Maxx Mazda

At the track last night after sundown it was probably 20*C and pretty humid. The CF hood seems to dissapate heat alot better when the sun's not hitting it, (no hoodliner to insulate) but I picked up 2 tenths last night just be popping the hood and shutting the car off between runs!

Usually I just jump back into the staging lanes after a run, but I decided (when the line wasn't moving) to pop the hood and see why my 1/4 times were getting slower and slower as the night went on. I felt my CAI pipe and after the MAF is was really hot! I left the hood open and pushed the car forward instead of driving it until it was my turn to stage. That run (with an average R/T for me) I picked up 0.2s!

I can tell that heat soaking on the Injen is a big problem (espesially after running the **** out of the engine) but is there anyway to combat this? I'm not about to go crazy and ice-bag it, but since I'm relatively new at racing are there any more experienced veterans out there that could lend me some insider tips? From now on I'll definitly pop the hood and let her cool in between runs, but there has to be more. Two tenths lost from a warm intake pipe? That may not sound like much, but in the world of drag racing, that's a lifetime...

NegatiZE

You could get one of those relays that makes you be able to manually turn on your radiator fans when the car is not running. Saw it on a Cavalier at last month's autox.

Maxx Mazda

That would cool the rad down a bit and would probably draw some air over the intake as well, but did it actually work do you know?

NegatiZE

I don't actually have it done on my car but it seems like it would work pretty well.

Maxx Mazda

But on the same toiken, wouldn't it also push hot radiator air over the intake?

duncanslx

Yo Nick,
I used some insallation from Home Depot. Got the kind with the paper backing on it and some of the shiny metal tape. Take off the CAI and wrap it with the insullation. Then wrap over the top of it with seran or plastin wrap. Then I went over it nice and neat with the metal tape. Of course it does get a little wrinkle looking in places but works well for me. Doesnt look bad at all and serves the purpose. Hope this helps you.........Duncan

Maxx Mazda

So, is there any indication of it working? I have a feeling (although your method is good) that even with that insulation it will still end up heat-soaking between runs, although not as badly.

Sir Nuke

Nick, actually you have discovered something that you SHOULD do between runs, TURN THE CAR OFF AND ALLOW IT TO COOL DOWN. any time you allow heat to build up in your motor and all the associated piping and all it WILL get some of your power....

ever watch big time drag racing on tv? ever wonder why they get into STAGING WARS? and try to wait the guy out longer while on the line? because they are attempting to get the other guys equimpent to heat up....make them slower...

I have a friend that he pulls back into the pits and pops the hood...then he cranks his generator he brings with him and pluggs in box fans and lays them on top of the engine blowing DOWN to cool off the entire thing.....yes it helps....

you said you don't want to ICE BAG the intake....well that would or at least theroretically work/help.....but I think doing what you are doing is working just fine.....

don't be in a rush to get back to the line....pop the hood open and push your car while in line and its moving slow.....

Maxx Mazda

If I keep doiong that (I found alot of other people do it too) would putting a switch into my fans help any? They'll at least blow some air over everything.

Also, how effective is ice-bagging? You could get the intake cool but as soon as you start up again, you'd have a heat issue unless the car was moving. It's worth a try I suppose!

Sir Nuke

Yes John....if the car is ABOVE normal operating temp then it would be best to allow it to idle till the temp drops back to normal.....then commence cooling it off more by turning it off and still get air circulating through the engine compartment...

there is actually an old racers trick that doesn't ice bag the intake...but uses an "ICE CAN" for the gas.....by ice bagging the intake you cool and make denser HALF of the mixture.....you could to the same to the fuel rail/gas line and cool the gas makeing it denser too....a minute amount yes...but every little bit helps....

and since you would want this set up to be temperary for the track.....try makeing a SOFT cover to wrap the intake and fuel supply in...and then use those freezable bags that you would use for lunch boxes and the like in them.....you could freeze a bunch and keep them in an ice chest...then swap them out as the day/night progresses to keep everything as cold as possible.

Maxx Mazda

Ok, as a temporary solution to getting the fans to run when I want is to turn the A/C onto full. This would force both fans on, but at the same time would put more load onto the engine, thus increasing heat at the same time. So, it may be a catch-22 but would the load raise the temp of the engine enough that the fans couldn't cool it fast enough?

Nuke, for the "bagging" technique you described above, you're suggesting putting ice packs onto all the fuel / air components before a run, or during it as well?

Also, not to reopen this can of worms, but is the EGR killing my track performance?

Sir Nuke

Nick...bag them BEFORE AND DURING the run.....

on and turning on your A/C would NOT help cool you down....as you noted it would put more load on the engine and thus induce more heat...but what WILL cool it down faster....TURN ON THE HEATER!!! full blast. this works and I know it for a fact.

I was actually traveling cross country once an was in the middle of nowhere when my thermostate started messing up....wouldn't open all the way...and there were no towns in sight....so I shove the road atlas down by my feet to deflect the HOT AIR....turn on the heater full blast and rolled down the window.....and I could SEE the temp guage go down as I drove.....first town I rolled into I popped the hood in the first auto parts store....walked to a micky d's to eat...while the engine TOTALLY COOLED DOWN....then got out my tool box...whipped off the thermostate housing and put in a new one...and I was on my way.

SO.....after the run....open all your windows on the way back to the pits and turn your heater on full blast.....by the time you get to the pits you can let it idle for a short time and its going to be as cool as it will possibly get.

Maxx Mazda

Ok, I heard of the heater trick for overheats, but I never thought to use it in a race situation! Thanks!

As for bagging it during a run, I'll see what I can devise to hold the ice paks onto the intake. I was thinking of getting a bunch of those medical "Kold Kompress" packs (you have to break them to make them cold) and just attaching them to the intake with some old headbands or something elasticy. I'll have to ghetto it, but it's only for racing, right?

That should bring my E/T's down quite a bit I'd assume since I picked up 0.2s after just shutting it off!

Sir Nuke

Very true Jess....you want a GOOD AND WARM engine so its efficent....but as dense a fuel/air mixture as you can shove into it.........there is a fine line there....and probably one in a stocker like Nicks that isn't going to make a LOT of
difference.

Maxx Mazda

Ok, but what you suggested before with the heater would bring the coolant temp down, thus cooling the engine. Jesse said a hotter engine is better. Just so I understand this, idealy I need the block to be hot as ****, but the intake manifold, fuel rail, intake, etc. all need to stay as cold as possible, correct?