Mugen Cooling Kit
10-07-2005, 02:05 PM
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Mugen Cooling Kit
I have done searches but haven't found any threads that really hit my question on the head...
When I added the Mugen header/exhaust (
) to my NA AP1, I got a pleasing amount of midrange torque but I also added underhood temps and heatsoak. On hot days, after just a few red lights performance drops off to stock or worse. To address it, naturally I am planning on installing the Hondata gasket before next summer. I also was planning on installing the Mugen Cooling kit (Rad cap, fan switch, thermostat), but now an article in Road and Track has given me second thoughts.
The article mentioned a litany of potential bad outcomes, like having the ECU think it is in 'warm-up mode' all the time, or pulling more heat out with the radiator just to have it wash back on intake air, to even be operating the engine at the wrong temperature causing incorrect clearances causing increased wear etc.
I might go to the Mugen intake at some point, but I don't think I will be going to the Mugen ECU. It looks like a pain to swap for smogging, I don't really want to use a race gas mix, and I'd like to keep the key sensor.
So my questions:
1) Without the ECU, will the cooling kit really do anything for my performance beyond the Hondata gasket?
2) Without the ECU, can the cooling kit actually do damage?
-JD
When I added the Mugen header/exhaust (
) to my NA AP1, I got a pleasing amount of midrange torque but I also added underhood temps and heatsoak. On hot days, after just a few red lights performance drops off to stock or worse. To address it, naturally I am planning on installing the Hondata gasket before next summer. I also was planning on installing the Mugen Cooling kit (Rad cap, fan switch, thermostat), but now an article in Road and Track has given me second thoughts.The article mentioned a litany of potential bad outcomes, like having the ECU think it is in 'warm-up mode' all the time, or pulling more heat out with the radiator just to have it wash back on intake air, to even be operating the engine at the wrong temperature causing incorrect clearances causing increased wear etc.
I might go to the Mugen intake at some point, but I don't think I will be going to the Mugen ECU. It looks like a pain to swap for smogging, I don't really want to use a race gas mix, and I'd like to keep the key sensor.
So my questions:
1) Without the ECU, will the cooling kit really do anything for my performance beyond the Hondata gasket?
2) Without the ECU, can the cooling kit actually do damage?
-JD
10-07-2005, 02:27 PM
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Originally Posted by F20_C,Oct 7 2005, 02:11 PM
Are you running the heatshield with your Mugen header? If you are, I dont see how your underhood temps can be any hotter than before(stock).
I haven't measured underhood temps directly (uh-oh butt-dyno instead of facts) but on cool days I don't have any problem, but on hot days it feels like I have a drag chute deployed so I just figured it was heatsoak. A few days ago we had a heat wave in SoCal, and the difference was dramatic, reminding me ask the experts
.-JD
10-07-2005, 03:50 PM
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did you cut the plastic panel when you put in the snorkel or did you remove it completely? I'm guessing you just removed it, am I correct? If so, cut it and put it back, this is your problem.
10-07-2005, 06:39 PM
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If the mugen cooling parts (which I have, rad cap, thermostat, fanswitch) did what you described above you would have alot of people complaining about the car always idling at the warmup stage say 1400 or so. I have not had this problem and the car really warms up faster. the fan kicks on and off more often in stop and go trafic to help keep things cool but there is no indication to me of heat soak. this was with my stock intake. when I switched to ARC intake heat soak sucked but such is the price you pay for bling bling. Now sc'd so I don't really notice the benefits anymore
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10-07-2005, 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by turbo_pwr,Oct 7 2005, 03:50 PM
did you cut the plastic panel when you put in the snorkel or did you remove it completely? I'm guessing you just removed it, am I correct? If so, cut it and put it back, this is your problem.
-JD
10-08-2005, 08:31 AM
#9
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My current set-up includes the Mugen ECU, cooling mods, header, heatshield, SS exhaust, vented hood, and stock airbox. The ECU with cooling mods by itself will provide much better midrange torque than the header/exhaust combo could provide, at least this was my experience when I added these modifications in a stepwise fashion. Headers by itself made no difference. Adding the exhaust made no difference. While the vented hood looks nice, that made no difference either. The ECU + cooling mods made a huge difference.
On Texas hot days (98 deg, 90% humidity) with A/C running full steam, heat soak was virtually eliminated when I added the ECU. This was certainly not the case when the car only had the Mugen header only. The car has become much more driveable in daily-driving in hot/humid TX. I have driven this set-up for 2 summers and 25,000 miles now, no problems detected thus far.
We get 93 octane here, so no problems with knocking, no need to mix race-gas.
The car does warm-up faster in hotter weather and warms-up much more slowly in temps < 45F.
On Texas hot days (98 deg, 90% humidity) with A/C running full steam, heat soak was virtually eliminated when I added the ECU. This was certainly not the case when the car only had the Mugen header only. The car has become much more driveable in daily-driving in hot/humid TX. I have driven this set-up for 2 summers and 25,000 miles now, no problems detected thus far.
We get 93 octane here, so no problems with knocking, no need to mix race-gas.
The car does warm-up faster in hotter weather and warms-up much more slowly in temps < 45F.
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