I have three things to add to this.

1) J's Racing did a test with their cooling plate on an endurance race and claimed it dropped temps significantly (I can't remember the number, but it was around 20*C). I don't know the specifics of how they tested the plate, but that's what their numbers show.

2) I have run in an endurance race with my car, with the (Carbing) carbon fiber cooling plate being the only cooling mod on the car, and temps stayed low. I have never run in an endurance race w/o the cooling plate, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it was in Florida so the temps were already 80-90*F.

3) slackfaster, as people said before when you posted that drawing, your drawing is wrong b/c it doesn't take into account the fact that (a) the OEM shroud has slits in it to let some of the air rise up towards the intake and (b) that is not the way that air flows under speed, which is the only time a cooling plate would be useful, anyway.

Cliff notes:
- J's Racing has numbers to back up their claim that their cooling plate drops temps
- In an endurance race, my Carbing cooling plate was the only cooling mod and my temps were fine
- The drawing is erroneous

 

The only ones that can do anything are the aut style ones. They direct air right at a filter. I have the K&N FIPK and the air is directed right at the filter when driving. Plenty of air goes right through the radiator as well as long as remove the oem piece first so no worries.
With a fan I could def feel the air coming out at the filter so at highway speeds I would bet it can help get cooler air for sure. On a dyno not much that will show any gains with it.

 

1. We don't know the specifics of J's test -
which completely throws that data point out -
e.g. -- they may have left the OEM cooling plate on during their test and used their plate to augment it - we just don't know...

2. you didn't test this with only the OEM (the same day same conditions) -
which means we have to throw that data point out too.

3. I race sail boats... (cal 28s and J-24s) and am a product designer (professional for the last 23 years) --
Which of course means i have no direct knowledge of what is happening aerodynamically in front of the radiator at speed... but neither do you.
Which of course means we have to throw my drawing out too (though I still stand behind it as the probable dynamic).



what this all comes down to is...

1. A cooling plate is most likely a visual mod (and there's nothing wrong w/ that).

2. If you leave the OEM plate on and supplement it with an after market plate, you're probably not doing any harm.

3.there is no known data to prove either way...


IMHO

 

One can not out do the engineers!

 

That is not a correct statement. Why do aftermarket intakes give gains? Same for exhausts etc? Engineers made things to work best while limiting sound or other possible issues.
The stock piece was designed to give maximum air to the radiator while after market ones give adequate air to the radiator as well as shooting cooler air right at the filter of certain intakes.
It does zero harm to anything and if nothing else does give some cooler air to the filter at highway speeds.

 

[QUOTE=zbrewha863,Jul 13 2009, 06:33 AM]1)

 

There are some exceptions of course; but some individuals end up making things worse rather than better. I am not referring to this thread in particular; just based on observations I have made.

 

They did a recent test in Import Tuner (August 2009 w/ Tommy from GoTuning's S2000), where they found that there were like 2-3 cooler average ambient temperature with the radiator diversion panels. Cooler temperatures = more efficient combustion, thus building slightly better power (or rather loosing less power). Anyway, they proved these "cooling plates" to work, but who knows if we can trust IT..

 

of course they are, a car is a product which is market driven.

esp when it's a sport car that aims at a pretty narrow market segment, the business is constantly shifting, it's not just the about the best engineered product but the whole shebang(design, marketing mix, engineering, price/mfg). on top of that you have to consider the rate of return to make one such car, how well it will sell in your dealership network and all that.

do you know most automaker will hire marketing firm to conduct focus group so they know exactly what type of door shutting noise will produce a sound of "luxury", on the other hand they will spend couple million dollar to cad up a chassis that uses couple pound of steel per car?

yes, we all love a great engineered product but they alone cannot survive in the industry in 2009

 

also reminds me of this thread.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=714230