposed in the engine bay.

Close off with plastic sheeting the giant hole by the engine mount that leads into the driver side front fender.

If allowed in your class "wrap" your header (even a stock one).

Depending on your "Look" you can raise the front of the hood up to 1/2 inch by turning the black rubber "bumpers" on the radiator support.

They just screw in and out but don't go too far or they will fall out. Unscrew a 1/2 turn or so at a time then stop and make sure the hood latch still gets caught and closes properly.

IF you have some skills mark your hood brackets, where they attach to the underside of the hood, (so you can put them back to normal easier).

NOT THE BOLTS HOLDING THE BRACKETS TO THE BODY.

Now loosen the bolts on the underside of the hood a bit at a time until you can SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY slide the whole hood forward. Watch the marks you made in stock position and slide the hood THE SAME AMOUNT FORWARD ON BOTH SIDES.

Try like 1/4 inch first IMPORTANT: Before closing the hood after moving you MUST close very slowly and check the clearance on all sides of of the hood where it meets the fenders and cowl IF IT IS NOT CORRECT YOU COULD BEND THE FENDERS OR MAR THE PAINT. Just go slow and check your work.

Then just try more and more until it looks "funny" or you don't like the look.

All this needs to be done slowly and carefully so the hood doesn't slide out of place with the semi-tight bolts.

DON'T FORGET TO TIGHTEN THE HOOD BOLTS AFTER CHECKING TO MAKE SURE IT STILL CLOSES AND LATCHES.

This mod is better than raising the back of the hood because there is less airflow disruption.

If you want even more and it is allowed the old washers under the back hood bolt trick can be used but personally I think it's ugly so go easy.

Look by the side of your radiator back up under the radiator support so you are looking at the sides of the radiator. If there are any "gaps" (making an escape for air trying to get into the radiator) I plugged mine with some chunks of "closed cell foam", that came around my new computer, DO NOT USE STYROFOAM AS IT MAY MELT.

Doing all that and having a 160 F fan switch and thermostat on my GD I run all day at 155 F and in traffic of 1/2 an hour idling at outside temp of 92 it got up to 180.

With a turbo if you could get some hood vents like Texas Coyote and they are allowed those would make a big difference.

good luck.

 

Hey James! Everbody has good ideas on this topic but I also believe your water temps look fine. Just like Gynosis said... you wanna stay under 120c/248f. My radiator fan comes on at like 101c and the temp will drop quickly to 94-95c. I might end up getting a radiator switch or racing thermostat so that the fan comes on a little earlier. I think this is the best thing and one of the most affordable ways to keep water temps down.

I also upgraded to Billion Silicon high temp rad hoses. They are supposed to keep from swelling when engine temps get high which means better flow but the main reason I went with them is the durability and thet look pretty cool. Of course you probably won't see a signifcant difference...I don't think anyone is that naive on this thread to think they are a miracle product.

Also, I'm running straight water with a bottle of Redline Water Wetter. This is a racing application but also fine for street in areas that don't see freezing temps. I also did research on this but this product has been used forever on both race and street applications. I used this in my 1994 Integra for about 70k and it saw a crapload of racing...never any cooling issues or black sludge. I'm just going to drain and refill the Water wetter once a year.

I'm pretty sure you have a racing Rad cap. It could save us from overheating if it got that bad.

I'm currently using 5w-30 Royal Purple but (which seems like a good oil) I'm thinking about switching to Rotella 5w-40. The Subie and Evo guys love this stuff and the UOA show that these guys can go 5k or higher for change intervals. There are also some boosted Honda using it sucessfully. This oil is great for extreme temp turbo cars. Your probably good to go now (in regards to Oil Temp) that you have the oil cooler.

You already have ventilation in your hood so that should help with underhood temps. I have my hood tilted with the hood risers and took out the weather stripping on the cowl...every little bit helps.

Btw, make sure you save me two of the HKS stickers and text me or PM on what day (or if there is a meet) you are free so that I can come pick them up real soon.

 

Well it depends on your goals. IF you want better fuel mileage than hot is ok but since the op has a turbo installed I don't think fuel mileage improvement is his goal.

Conversely low engine temperatures are best for power. In fact they are free power.

As the engine temperatures go up the ECM PULLS ignition timing. The hotter the engine is running the more ignition timing is pulled because higher engine temperatures equate to a lowered detonation point so timing has to be pulled to prevent detonation.

Studies by engine builders have found that tuning for best power the engine temperature that is the best compromise is around 160-180 F.

Below 160 the fuel doesn't atomize as efficiently and above 180 the detonation point becomes exponentially lower and lower as the temps rise.

So while the stock fit is made to run HOT to maximize fuel efficiency if you are looking for a FREE increase in power output running in the 160-180F. range is the best.

Could that be the reason performance parts places sell 160 thermostats and fan switches LOL. So it's not just me thinking along those lines.

And yes I have followed my own advice and run in that range but still managed to get over 40 mpg on one high speed run because more power equals better efficiency.

 

I have a water/methanol injection system going in to drop intake air temperature.. Two hard runs always result in a slow third run in a best of two out of three thing. I like my car a lot more in the winter.

 

Yea the very best days to run at the drags is just before rain falls get all the free nice cooler moisture laden air and the engines love it. Got some of my best times ever just before a rain storm.