Luxter

Dear Fellows,
After installing the 3rd radiator I realized that there is no outflow of the air from the back of the radiator. In other words the bottom of the bumper skin blocks any flow through the rad.
Those who have done the 3rd Rad, did you guys notice that?
Those who have 3rd radiator factory installed, could you get under your car and snap a picture just to see if the bumper skin is trimmed in any way?
I am considering trimming portions of my bumper as per this photo.
Pen marked area will likely be trimmed:



This picture shows the bottom of front bumper looking up.
Any other suggestions?
Many thanks in advance.
=L=

AP997S

IMHO . . . . . If Porsche thought it was a problem wouldn't they have included something in their kit? I think 'spent' air finds a way out of the 3rd radiator area w/o having to help it. It just might cause some oscillations in the bumper cover at speed due to the added turbulence you might inflict.

ps. I have the 3rd radiator (Tiptronic car) factory installed and the bumper cover hasn't been factory altered or changed.

ADias

It would be foolish to cut any holes under the nose. Aero design is a very expensive thing and Weissach knows better.

Spokane5150

Is that compartment behind the radiator closed? If it is I bet there needs to be some vented louvers in there or something. Louvers would be good for keeping dirt out and keeping the plastic from flopping around. Obviously, the radiator needs proper air flow to work.

utkinpol

i found old post about 3rd radiator install. holes should be cut - see post #11 in there.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...carrera-s.html

Luxter

Thanks utkinpol.
It makes sense now.
=L=

Spokane5150

Man! You can find everything on this forum. Good Job utkinpol.

I'd still like to see the factory x51 set up. I bet they use something nicer than just cutting a few holes. If you look at the vents in the fender well (below) in front of the tires you have louvers. I wonder if there is a panel you can buy that will fit in the bottom and help keep dirt from piling in. Plus, the louvers should create a pressure drop helping scavenge for better air flow. IDK Maybe I'm over-thinking this.

Minok

Its also why some cars have that vent smile on the TOP of the bumper cover, to vent that air out over the hood.

One option is the rennline kit: (install video)

ADias

Well of course, the kit includes, beyond the radiator and connecting pipes/fixtures, other air ducting baffles and such. But no one should be making cuts at random.

Alan C.

Another aid in cooling the car a little bit better is purchasing the 'extreme weather kit'. If you look inside the front wheel wells you notice the vents shown above in post #7. Look closely at the ones towards the inside of the car and you'll notice that they are not open. The 'extreme weather' ones are open. I ordered one liner from my parts person and checked it out. After seeing it I used a box knife and about 5 minutes per wheel to duplicate the part. The dealer let me return the part minus a stocking fee and I was $300 ahead of the game. This was on an '09' C2S.

Spokane5150

Now that's good stuff. Thanks for noting this. Do you have and photo's of yours? I wonder if there is a DIY. I'll have to look.

kkswow12

what about the space where the 3rd rad goes? without the rad it is like an inverted bowl facing forward with no outlet for air...what am i missing?

zanwar

I ordered the center radiator kit from Suncoast and had it installed by my racing shop. I don't know exactly what aero work they did, but the radiator was effective at reducing engine oil temperature on hot track days. I assume the kit comes with all the necessary parts and instructions. If you need more info, I'll post some pics of the installation.

Update : i just took some pics and the underside of my bumper looks exactly the same as yours, no holes or extra vents. I did notice I could fit my fingers between the bumper lip and the black underbody trim, so perhaps some of the air exits that way. I can confirm from experience the installation works as intended. After the radiator install, I took the car out on a 36C day and the water temp stayed at 175 for the entire session, and the oil temp didn't exceed 250.

mten

I have a third rad and just looked under the car. I have the same 4 "cutouts" as post #11 from the link above.

Jack667

Is there any new wisdom about whether or not a 3rd / center radiator installation should include the cutting of holes on the underside of the bumper? I have added a vent on top and I'm curious about whether I should have holes below.
TIA