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Under Engine Cover

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Old Sep 10, 2012 | 09:59 PM
  #1  
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Default Under Engine Cover

Not sure where this one would go? So i'll drop it in the general section.

Just recently I went over some railroad tracks, that turned out to be a lot worse than they were. End of the story, a good chunk of the engine cover fell downward and began dragging everywhere I go. My car is pretty low so it had some scraping done to it already so I decided to just take it off entirely.

I did SEARCH, and I found some answers that were a relief, saying that it was not a crucial thing, but my only concern is when its raining... Will my belts suffer at all from this or other parts? Please note my car is pretty low compared to a stock Z, even a lowered Z, I am just talking about rain, I am not dumb enough to go through a huge puddle or anything as I live in California and we don't get insane downfalls...
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 01:10 AM
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I would'nt drive without a under engine shroud.
Why was it put on the car in the first place if it was not necessary?
The poly cover you have is prone after time to sag and as you found out,
not be too durable when you have a lowered car.In addition,its a PIA to remove
all those screws when changing your oil.Very popular is the engine under shroud
made by ZSPEED.Its aluminum,replaces the OEM cover,fits perfectly.It also has a
neat little door that allows you to change your oil&filter without removing the cover.
I have one.One of the best investments I've done for my Z.Comes in aluminum finish or,
black powder coat.Last I saw,they run around $225.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 05:45 AM
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Check out the Vendor section - they offer replacements in i believe in stainless and aluminum.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 06:08 AM
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I wouldn't recommend driving with it off since it does help keep debris and water away from the engine accessaries. But, mine has been off for the past 1.5 years and the only result is a dirty engine bay. It rarely rains in CA so that shouldn't be much of an issue.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 06:19 AM
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drove with mine off for a year and a half.. no problems at all. engine bay just would get dirty a lot faster. it rained numerous times and no problem.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 07:12 AM
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Drove without mine for a little.
At first the fender liners got captured by the wind and folded and dragged against the road, burning themselves.
So I took out the fender liners and the under tray.
Only left it for about a week before I put it back on.
The bumper has no place to be secured to without it, so the bottom flexes alot especially at high speed.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 09:02 AM
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Spend the $200 and buy the ZSpeed version - I figure it pays for itself in about 4 oil changes due to the access panel for the filter/plug, assuming you change your own oil. And there are aero issues too but probably only at really high speeds and of course none of us drive like that, lol.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 09:25 AM
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The undertray also keeps the air going thru the front of the bumper and into the radiator. Without it the air can bypass the radiator and go out the bottom.
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Old Sep 11, 2012 | 07:25 PM
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Thanks for the responses. Would the aluminum one be located a little higher up? I would love to get one but not sure if I should pay 200 to have a scrape plate basically.
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Old Sep 12, 2012 | 01:06 PM
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I have the Zspeed one as well. Very worth the investment. As far as how low, I would say
if you sraped on the stock one, you would on that too. I have the newer version but I think they are very much similar
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