Cooling issues with a SR3
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I need a little help here. I have a 06 1500cc with the optional front cooling system.
I warm my car up in the pits to the 60c deg oil temp and about 73c Deg Water temp.
As soon as I run down the first straight on our track the WT cools off to about 62 deg. No matter how hard I drive it I can't get the water temp to come up. I have the opposite problem of most of the cars at the track.
What to do here, tape up some of my rads? How and where. My issue is will it build pressure in front of the rad and distort the bodywork?
Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ron V
I need a little help here. I have a 06 1500cc with the optional front cooling system.
I warm my car up in the pits to the 60c deg oil temp and about 73c Deg Water temp.
As soon as I run down the first straight on our track the WT cools off to about 62 deg. No matter how hard I drive it I can't get the water temp to come up. I have the opposite problem of most of the cars at the track.
What to do here, tape up some of my rads? How and where. My issue is will it build pressure in front of the rad and distort the bodywork?
Any help here would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ron V
I am not conversant with the front cooling setup, but tape is def the way to go. I can't see how it'd do anything to the bodywork. The only problem might be if the airflow helps the front aero at all. Reducing it might reduce downforce, but you'll not be taking too much away.
Being a self proclaimed expert on gaffa tape, I'd expect you'd need to reduce the air hole by a third or so!
Bert
Being a self proclaimed expert on gaffa tape, I'd expect you'd need to reduce the air hole by a third or so!
Bert
That's a job for BertBert tape, postioned facing the air; amount/shape?; experiment, afterall you're only trying to reduce the area of the matrix. Can't imagine for a moment it'll do anything to the bodywork especially if you keep it even assuming two inlet ducts.
Try to get it set up to give a running WT of 72-75c; that's the most efficient for combustion, but more providing below about 95c won't do any harm.
Try to get it set up to give a running WT of 72-75c; that's the most efficient for combustion, but more providing below about 95c won't do any harm.
ok, sounds good. I have the front end with one big cutout. I also have some Honeycomb cardboard material in front of my Rad to protect the fins from rocks.
Should I run the tape Sticky side to the Honeycomb Cardboard? Or try to tape up the opening on the bodywork?
I am glad I have BertBert's vast knowledge of Gaffa Tape in on this......lol.
I read that post about the oil cooler setup...........priceless!!!
Thanks again Guys.
Should I run the tape Sticky side to the Honeycomb Cardboard? Or try to tape up the opening on the bodywork?
I am glad I have BertBert's vast knowledge of Gaffa Tape in on this......lol.
I read that post about the oil cooler setup...........priceless!!!
Thanks again Guys.
Presumably, you've got one of these? > 
Best thing would obviously be to put the tape direct onto it non-sticky side facing air side, but if your mesh is in front of this, it'll be fine on that again non-sticky side facing air side; when you've sussed out how much you always need as a minimum you could replace most of the gaffa with a nylon tied bit of black foamex and use less gaffa on an add/omit fine adjust basis.
Best thing would obviously be to put the tape direct onto it non-sticky side facing air side, but if your mesh is in front of this, it'll be fine on that again non-sticky side facing air side; when you've sussed out how much you always need as a minimum you could replace most of the gaffa with a nylon tied bit of black foamex and use less gaffa on an add/omit fine adjust basis.
Hi Guys,
Amazing! Thanks for all the good advice.
Splitpin, yes that is the rad I have. My first move is to run one width of tape all the way across the top and start from there.
Simon, I agree, it is all a total boat anchor. As far as I understand, I have the Front Rad and one on the Left Side of the Car in the Side Duct. Mine is LHD. My question would then be is can I run just the Side Rad with the one I have? If I do go this route what to do with my front end? Can I just leave the opening......to buy a new front end and possibly a new front splitter.......probably getting to be a little to costly vs some of Berts solution.
Hopefully going to the track this weekend. I will report back.
Ron
Amazing! Thanks for all the good advice.
Splitpin, yes that is the rad I have. My first move is to run one width of tape all the way across the top and start from there.
Simon, I agree, it is all a total boat anchor. As far as I understand, I have the Front Rad and one on the Left Side of the Car in the Side Duct. Mine is LHD. My question would then be is can I run just the Side Rad with the one I have? If I do go this route what to do with my front end? Can I just leave the opening......to buy a new front end and possibly a new front splitter.......probably getting to be a little to costly vs some of Berts solution.
Hopefully going to the track this weekend. I will report back.
Ron
If the side rad is the same size as a standard one and you run in a climate similar to that of western Europe, ie no hotter than 30c then yes you can.
you could experiment with the front end; leave it open, close it off with thin gauge aluminium and gaffer tape to see which gives you the best speed/downforce then make a call.
we have wondered for some time about fitting a wing between the front arches, this would be a good time to try it.
S
you could experiment with the front end; leave it open, close it off with thin gauge aluminium and gaffer tape to see which gives you the best speed/downforce then make a call.
we have wondered for some time about fitting a wing between the front arches, this would be a good time to try it.
S
ok, I might be keeping the boat anchor then. They call Canada the Great White North, and although 7-9 months a year this is true, look out when Summer Gets here!
The last couple weeks we have had a few 2-3 Day heat waves. We get a very humid spell with some high heat and it can Feel like 40C! Yesterday was a new record at 43C. Thank god I wasn't at the track.......although my car would have probably run proper wt for the first time since I got it.
Going to start with the 1 row of tape and shoot for 72-75C.
Thanks Guys!
The last couple weeks we have had a few 2-3 Day heat waves. We get a very humid spell with some high heat and it can Feel like 40C! Yesterday was a new record at 43C. Thank god I wasn't at the track.......although my car would have probably run proper wt for the first time since I got it.
Going to start with the 1 row of tape and shoot for 72-75C.
Thanks Guys!
Oil temps look ok I think.
77-79C on a cooler day, and I have seen it as hot as 85C when I was out in the middle of the Day heat beating on it.
Side note here, when the oil temp was at 85C and I came back into the pits, if I let it settle right down to idle I would have about 10psi of oil pressure. Is this normal?
77-79C on a cooler day, and I have seen it as hot as 85C when I was out in the middle of the Day heat beating on it.
Side note here, when the oil temp was at 85C and I came back into the pits, if I let it settle right down to idle I would have about 10psi of oil pressure. Is this normal?
Yep, although it'll vary according to ambient/quantum of welly having been applied, that's normal and it can go lower; keep your eye on it and if necessary keep a few revs applied to keep the pressure to circa 10psi until you kill the engine.
You should be looking for oil temps considerably higher than that; 100degC (from a ball-park of 90 - 110) is the easy one to remember to aim to achieve. More BertBert tape required!
You should be looking for oil temps considerably higher than that; 100degC (from a ball-park of 90 - 110) is the easy one to remember to aim to achieve. More BertBert tape required!
Interestingly, with the current set of engine safety cutouts in the Life ecu on the K8, you can't run the oil hotter than 100 degrees unless it's brand new. The low OP cutout kicks in. If I'm not convinced that my oil is up to temp when I go out, I'll tape up the whole oil cooler side to get it up quickly. Then I pop in to the pits and get someone to take a strip of tape off.
If I forget, when the temp gets up to around 100, the low OP cutout kicks in (in turn 2 at Snett normally). "Normal" running seems to be about 80 degrees for the oil.
Bert
If I forget, when the temp gets up to around 100, the low OP cutout kicks in (in turn 2 at Snett normally). "Normal" running seems to be about 80 degrees for the oil.
Bert
According to my engine builder (Arnie Loyning) the oil temp should never be above 98C. Splitpin's car obviously runs hotter than that and Berts seems to be inline with the reading I am seeing.
Hmmmmmmm.
I am running a 20W50 weight oil in my car if that makes any difference. Not sure why it would, but it is a variable between all our cars.
Hmmmmmmm.
I am running a 20W50 weight oil in my car if that makes any difference. Not sure why it would, but it is a variable between all our cars.
Edited by Ron V on Wednesday 25th July 20:05
Edited by Ron V on Wednesday 25th July 20:12
Edited by Ron V on Thursday 26th July 22:27
Have you got that right Graham?
Reason for querying is that PT (the man himself) told me personally in only Feb of this year and I quote "The optimum oil temperature is 90/115 deg C, when up to speed." I seem to recollect him also saying that if push comes to shove, they are OK with an oil temp of upto a maximum of 125degC.
I think you'll find 80degC is definitely too low; which is why the PR6s are single-handedly keeping the gaffa industry buoyant usually blanking off all but the top couple of inches of the mesh intake grille given the massive size of the oil rad.
Reason for querying is that PT (the man himself) told me personally in only Feb of this year and I quote "The optimum oil temperature is 90/115 deg C, when up to speed." I seem to recollect him also saying that if push comes to shove, they are OK with an oil temp of upto a maximum of 125degC.
I think you'll find 80degC is definitely too low; which is why the PR6s are single-handedly keeping the gaffa industry buoyant usually blanking off all but the top couple of inches of the mesh intake grille given the massive size of the oil rad.
splitpin said:
Have you got that right Graham?
He tells me yes! And from a convo with the same person. I think there is a compromise going on. The safety cutout stops engines blowing from low OP and the optimum oil temp is hotter than 80, but with the shell oil, the two don't go hand in hand as the the OP with Shell seems to reduce through use very rapidly. Hence the advice on oil changes which pretty much boils down to every 2 club cup meets.Bert
We could certainly do with hearing from Official Radical on this and pronto!
It's a right pain/palaver trying to get it upto to 100degC and holding it there.
First time I've heard of any 'issues/doubts' with/specific to the Shell Oil: 'change every six hours' is exactly the same as it said when it was Silkolene.
It's a right pain/palaver trying to get it upto to 100degC and holding it there.
First time I've heard of any 'issues/doubts' with/specific to the Shell Oil: 'change every six hours' is exactly the same as it said when it was Silkolene.
Gassing Station | Radical | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff