Radiator outlets

[Mike in CA]

On each side of my 99 C2, under the bumper and just in front of each front wheel there is a cutout which I assume is an outlet for the airflow passing through the radiator on each side. Each hole has a little mini-scoop and a small fairing or winglet that hangs down off the back edge. Now that my car has been significantly lowered with the new suspension mods the winglets have been scraping the ground over certain driveway entrances (including my own) so I removed them to keep them from being trashed. Have I circumvented some crucial bit of German engineering that's going to cause a problem with cooling or some such? I guess the winglets and scoops could aid in air extaction in some way but I would think that forced airflow through the radiators would be much more important to cooling. On the other hand, they must be there for a reason. Any thoughts?

[karlooz]

On each side of my 99 C2, under the bumper and just in front of each front wheel there is a cutout which I assume is an outlet for the airflow passing through the radiator on each side. Each hole has a little mini-scoop and a small fairing or winglet that hangs down off the back edge. Now that my car has been significantly lowered with the new suspension mods the winglets have been scraping the ground over certain driveway entrances (including my own) so I removed them to keep them from being trashed. Have I circumvented some crucial bit of German engineering that's going to cause a problem with cooling or some such? I guess the winglets and scoops could aid in air extaction in some way but I would think that forced airflow through the radiators would be much more important to cooling. On the other hand, they must be there for a reason. Any thoughts?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yup, mine are gone too because of the lowered suspension and my driveway. sorry, i have no info but just wanted to commiserate. ;)

[dj996]

Mike, I think they are for brake cooling, not sure. Did you do coilovers on your car? how do you like them compared to 030?

Doug

[Mike in CA]

Mike, I think they are for brake cooling, not sure. Did you do coilovers on your car? how do you like them compared to 030?

Doug

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Doug, if I reach my arm into the hole I can feel the backside of at least a part of the radiator. Now that you mention the brakes, maybe the little scoops and winglets deflect hot air from the radiators away from the wheelwell and the brakes. Hmmmmm..... With the car lowered these bits wouldn't have lasted long anyway so I guess it's a moot point.

Yeah, I did coilovers with JRZ single adjustable shocks, Eibach springs, and The Racers Group adjustable sway bars. The car has been lowered an additional inch from where it was with the ROW M030 so overall it's about 45mm or not quite 2 inches lower than stock. I will have to live with it a bit longer to see if that was too much and might kick it back up a quarter inch or so. TRG did the installation for me and they used a dual spring setup with a "tender" spring underneath the main springs which are 300# in front and 550# in the rear. Theoretically the tender spring takes the initial jounce for improved ride. In practice, ride quality is pretty good; on a par with the M030 on smoother roads. Over bigger bumps you get into the main springs and there is very little give.

I want to do more autocross and track stuff so I'm willing to live with the stiffer ride and issues with the lowered chassis. I had my first autocross with this setup last weekend and it made a significant difference (I'd say about a second on a 45 second autocross lap) even with the initial 'middle of the road" settings. Once I adjust the bars and shocks to balance the car and get a little more grip in front it should be even better. My setup is still obviously a compromise between street car and race car but maybe a little more toward race car than it was. It just depends on how much "pain" (and money) you're willing to spend for the gain. :drive: