What does everyone do to combat overheating in their classis SER's, i just got one for NASA/SCCA racing and have heard they have overheating problems frequently
Combination Motorsports radiator and Underdrive pullies seems to work pretty well.
The overheating is caused by water pump cavitation at high RPM.
I am going to be 'innovative' and try the Mesier electric water pump on my race car. I'll let everyone know how it goes.... our next race is at Buttonwillow next month (should be VERY hot!).
I've had some good success with water wetter and the underdrive pulleys. I am very curious how the electric pump works as I figure we may gain a few HP from less drag by using the electric pump. Is this a correct view on this?
What does everyone do to combat overheating in their classis SER's, i just got one for NASA/SCCA racing and have heard they have overheating problems frequently
As has been mentioned, a larger water pump pulley will help. I have one from a Stanza on my car -- not sure what year it's from (installed by some shop in NoVa ), but it's probably bigger than the Unorthodox Racing pulley.
You can also make some kind of "ducting" to block the sides of the radiator to force air through. I have this, too. Originally made out of cardboard and racer's tape, it's now a little more permanent with aluminum sheet.
Also, a front splitter or air dam might help (I recently constructed one similar to the Paule/Kojima SE-R Cup car made out of polyethelene, but haven't raced with it). Or consider something like the one on Scott Giles' 'Teg.
yea, i finally decided i needed a faster car, when i run w/ nasa, there have to be pretty slow ita or itb drivers or some itc cars to run with, so i am following your lead ;-) (and stealing joe' car
i know joe had overheating issues with it, but it just got a new water pump and the heater core was clogged so hopefully that combined w/ the unorthodox pulleys will solve the problem.
I'd like to see your splitter (although i can come to nasa at summit in juine (my wife is due )
from what i've read, the splitter sounds like a good idea, i might have to copy you!
You can also make some kind of "ducting" to block the sides of the radiator to force air through. I have this, too. Originally made out of cardboard and racer's tape, it's now a little more permanent with aluminum sheet.
How so? It's part of the air dam and "openings are permitted for the purposes of ducting air to the brakes, cooler and radiator" in regards to the air dam, and all the ducting is attached to the front bumper. It does not "cover" the normal grill openings on the front of the car. No support or reinforcement extends "aft of the forward most part of the front fender wheel opening." Unless there's some specific wording in the rule book that I can't find, I see it as creative rules interpretation.
How so? It's part of the air dam and "openings are permitted for the purposes of ducting air to the brakes, cooler and radiator" in regards to the air dam, and all the ducting is attached to the front bumper. It does not "cover" the normal grill openings on the front of the car. No support or reinforcement extends "aft of the forward most part of the front fender wheel opening." Unless there's some specific wording in the rule book that I can't find, I see it as creative rules interpretation.
From the ITCS:
"Openings are permitted for the purposes of ducting air to the brakes,cooler,and radiator."
and
"Any radiator may be used,provided it is mounted in the
original location,maintains the same plane as the original
core and requires no body or structure modifications to install."
No where does it allow for sealing off the flow of air to the radiator. It only allows for an opening in the airdam to flow air to the radiator. The stuff you're talking about is not connected to the airdam at all. But, I could be wrong. A lot of folks didn't believe spherical bearings where legal until I wrote to Sven Pruett. I would just make certain it's easily removed should someone decide to protest (IIRC your region has a lot of folks who like to protest).
How would you "duct" the air to the radiator after making an opening for said ducting? If you can duct air from openings you have made, why can't you run ducting from existing openings?
I know .... it's a gray area. But I have the slowest car in ITS in the MARRS series, so I'm not really worried about anybody complaining about my car. The aluminum is easy to remove anyway.
Oh my front splitter worked wonders this weekend in keeping water temps down. It never got above 200 the whole weekend. Outside temps were in the low '70s, and I've run in similar conditions before and watched the temperature gauge climb up to 220 or so.
How would you "duct" the air to the radiator after making an opening for said ducting? If you can duct air from openings you have made, why can't you run ducting from existing openings?
I would read that to say you can create a duct in your airdam. But it says nothing about in the coachwork. A similar example would be brakes. You can have a duct in your airdam for brakes, and elsewhere in the ITCS it specifically mentions running hoses to the brakes. There is nothing elsewhere in the ITCS about creating a duct or boxing in the radiator in the coachwork.
That is how I read it.
slowSER said:
I know .... it's a gray area. But I have the slowest car in ITS in the MARRS series, so I'm not really worried about anybody complaining about my car. The aluminum is easy to remove anyway.
Yeah, I know. I'm not trying to slap your hand. You can run illegal pieces if you like. Just trying to warn/help you. Also, trying to do the same for others running IT. But as for running illegal parts and set-ups, I have 2 or 3 minor things I'll be doing that won't be legal. They are non-performance items and mostly for convenience, but illegal none the less. None of them will be terribly difficult to bring into compliance though if someone protests.
slowSER said:
Oh my front splitter worked wonders this weekend in keeping water temps down. It never got above 200 the whole weekend. Outside temps were in the low '70s, and I've run in similar conditions before and watched the temperature gauge climb up to 220 or so.
slowSER, could you tell us some details about the splitter you made? I'm interested in it even though I have a DG-Racing front skirt. Are there any ways to make it more aerodynamic and functional? It is flexible so going 40-60mph or more it folds under the bumper.
I made it out of polyethelene, which is hard plastic like what's sometimes used for cutting boards in the kitchen. I bought a big sheet of it from a local place for about $50. I think it's about 1/4" thick.
I just attached it to the lower "lip" on the stock bumper with some bolts. Also made it so part of it extends back so I could use some holes for the splash shields.
It's very similar to the one on Tom Paule's SE-R Cup car, but his has a little more engineering into it (been sworn to secrecy on details). Mine is just a piece of plastic that I slapped on.
My problem is that the bottom of the bumper is kinda angled up, so the splitter is angled up a few degrees. Not that effective for downforce and "scooping" air, but I just wanted to run it a couple times to see if it was solid -- which it was. When I race the car again, I'm going to make some changes so the splitter is flat.
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