The subject of high engine compartment heat and engine heat soak has been discussed here on numerous occasions. Many owners have even helped to rationalize exhaust purchases for not only improved (subjective) sound quality but also for weight savings and cooler engine compartment temperatures. High engine compartment heat is a well-known topic. For those of you who have seen Ford's marketing DVD for the GT (thanks Dennis!), you'll see that Ford explicitly recommends AGAINST the usage of plastic license plate frames for the GT. In reality, the installation of a rear license plate on the GT is problematic in two ways. First, a rear plate effectively blocks 57% of the rear center vent section. (Yes, I counted all of the little holes, computed the area and also computed the cross sectional area of the license plate opening. See illustration below.)
The second "problem" of mounting a rear plate is that, by definition, Ford is recommending a metal plate. Using the stock mounting locations, a metal plate will come into direct contact with the painted surface of the GT's center section. Over time, this direct contact will cause scratches in the painted surface.
At Cool Tech, we have developed an elegantly simple yet effective resolution to rear license plate mounting on the GT. Simply stated, it is the availability of precisely sized aluminum spacers - that simultaneosly address both of these aforementioned problems.
First, the Cool Tech License Plate spacers allow the plate to stand away from the large opening yielding a large increase in available venting/air flow area.
Second, and perhaps even more importantly, the Cool Tech spacers will not allow either the plate itself or the frame to come into contact with the GT's painted surfaces. In addition, the spacers themselves do not even come into contact with the painted surfaces. The entire spacer fits neatly on top of the nutsert shoulder - protecting your paint.
And here's a spacer installed without the plate so you can see that there is no paint contact.
In summary, The Cool Tech License Plate Spacers help protect your GT in two important ways;
1.) They help air flow and engine bay temps by increasing the amount of available vent space and;
2.) They help insure that you license plate and frame do not damage the paint on your GT.
The Cool Tech spacer kit is now available for $19.95. The kit includes 4 black-annodized aluminum spacers and a properly sized Torx key so you can install them yourself. You can order Cool Tech spacers on the website (still under construction) Cool Tech.
The second "problem" of mounting a rear plate is that, by definition, Ford is recommending a metal plate. Using the stock mounting locations, a metal plate will come into direct contact with the painted surface of the GT's center section. Over time, this direct contact will cause scratches in the painted surface.
At Cool Tech, we have developed an elegantly simple yet effective resolution to rear license plate mounting on the GT. Simply stated, it is the availability of precisely sized aluminum spacers - that simultaneosly address both of these aforementioned problems.
First, the Cool Tech License Plate spacers allow the plate to stand away from the large opening yielding a large increase in available venting/air flow area.
Second, and perhaps even more importantly, the Cool Tech spacers will not allow either the plate itself or the frame to come into contact with the GT's painted surfaces. In addition, the spacers themselves do not even come into contact with the painted surfaces. The entire spacer fits neatly on top of the nutsert shoulder - protecting your paint.
And here's a spacer installed without the plate so you can see that there is no paint contact.
In summary, The Cool Tech License Plate Spacers help protect your GT in two important ways;
1.) They help air flow and engine bay temps by increasing the amount of available vent space and;
2.) They help insure that you license plate and frame do not damage the paint on your GT.
The Cool Tech spacer kit is now available for $19.95. The kit includes 4 black-annodized aluminum spacers and a properly sized Torx key so you can install them yourself. You can order Cool Tech spacers on the website (still under construction) Cool Tech.
