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Hello fellow performance-minded friends... i am thinking ahead here and am wanting to remove the entire A/C system from my 997.1 C2S and one of the minor issues i am curious about is how well the ducts that connect from the front bumper openings to the radiator will 'fit' or rather 'seal' to the radiator when the A/C condensers are removed from in front of the rads.
Does anyone have experience removing the A/C system, any tips & tricks or stories of woe ?
How have you solved for sealed ducting to the side rads ?
It should be similar to the 996 and removing the condensors dont effect the intake boots. Cups dont have ac or fans and they use the same parts.
Thanks, i'm sure you're right they will still mount up and still work well enough, but if the air can just sneak past the sides where the AC condensers are/were, i wonder about efficiency.
Here's where things are in OEM C2S design. The air guides are 'sealed' at the top and bottom but the sides of the AC condensers protrude... if they were removed it would be a large hole on both sides... i'm likely going to make pieces to close off these gaps, just wasn't sure if others have already solved for this situation. silver part being the AC condenser
I cant imagine a loss of efticiancy as there is very little room under the bumper cover and add the increase of air flow without the condessor blocking the rad. The simple fix would be adding a flap. U can rivit/glue some lawn edging on to the boot.
If you are looking at radiator cooling efficiency, you are correct and those open areas can be closed off however, if you are removing the AC because this is a track car, you should consider front brake cooling as well and forcing all airflow through the radiator is not helpful for that as it will lead to higher brake temperatures.
If you are looking at radiator cooling efficiency, you are correct and those open areas can be closed off however, if you are removing the AC because this is a track car, you should consider front brake cooling as well and forcing all airflow through the radiator is not helpful for that as it will lead to higher brake temperatures.
Has this been your experience ?
I'm curious because as of right now that radiator duct is sealed, just with the condenser blocking the flow... not sure how removing the condenser + sealing the sides would cause brake temps to go 'higher'. Likely, more airflow would come through the radiator into the wheel well with the condenser not restricting airflow.
I am interested in brake ducting solutions that have worked well for others... i am having trouble seeing a meaningful route for a duct from the front bumper to the back of the rotor/hub.
Last edited by delirium45; 03-07-2024 at 12:36 PM.
Reason: typo
I have 996gt3 wheel liners and scoops that duct rad flow directly to the brakes. Im sure 997s have something similar. No extra heat issues with my brakes. Not sure how forcing more air through would hurt temps. Without the condessor or flaps i guess so air could bypass around and be less hot?
These look brilliant. No issues with tire rubbing ?
Also, i wonder if air from under the car is being scooped up by that lower air guide on the LCA... my concern is with a car that is significantly lowered from street-trim and managing air under the car with front areo... do these lower air ducts lose effectiveness.
I would not block anything around the radiator after you take the condenser out and I would open up the wheel liner venting further for the brakes.
You want the 996 GT2 front scoops. They are about $200 each but worth it. There is a 200 deg F brake temp difference between running them and running without them. I know, because I lost one and the brake temps shot up. My car is very low and I have ever only lost one while hitting the WGI inner loop curbing.
Also consider taking one radiator out for better cooling flow.
Last edited by Frank 993 C4S; 03-07-2024 at 03:59 PM.
Thanks for the beta... i've been looking at the 996 GT2 guides as well.
This car will have a large front splitter which is partly why i am trying to find a hose-ducted path rather than pulling air from under the car to feed brake cooling. Appreciate all of the candor and creativity.
Im at 6-gt3 height and use a cup splitter. As a system it all works well for me. The scoops i use r actually off the 6-turbo because they r only $20 each. There is not that much of a difference for the premium. I use the gt2 ducts in the back but they dont work that well without the naca ducts in the under panels and the rest of the expensive gt2 duct.
Bringing this thread back to the original topic... for those looking for info on what it looks like when the condensers are removed... i put a light in the front of the duct... lots of light flowing out. This is not ideal for side radiator efficiency and for managing airflow under the vehicle... i will be sealing these sides with some sort of rigid rubber material to force as much of the air through the rads as possible.
I suspect if u smoke traced the air flow at speed u would find that very little air woud bypass the the rad but if u have the resources and skills i agree with sealing them up.
Bringing this thread back to the original topic... for those looking for info on what it looks like when the condensers are removed... i put a light in the front of the duct... lots of light flowing out. This is not ideal for side radiator efficiency and for managing airflow under the vehicle... i will be sealing these sides with some sort of rigid rubber material to force as much of the air through the rads as possible.
for a track car, I would recommend aluminum HVAC tape and call it a day. It won’t be pretty but it will do the job.
03-05-2024, 03:36 PM
Removing A/C
