At this years historic races at road america, elkhart lake, july 19/20, ford was the sponsor and a ford employee who drove the 24 hour endurance tests for ford gt's was there with the car that did 3 of these in usa and italy plus many many track hours. ford was main sponsor of the event and had this yellow car on track at least 14times that weekend between races. anyway, a group of ford racing guys were with him and i asked for advice on cooling the car in track events. previously, at elkhart i could only drive about 15 minutes on a 80 plus degree day before temp climbed toward 240 degrees. i have no front grill, use the trans cooler, have ford racing pulley just installed, otherwise 100% stock including the big muffler. my radiator fluid has been changed , burped etc....they advised what they did on the yellow test car. they took the screens off directly behind the radiator fans to allow more air to pull thru the radiator. (their car also had a/c removed) Their car on a 90 degree weekend never went over 220 degrees in short sessions. i removed the screens for a shelby club track weekend last sat/sunday at elkart lake and was shocked. with the same ambient temps as last year i ran about 10 degrees cooler and that made the driving much more enjoyable. i only backed off once in 20 minute sessions because of 235 temp and that was the time i was using 2nd gear out of 3 corners vs. only one corner. this is an easy step to get you a temp advantage when you put the car on the track. i would not have believed that the screens were this much of a restriction but these guys do know what they are doing.
track cooling facts
- Thread starter gt40man
- Start date
Fubar
Totally ****** Up
B O N Y
MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
Fubar
Totally ****** Up
One question... if you totally remove that rear grill it would allow very hot air to enter the front boot. Did it cause any damage to the rubber liner or other materials not designed for 240+ degree rushing air? (did you specifically check)
BlackICE
GT Owner
B O N Y
MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
Not that this would EVER be a big issue, but, wouldn't taking the screens off directly behind the radiator fans allow pretty much ANYTHING in the way of debris to fall in there & make contact with the fan blades and the rad. fins?
(Trust me to think about THIS kinda stuff! :lol)
(Trust me to think about THIS kinda stuff! :lol)
S592R
GT Owner
- Dec 3, 2006
- 2,800
Well my dear friend since you are unfamiliar with the physics of a FGT's movement, let me assure you that WHEN a FGT moves forward air moving through the vents would keep debris from falling into that area. But then again I also have to break it to you that forward movement of a FGT also will likely lead to recently deceased bugs being deposited on said FGT.
Sorry to terrify you with that second thought. :biggrin
Empty Pockets
ex-GT Owner
AAAAH-HUMMMMMMMM...OBVIOUSLY, oh, exhaulted one, the concern would be for when the GT is NOT moving and someone or someTHING around it IS...mayhaps in one's own garage for instance...if you get my drift. (I understand Murphy has an uncanny talent for exploiting situations like this. And I NEVER under estimate his ability to spot - and pounce on - any & all opportunities presented to him.)
Now as to your BUG stmt... :ack:ack:ack
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Fubar
Totally ****** Up
Taking the A/C out is definitely what keeps the yellow car good. In the constant search of maximizing cooling, taking out the A/C is by far the biggest help, so they say. Not a big market for that.
Otherwise, use 3rd instead of 2nd as much as you can.
And also, if you can, add two turbos and take off the blower. Mine runs way cooler now. :lol
Otherwise, use 3rd instead of 2nd as much as you can.
And also, if you can, add two turbos and take off the blower. Mine runs way cooler now. :lol
removal of screens/car crash
there was no damage to the rubber seals in the trunk liner. i would not have any concern about things falling into the fan blades on the track but do replace the screens when i drive and park the car in public places off track but realistically there is little chance something is going to "fall in" this area when you drive. ........also, at this event we did have a ford gt crash at the end of the straight away before canada corner which is corner 12. the car was going about 150mph before the brake zone and his brakes went to the floor. he said he downshifted into 3rd to try to slow the car which locked/slowed the rear wheels enough to cause the car to spin into the outside retaining wall. that ground off some speed but by the time he reached the gravel pit intended to slow cars running off the track he was still traveling so fast he flew over the gravel and onto a tire wall backed up by armco. the good news is he was okay except for the usual belt burns and soreness. he was a tough guy and came thru this well. he had a passenger who braced himself against the dash and broke a bone or two in his wrist. airbags did their thing and the car did as well. the front end up to the windshield was compressed and wrecked but the passenger compartment and the gas tank were all intact. as awful as this was the structural integrity of the car was quite impressive. this was a hard impact. im guessing he hit the tire wall at about 80mph. the impact broke one of the wheels in two pieces and broke the brake rotor on that side. the suspension components on the other side were barely visible with so much metal wrapped around them. these cars are tough. the doors did not open and provided additional structural support.definitely ford tough.
there was no damage to the rubber seals in the trunk liner. i would not have any concern about things falling into the fan blades on the track but do replace the screens when i drive and park the car in public places off track but realistically there is little chance something is going to "fall in" this area when you drive. ........also, at this event we did have a ford gt crash at the end of the straight away before canada corner which is corner 12. the car was going about 150mph before the brake zone and his brakes went to the floor. he said he downshifted into 3rd to try to slow the car which locked/slowed the rear wheels enough to cause the car to spin into the outside retaining wall. that ground off some speed but by the time he reached the gravel pit intended to slow cars running off the track he was still traveling so fast he flew over the gravel and onto a tire wall backed up by armco. the good news is he was okay except for the usual belt burns and soreness. he was a tough guy and came thru this well. he had a passenger who braced himself against the dash and broke a bone or two in his wrist. airbags did their thing and the car did as well. the front end up to the windshield was compressed and wrecked but the passenger compartment and the gas tank were all intact. as awful as this was the structural integrity of the car was quite impressive. this was a hard impact. im guessing he hit the tire wall at about 80mph. the impact broke one of the wheels in two pieces and broke the brake rotor on that side. the suspension components on the other side were barely visible with so much metal wrapped around them. these cars are tough. the doors did not open and provided additional structural support.definitely ford tough.
BlackICE
GT Owner
Glad to hear no one was seriously injured and it is reassuring to know that the GT is very safe. Opinions, would it have been better to not hold the dash and let the air bags do there job? Was anyone using a racing harness?
B O N Y
MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
Some interesting information to keep tucked away in your mind, is that each FGT's airbags serial numbers are known to Ford. If there has been an airbag deployment and obviously new bags have been installed one could check the serial numbers and confirm if they are the original bags or replacement units. The folks at SVT have this data and I would think is available to any dealer?
when you are about to have an incident you never brace yourself or you brake bones. you learn this fast in a race car. airbags and harness would have prevented any broken bones. the natural instinct is to brace but that guarantees potential bone brakes or worse. the driver and passenger were wearing a 5 or 6 point harness. i personally dont see how he could reach the dash harnessed in, i cant, but in the emergency maybe he braced using the bar we have in the door ahead of the latch. that seems more likely to me and it was i beleive his right arm with the break.
fjpikul
GT Owner
Bony, are you getting the Canadian front end with more structural support? Or is this a special edition, double-secret probation carbon fiber whiz-ding?
B O N Y
MODERATOR & FGT OWNER
Frankie, GT GUYS are doing the mod to 2006 standard. I have no issues now, just doing it to have the lastest and greatest...
The the car is going to Earl Shieb and they are putting a coat of resale red on it...
Used your name and got them to honor the $99 special from years back...
The the car is going to Earl Shieb and they are putting a coat of resale red on it...
Used your name and got them to honor the $99 special from years back...
Just to chime in, one of my local FGT buddies here has the later '05 - 06 grille and removed the back screens as well. Still, on a hot and humid day at the track his temp has climed to the 235 plus mark, but compared to mine with the early '05 grille and screens attached, he does run cooler and really knows how to get around the tracks: Summit Point, Pocono, VIR and most recently Thunderbolt.
As for the loss of brakes, similarly, my 2 times out tracking last year after about 5 laps my brakes were useless. Early this year we replaced the fluid with new DOT 3, and later after talking it over with out beloved FGT experts, I switched to DOT 4. The brakes have been outstanding ever since with several people to thank for the advice.
Pete S.
As for the loss of brakes, similarly, my 2 times out tracking last year after about 5 laps my brakes were useless. Early this year we replaced the fluid with new DOT 3, and later after talking it over with out beloved FGT experts, I switched to DOT 4. The brakes have been outstanding ever since with several people to thank for the advice.
Pete S.