When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I run 1radiator fan only and heavily vented liners. Not saying it will work for you, but it does for me. Have sat in moderate traffic and multiple hour street drives with no negative affects.
Are you running stock rads? I need to cool down the ls3 in the back so need all the help I can get.
Yes, I have run stock radiators over 14 years of DE, but am running a 2Qt deep sump which helps with cooling for the first 20 min. However, as soon as LN rolls out their Oil cooling kit, and I know whether it will need the 3rd radiator spot or not, I will move towards adding 2 or 3 CSF radiators. My set-up worked effectively for years, so I never Needed to upgrade the radiators. But at this stage, the car is 19 years old and could probably use a new set. Don't know much about cooling an LS3 so my response may not be any help.
Are you running stock rads? I need to cool down the ls3 in the back so need all the help I can get.
My knowledge on LS swaps is limited to the research I have done for my application (a lot of track work). My conclusion is inability to manage heat is a major contributing factor in the failure of some engines on track.
If it were me, I would run a turbo front bumper and ducting with all 3 turbo rads. For the center rad, I’d run the GT2 chimney which exhausts the center rad airflow up over the hood, this seems like not only a good idea for cooling but also aero. For a street setup, big fans with effective shrouding would also be something to consider.
Lastly, if you want to get crazy with it, my plan for if the above didn’t work, retrofit an intercooler water sprayer to all 3 rads.
If all that didn’t work, it would get pretty hard from there.
My knowledge on LS swaps is limited to the research I have done for my application (a lot of track work). My conclusion is inability to manage heat is a major contributing factor in the failure of some engines on track.
If it were me, I would run a turbo front bumper and ducting with all 3 turbo rads. For the center rad, I’d run the GT2 chimney which exhausts the center rad airflow up over the hood, this seems like not only a good idea for cooling but also aero. For a street setup, big fans with effective shrouding would also be something to consider.
Lastly, if you want to get crazy with it, my plan for if the above didn’t work, retrofit an intercooler water sprayer to all 3 rads.
If all that didn’t work, it would get pretty hard from there.
I haven't properly tracked the car at this point, but have done "spirited" driving, 4+ hour mountain road trips, etc and no issue with cooling as long at the car is moving. I do have a CSF 3rd radiator, so likely that's helping, but looking for anything to assist cooling.
The issues arise more in simple stop and go traffic and I'd be worried about cooldown after a track session. Looking to go with higher capacity fans and PMW controller for peace of mind. I still have the stock rads so CSF upgrade maybe as well. I did see an old thread where someone fit 996 turbo rads on a c2, but it required a bunch of modification - not sure if that would gain much vs a c2 CSF rad?
Given my car seems to be on fan more in the city and at a stop, hopefully venting into the wheel wells will stop dust and debris from being recirculated back into the radiators as it does currently. I seem to be accumulating hay stack regularly, which probably isn't helping cooling.
If anyone is fiddling with this mod, could somebody take a quick and dirty measurement of the stock c2 rad fan diameter? Need to figure out how much fan diameter I could fit if I replaced it with a spal or something.
The turbo rads are considerably larger than C2. I would run stock Turbo rads over C2 CSF.
I can check and see if I have the fan/shroud assembly I pulled off and let you know dimension if I didn’t throw it out.
I did a quick comparison of cubic inch dimension of a couple vehicles - not that this is the end all, but shows volume of cooling surface capacity and could be a decent indicator. A 996 C2 with the 3 CSF radiators is better than a C7 corvette and not much off an improved after market C7 radiator. The turbo car does have more CI for sure. just not sure I could fit those in a 996.1.
Semi-resurrection of a not terribly old thread. I am looking for ways to reduce front end lift on my C2 targa and the radiator air exit mod appears to me to be a good way to do it. 40AE cars have vented wheel well liners, and 997's do too, so that leads me to think that Porsche engineers saw a benefit as well. In fact the 997 takes the wheel well exit to a whole different level (see pics).
Here's where I am at the moment with all of it.
Option 1: 40AE front wheel well liners and rubber moldings (they're unique to the 40AE) should come close to bolting straight onto my car. Yes I could just cut slots in my liners, but the 40AE (and 997) pieces specifically push air towards the outside. Plus the vents will keep gunk slung off the tires from getting into the fans.
99650412300 Wheel-Housing Liner (DRIVER SIDE, FRONT)
99650412400 Wheel-Housing Liner (PASSENGER SIDE, FRONT)
99650450302 Rubber Moulding (DRIVER SIDE)
99650450402 Rubber Moulding (PASSENGER SIDE)
Option 2: GT3 liners + duct piece to direct radiator exit air to the brakes. I think money could be saved here by just chopping the inner edge off the stock liners. Part numbers have been previously posted.
In both cases the fan shroud will need to be modified to allow radiator air to exit in the desired direction rather than having it all directed straight down as it is now. I looked into 40AE radiator shrouds, but the radiators, fans and shrouds are all different part numbers. I believe they are bigger, which I suspect would make it very hard to modify a 40AE fan shroud to fit my car.
Some pictures below that I collected in my research.
997 fan shroud showing giant opening into wheel well. The WW liner mates right up to it. Hard to see in this pic but there is a small downward exit path as well.
40AE underside appears to show underside exit for radiator air.
40AE WW liners.
40AE radiator shroud. Hard to see but it looks to me as though it has a significantly smaller opening than the 997. If anyone has a better picture please post it!
40AE/C4S/Turbo use the same front bumper and wheel well liners - those part#'s you have listed. You would also need the rear half of the Turbo wheel well liner: 995-504-203-08 and 996-504-204-08.
That said I don't think those will work on a C2/C4/GT3 front bumper, the turbo bumper is much "squarer" at the bottom, it doesn't curve under the car as much. So the front part of the wheel well liners is much longer than the C2/C4/GT3 wheel well liners. Also the Turbo liners are made to bolt up to the Turbo radiator supports.
40AE/C4S/Turbo use the same front bumper and wheel well liners - those part#'s you have listed. You would also need the rear half of the Turbo wheel well liner: 995-504-203-08 and 996-504-204-08.
That said I don't think those will work on a C2/C4/GT3 front bumper, the turbo bumper is much "squarer" at the bottom, it doesn't curve under the car as much. So the front part of the wheel well liners is much longer than the C2/C4/GT3 wheel well liners. Also the Turbo liners are made to bolt up to the Turbo radiator supports.
996.2 has 2-piece wheel well liners. The rear part number doesn't change between standard and 40AE. So that should be good to go. You're probably right though that getting the front edges to fit decently might pose a challenge. Not a direct bolt on piece. Darn.
The inside edge exit + GT3 "ducts" might be the better solution.
My gt3 inner fender set up cost a small fortune but it works. If u really want to hold the front down buy diveplanes from demonspeed and mod the center rad to vent over the frunk.
11-14-2021, 08:10 PM
