I've been pretty curious about these lately... sure they look pretty under the hood and smooth it all out a bit.

But do they REALLY help keep engine temps down, etc.?

What affect would they have on a bolt on -z vs. forced induction?

Worth it for 50-100 bucks?

Opinions, experiences, preferences, comments... whats the deal with these things?

 

i got a cf one it just looks real nice but i dont know if it helps cooling either i would assume it does

 

There are a few different schools of thought on them...

Most of them make it a little trickier to open the hood... Its hard to get the hood release when they are in place (have to reach for through less of a space)...

Some have said that they block air from going over the top of the motor (plenum etc)...

But they do look cool yes...

 

Anytime u can divert more air THROUGH the radiator rather than over or under the radiator ur better off. Point is it sure dont hurt

Edit: Ya --as Jason says ---It takes a day or 2 to get used to the release----I had to machine my Greedy aluminum one out to clear all the Kaminari Hood Crap

 

Good to know. Any that are known to be easier or harder to get your hood open?

Anyone know of any place/ brands that have a good price on em? cf/aluminum... doesnt matter to me.

 

Greddys is reasonably priced and funtional--Aluminum-- Have to put a polish to it every so often

 

I like this one:
http://www.i-m-racing.com/aucafirapa35.html

Nice CF and has a little scoop that directs air into the intake as well. Haven't gotten one yet b/c if I do, I know I'll just have to start getting more CF stuff...

 

they sell on ebay cheap

 

Based on what jason said im wondering if it's better to have one and have air going through my intercooler and radiator or over the top of the engine... i have the stillen stage 2 and it gets hot under there!

 

Air is going to go over both when not in place...

Some air will go around the front of the engine after going through the radiator but not so much forced up above...

 

So which is better for my blower set up. Hey which one of you guys at performance has the stillen Z? Does he use a cooling plate?

 

Tony has the stillen supercharger, unfortunatly no longer with the company...

I think he has a carbon fiber cooling plate of some kind... he has it mainly for looks...

 

Oh okay, cool, well thanks for the info.

 

Well --with like the Motordyne spacer where u have the nylon spacers between the upper and lower plenum ----Upper plenum heat is greatly reduced---I kinda like rammin as much air as possible thru the coolers as I can ---To the point that I put side diverters on mine
Although as u can see by my Avitar, Im Scooped so that solves my upper heat prob

 

Cooling plates on the Z don't do much of anything but look cool.

If you look at the hood, there is a seal that goes across the top of the radiator so it is unlikely much air, if any, would travel over the top.

Chris

 

Right.... but i have the stillen hood that does not have that.... and as i was stating it does get pretty dang hot under my hood... my temp gauge never gets too high or anything but with the roots blower im still sure than my under hood temps are hotter than normal.... so im wondering if it would be more effective to keep my engine cool by forcing the air through the intercooler and radiator or by letting the air come across the top of the motor... i also have a varis duct in front of my pop charger and heat shield which should help intake temps a bit.

 

Ok, got it

Air going over the top of your motor is far less effective than air going through your radiator and coolers. For you, a cooling plate would be beneficial. If you are concerned about under hood temps, cutting out the scoop and taking the rubber seal off just in front of the windshield would probably bring up the air flow quite a bit without sacrificing water cooling.

Chris

 

SO you mean effectively making my cowl functional... ?? cool.