I ordered the 3rd radiator kit from Suncoast along with a new water pump, since the coolant will be drained anyway. Do you think it's worth installing even if I never intend on tracking the car?

 

I had my 3rd radiator installed by a Porsche dealer service center. They cut the holes to allow ventilation from the bottom.

 

I installed a GT3 smile vent from Rennline with mine.

 

You will need to cut holes in the bottom of the front bumper. See this for details:

http://murenae.com/FTP_Files/997.1-3rd-radiator.pdf

Yves

 

Interesting. Unless you live in an extremely hot climate, I don't see the advantages of adding a 3rd radiator beyond what Porsche engineers designed in. Even then it seems the thermostat would just continue to modulate to obtain the designed temp regardless of the number of radiators.

 

Do you even track bro?

 

I added the 3rd rad myself to my aerokit bumper. The bumper has got 4 imprints to locate the holes. A dremel is your friend for this DYI. The oil temps have decreased quite a bit on track and off.

 

If the goal of the Rennline vent kit is to vent the 3rd radiator out the top like the 997.2 GT3RS first did (which generated some ancillary aero advantages as well), it will not work in that fashion with our cars. The 997s that came from the factory with the 3rd rad and the factory kits to add them are designed to vent out the bottom.

On the RS's, the 3rd rad sits at a different angle and there is a duct below it to capture air and flow it up through the rad and out the hood vents at the top. I was told by more than one local race shop that the cost to accomplish this on our cars would be excessive, so I left it at that.

 

I added the kit and the bumper has four squares cut out underneath. I tried to take a picture but can't get a good decent one due to the low height. Venting out the top like a GT3 requires the GT3 radiator kit. I believe that the cut outs are marked on the inside of the bumper and are just punched through at the factory id they're for an equipped car.

 

Hella is right. Gt3 third rad is vented up top and regular third rad vented underneath via cutouts. Gt3 smile on a ref third rad might not be effective as the rad is angled differently on installation

 

I have an aerokit bumper that I bought used and installed 6 years ago. It didn't have any cutouts or template for holes. I had a great shop install a 3rd radiator last year and I asked them about holes and they looked at me like I had a hole in my head!
I've been having some other issues lately and the lower bumper holes have always bugged me. So - I cut some in today. I did have an air exit for the lower bumper, with a spacer that separated the bumper in the middle (left to right). It creates a gap so that air can flow toward the rear. I suppose that's why I didn't need the holes, but I added some anyway!
Let me know if anyone wants a pic of that spacer...

 

I was quoting someone who doesn't intend on tracking.
And no, I don't.....yet anyway.

 

2011 c4s with 3rd centre rad

 

That's what mine looks like as well.

 

Are driving a 997.1 or a 997.2? What oil temps are you seeing with the dash gauge?

I have 30-35 track days on my 997.2 S. ~30min sessions, I haven't had any issues with cooling. About 25% of those days are hot (90+) and humid. Water temp is fine (although I'm reading the inaccurate dash gauge). Oil gets up there on hot days, 260-270 but hasn't been an issue for the last 3 years.