Orochinoyamato

Hiya, good to see you again. I actually did pretty much fall off the face of the Earth--A year in Korea with nothing to drive but a Galloper (massively underpowered SUV). I got my revenge, though--smashed it on the front of a 25 ton truck when I forgot about how a high center of gravity affects handling.



I thought I'd be going to England next, but they sent me to Florida instead. So I guess it's time to shop around for Fluidyne and Koyo radiators, save up for a vented hood after that, and consider repainting it white or silver. The heat down here is insane already, and it's the coldest time of the year.

FikseRxSeven

radiator

Red-Rx7

The radiator is obviously the best choice here. But as others have mentioned, you can do some extra things to help the underhood tempatures.



My car isn't a daily driver, so one of the first things I did was remove the weather stripping by the windshield hood area. When I am at a stop light in the summer time, I can see the heat seeping through this new opening. A few of us here in KC also have reported a degree or two cooler running; but that just may be subjective without real sensors outside the engine. But, one thing is for sure, heat is now getting out much quicker.



You could also do jetcoating, and other things. But ultimately, the radiator is a huge improvement.

Signal 2

Radiator first. I like fluidyne for fitment, but Koyo is cheaper. I also heard both have about the same efficiency, but never actually saw the source/numbers.

Wrap the downpipe back to the cat. You might also consider the fan mod which keeps air moving for about 10 minutes after shutting down and helps with the underhood heat soak.

Signal 2

I also like my Miata thermoswitch.

Orochinoyamato

Thanks for the additional heat control suggestions--I don't have a garage or covered area to keep the car, so I wouldn't want to make any permanent holes. If I get a vented hood, I'll need to get or fabricate a cover for the vent. Pre-cat wrapping sounds safer than turbo wrapping, as long as I can maneuver my way in there to get it wrapped.

And I'll keep saving up for a vented hood and/or jetcoating, after the radiator.

GreyGT-C

PROPER DUCTING!!! I would get a Koyo ...it's more effecient and will not burst like the stocker. But without proper ducting on any radiator... you're not gonna get effecient cooling.

Signal 2

I guess I assumed you already had a downpipe already. But as soon as you can afford it, I'd get that pre-cat off. That alone will reduce underhood temps...alot and they've been known to fail which can do some damage. The bonus is better performance/more power. It's also a convenient time to have it jet-hot coated before it goes in. On a budget though, wrapping is cheap and effective.

FD3S DRIFT

dont get a hood, the only problem i had with my koyo was that i had to grind down the stock brackets for it to sit low enough to get the intercooler and such back in.

Orochinoyamato

I'd like to do a downpipe as well as a radiator, but since my mechanical ability is limited to replacing the license plate (rfreeman can verify that, I helped him replace my hoses with silicone a while back), I'd need to find someone in the area with a spare weekend.



I mean, that's not a mod I could have a shop do, is it? I think that's a part they're not allowed to remove, but if I'm wrong about Florida emissions laws, someone let me know.