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What is the purpose of the front grill in the bumper? Does it cool anything or is it for looks?
The third radiator sits behind the center grille and vents upwards through the smiley vent.
Though I'm currently waiting for spring before installing the radiator and flushing the coolant, so it's just an empty space for right now.
If it's the same as the 981 center radiator mount, it actually vents DOWN. The GT cars that have the smiley stock come with a completely different radiator and mount. That's why you have to actually cut holes in the bottom of the front bumper cover when you install a third radiator (which I did). 987 could be different, not sure. http://blog.schnellautosports.com/20...ur-981_24.html (pics of mount and need to cut bottom of bumper cover). The top of the radiator is further inboard than the bottom, so it forces air down by design (unless 987 is diff. or you go non-factory).
The 987 kits look a little bit different, but most of the guides I have read say you can vent up or down (down being preferred so you're not cutting a visible hole in the bumper).
I saw a few installations where people had it venting upward using a modified GT3 chimney style duct, which is the route I plan to take. Maybe this isn't the best option on a Boxster? I figured since Porsche does it this way on the GT3, there had to be some science behind it.
I prefer the idea since hot air naturally rises. Theoretically this would also help a bit with down force and it would eliminate throwing any more air underneath the car.
Yes, on a 987 it can be made to vent down like the OEM kits for Boxster/Cayman, or it can be made to vent UP using some OEM parts from GT3 and the bumper vent on top. The GT3 way would be more functional IMO, but the downward venting version is more than sufficient for cooling even even when tracking in 95+ degree temps. Plenty of track cars running the downward venting version for Boxster/Cayman.
The best 987 cooling setup I've come across is this DIY including CSF cores + functional GT3 center ducting, but honestly its overkill for anything less than an endurance race car: http://csfrace.com/how-to-cool-a-cayman/
My understanding is that the GT3/4 vents are up rather than down primarily for a tiny bit more downforce, but you will need some extra parts or fab to make that work since it's made to vent down in non-GT applications. Since you already have the smiley in, may be worth finding some OEM GT3 pieces to make it work. I think there are some threads on here or P9 about making it work, but it's some fab for sure compared to venting down as intended. I never go over 240-245F oil on track with the downward vent even in 95-100F days.
I am not familiar with my cars cooling system as much as I should be.
I know my car has 2 radiators in the front as I have cleaned them both out. These are to cool the coolant from the engine correct? They just added 2 instead of how most cars just have one because there are 2 air ducts...is that right? Is there any more that are hidden anywhere? I have a 2006 BTW.
What does this radiator do that you are putting in? Supplement the other 2 radiators? Or is it for something more specific? And is there are a need to do this on a car that is not being brought to the track? I never noticed any cooling issues with my car last summer when it was hot and humid.
I know my car has 2 radiators in the front as I have cleaned them both out. These are to cool the coolant from the engine correct? They just added 2 instead of how most cars just have one because there are 2 air ducts...is that right? Is there any more that are hidden anywhere? I have a 2006 BTW.
What does this radiator do that you are putting in? Supplement the other 2 radiators? Or is it for something more specific? And is there are a need to do this on a car that is not being brought to the track? I never noticed any cooling issues with my car last summer when it was hot and humid.
From the factory, these cars have 2 radiators. The reason there are 2 is more due to the configuration of the car than anything else. Most front engine cars have a single large radiator in the center grille area that has a fan and open space behind it. Putting a single large radiator in the front and center of our cars wouldn't make much sense due to the shape of the front end and limited space for venting from behind. Along with the general design and aerodynamics, Porsche opted to give these cars two smaller radiators which vent into the wheel wells.
The engine holds coolant internally until the thermostat opens once you're up to operating temperature. At that point, it releases the hot coolant into the radiators to be cooled, which then passes into the expansion tank, and then back into the engine This cycle continues as your car is running and during normal driving, it works efficiently. The problem with cars that are tracked, or even street cars driving in extremely hot climates, is that the engine is running very hot and the two little radiators aren't able to cool the coolant efficiently during the brief period that the coolant passes through them. This results is warmer than optimal coolant is being fed back into the engine and that's when you start seeing the temperature needle rise and risk overheating. Adding a 3rd radiator improves the cooling efficiency while also increasing the volume of coolant in the car's system. Porsche made their 911 3rd radiator a plug and play upgrade on the 987. $200 for all genuine parts which result in sufficient cooling for the weekend track day. People who are building full race cars would likely opt for larger radiators all around for maximum cooling.
On a side note, when the car is off, the water pump is not running so fresh coolant cannot be cycled into the engine. This can cause engine damage, so when coming off the track or spirited driving, the car should be allowed a cool down lap or to idle for a few minutes until the engine has cooled down sufficiently.
I'm not sure about these cars, but for other makes, it is also common for people to install larger coolant reservoirs so there is more coolant to go through circulation.
Mbut you will need some extra parts or fab to make that work since it's made to vent down in non-GT applications. Since you already have the smiley in, may be worth finding some OEM GT3 pieces to make it work. I think there are some threads on here or P9 about making it work, but it's some fab for sure compared to venting down as intended. I never go over 240-245F oil on track with the downward vent even in 95-100F days.
The DIY I linked to in the post right above yours has a full parts list and install pics of doing the up-venting setup on OP's car.
Originally Posted by Phil McKrevice
What does this radiator do that you are putting in? Supplement the other 2 radiators? Or is it for something more specific? And is there are a need to do this on a car that is not being brought to the track? I never noticed any cooling issues with my car last summer when it was hot and humid.
The 3rd center radiator supplements the 2 factory installed side radiators. Not necessary on a car that's not tracked. I've tracked my 2006 several times without the 3rd center radiator and only noticed my temp starting to creep up when 90+ degree outside and pushing the car hard. At that point I stayed on track, just started short-shifting at 5,000 RPM and the temps came back down. Planning to install the 3rd center radiator before any warm weather track days this year.
I finished up my livery wrap... Took about a day, but I'm pleased with the results. A few more parts and a few more weeks, then it'll be ready for the 2019 season.
Installed my carbon fiber wing. The body of the wing is pretty similar to the GT4's; it was $100 due to a defect in the clear coat which is now covered by the lettering. I went a custom route with the end caps, just to be different from all the GT4 replica wings I see.
Rather than drilling into my trunk lid, I customized brackets (padded on the inside) which clamp to the edges of the trunk and allow wing-angle adjustability. There's still sufficient clearance that it won't scratch anything. I also prefer putting the force of the wing along the pinch welds of the lid, rather than the center of the aluminum, since the edge is tad stronger. Not as ideal as a chassis mounted wing, but it works and there's already a noticeable improvement at highway speeds. Only downside is that there is more weight than the trunk strut can support when open, but this is only an issue when filling oil and coolant.
It is lower profile than most Porsche wings, which I prefer with the lines of the Boxster. I'm trying to keep things looking nice, but function > form.
Now I really need to finish up the front splitter...
Creative mounting setup and really well executed... props to you sir! Thanks for the detailed pics
No plans currently to mount a wing on mine, but these would be ideal if I ever did. Where'd you source the brackets? Did you line them with silicone where they clamp to the trunk lid?
01-09-2019, 08:18 AM
