Countering the extreme heat

http://www.circuitmotorsports-blog.com/2018/08/subaru-wrx-cooling-mods-upgraded.html?m=1

 

Saw that today thought it might be a good addition to this thread.

 

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I find that since switching to an NA daily driver from a Subaru turbo daily driver, I don't worry the slightest any more about hot days.

I find that since switching to an NA daily driver from a Subaru turbo daily driver, I don't worry the slightest any more about hot days.

 

Yeah but where's the fun in that??

I find that since switching to an NA daily driver from a Subaru turbo daily driver, I don't worry the slightest any more about hot days.

 

Neither do all the commuters driving econoboxes...you must be getting old and your sense of adventure is waning.

Neither do all the commuters driving econoboxes...you must be getting old and your sense of adventure is waning.

 

In fairness he probably is talking about his Lexus GX, which is pretty nice and comfy, but yeah.

 

You need to find a TRD supercharger or something for that!

In fairness he probably is talking about his Lexus GX, which is pretty nice and comfy, but yeah.

 

You need to find a TRD supercharger or something for that!

 

Nice and comfy, lol!

 

 

 

I kid because comfort and reliability are high on my priority list as well, lol. My next car will probably only be sporty as an afterthought if at all.

As much as I putt-putt around town now, because the handling of a truck doesn't exactly inspire racecar driver tactics in town, every time I head down a highway onramp and open up that V8 my grin goes from ear to ear. So smooth...the linear power and the music of the motor are just fantastic.

Ok this is now an old people thread, sorry OP!

Must be, 300 hp in a near 5k lb SUV is putting grins on faces, haha!

 

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Must be, 300 hp in a near 5k lb SUV is putting grins on faces, haha!

 

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Hey!....one of the guys in the GXOR FB group quarter miled his 180k mile GX470 with a 3" lift and 33" tires and ended up with a 16.8 sec run at 82mph. For something like 4800 pounds dry, that's not too shabby IMHO.

 

Sorry about the thread jack OP.

As much as I putt-putt around town now, because the handling of a truck doesn't exactly inspire racecar driver tactics in town, every time I head down a highway onramp and open up that V8 my grin goes from ear to ear. So smooth...the linear power and the music of the motor are just fantastic.

 

You never drove a raptor'd h6 with a magnaflow cbe then.

 

The torque peaks at 2k holds basically flat till 5500, and sounds like a porsche 911...i prefer that sound :-)

 

Yeah but where's the fun in that??

 

an H6 with STi+ power isn't THAT bad..lol

Edited August 16, 2018 by Golferdude1087

Hey!....one of the guys in the GXOR FB group quarter miled his 180k mile GX470 with a 3" lift and 33" tires and ended up with a 16.8 sec run at 82mph. For something like 4800 pounds dry, that's not too shabby IMHO.

 

Sorry about the thread jack OP.

 

Yeah OP, just some senior moments.

 

Just kidding, I'd love a GX or LX or their Toyota equivalents in my garage.

 

OP, please update, I'm interested in cooling system observations and experiences in modded LGT's as I hope to get some engine mods on soon!

Well the good news is I got promoted. Bad news is no free time lately. The car has not reproduced the issue though.

I have been driving all around the valley for work the last couple weeks and have thought a little about getting a more comfortable daily... with maybe 40 mpg... but really I'm just keeping the GT.

Congrats on the promotion!

Thanks for the update, and congrats on the promotion!

Hey guys I want to update this since We had our hottest couple of days of the year last week. I was talking to my girlfriend about adding in the sprayer teed into the windshield washer line and she had the brilliantly simple idea to test the concept with a simple spray bottle before going to the trouble.

So after driving home work on a 114 F day, I parked in the shade and let the car idle. The coolant was 219 F and didn't move for five minutes.

Next I reset the AP gauges (so that it would show if the coolant temp went down while I was at the front of the car). I went to the front of the car and sprayed tap water in the upper grille trying to coat the radiator. I sprayed for ~30 seconds. No change in coolant temp.

Next I sprayed for close to five minutes, emptying the 25oz bottle. I could see through the grille that I was coating the condenser. Still no change in coolant temp.

 

Based on this, I don't think that using the windshield sprayer would do anything noticeable.

 

I also took the car through a drive thru car wash after work the other day on a whim and watched my coolant temps. They started at 219 and did not drop below 217 until the fans at the very end, then it dropped quickly to 208.

 

I have also experimented with adjusting the idle RPM using the AP. I had previously had the AC on idle set at +300, and the coolant temps liked to sit at 222 F, which causes the ecu to shut off the AC. I changed it to -300, and the temps stabilize at 217, which allows the AC to stay on, although not as cold as with the higher idle.

I would get those temps briefly before cooling mods but fans bring them right down. Seems weird it likes to hang at those temps.

 

Have you checked for airflow blockage through your front mount/condenser?

I've never experienced a steady 220F coolant temp, but I've never taken my car in 116F ambient temps either. Have you checked to see if there's some air in your system?

 

With my current setup (koyorad + STi thermostat) I've at most seen 190F coolant temp with the a/c on in 102F ambient temp.

 

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Sarang, don't know if it'll help much but swapping to a cmod or mesh grill might help more air flow through the radiator? Not sure if you're running OEM grill. There's also a center support in the middle of the lower that's a pretty decent size. Could consider cutting it out.

 

Also, I think the spray mod might work better if it was sprayed as you are moving and not sprayed once then driving til it dries off. Have someone hang off the hood, no jk. I think it would be fine in a short term aspect but you'd probably have to be spraying it constantly to keep up with cooling. Might be an every day thing refilling it.

 

I can't imagine how the car feels at 114F. My car at 97 feels like Gary the Snail.

When it's only 100 out it drops right back around 212. These issues only seem to show up on the very hot days, like above 110. I've burped the system several times on my own, and the car has had the engine out at a reputable shop this year, so I know they had to fill it back up with coolant.

 

I did clean the condenser early this year, and the radiator is about a year old. I do also now have an oil cooler. I think that the main obstruction would be my FMIC. I cut out that center support from the lower portion back when I installed the intercooler.

 

Chatting with a few of the old guys at work today, one of them suggested a higher pressure radiator cap. He thought that 222 was about where my coolant was boiling, so maybe that's why it would creep up to that and then not want to go back down. I found a Stant 20psi cap for seven bucks online so I took the plunge. It probably won't hurt and $7 is trivial.

That arrives Monday, so I'll update if it makes a difference.

OK so I received the 20PSI cap last night and intstalled it and today I went out and tried to overheat the car. Google says it's 107 but feels like 114... whatever that means.

 

On the freeway it took noticeably longer for the coolant temp to get above 212. I spent some time at 85 mph, which was where it usually would creep up and turn off the AC. Today it hovered at 215 and 216 and only briefly got up to 219. AC stayed on the whole time.

I went home via a long uphill in moderate boost (~5-10 psi) for 0-75 mph and then holding until the other side of the hill. It got up to 219 but held there until the very top where it hit 221, but left the AC on.

 

I think the cap helped. I'm not looking for performance when it's this hot out, I just want the AC on for my entire drive. This is now possible. Obviously I can't flog on it, but passing power is back, and I don't have to lower my cruise speed to keep the temps down. I also drove the higher load section of my commute and it left the AC on so I think this was seven bucks well spent.