dparm

Cooling plates seem to be popular but I refuse to buy into hype...so has anyone done any objective tests showing the improvement in airflow, decrease in temps, etc.?

e.g. IR camera photos, CAD modeling of airflow, and so on.

I don't want to drop $100+ on a show piece, frankly. I'd like to know that some engineering actually did go into a part.

midnightsunset

It's all a gimmick. Just conform now so you don't have to later.

To pay for back dyno runs to effectively test hp gains and/or to pay to tell the diff in lap times at the track.

No way to effectively test any improvements that could be justified or validated.

dparm

So it's all butt-dyno?

LostMotion

You only need one if you have to remove the stock piece in order to fit an intake. Other than that I don't know why you would get one. It is pretty clear though that you want to force as much air as possible to go into the radiator, not around it. To this end it is worthwhile to add foam pieces around the radiator to block the holes.

dparm

I'll save my money then. They look cool, but with gas at $4/gallon, I'd rather take that $100 and put it to better use.

If my roommate can snag an IR camera from work, I might post in this thread again.

chimmike

you cannot use lap times to effectively objectively judge parts.....driver is too inconsistent.

Dynos cannot be used either. In the case of a cooling plate, the best evidence is thermal readings via IR camera or temp sensors, taken on multiple dyno runs both pre and post install of cooling plate.

AssassinJN

How would this work? Very few dynos have a fan that is capable of generating the cfm airflow of driving at 50mph let alone anything higher. The point of the good cooling plates is to direct the air through the radiator, and to funnel part of the air that was going over the radiator to the stock intake box directly. Some add a "scoop" that goes down in front of the radiator to force more air into the stock intake to pressurize it, forcing more air through the throttle body.

The kind of engineering and testing that you are asking for would be basically cost prohibitive of something being sold by smaller companies for $100, especially since the two main concepts (ram-air effect and radiator isolation) have been proven and used for very many years.

dparm

Assassin, you and I seem to be on the same page. Thank you for clarifying.

chimmike

I think it'd be simple to do given 2-3 thermometers.

drill and tap an IAT sensor into the intake piping, and use a hand held thermometer for ambient temps.

Run normal, same road, note ambient temps, air intake temps and compare plate vs. no plate. Some simple math could prove or disprove results.

SpitfireS

Make one yourself = cheap.
If you don't feel anything : throw it away.