I was following someone down a windy country road covered in wet leaves, and they happened to be stirring them all up. When I got home I pulled out ARMFULS of leaves from the oil coolers and from the radiator cavity - I felt it was dangerous to leave them in there when there may be a risk of fire. Some of them even got pushed behind the radiator past the foam "seals" :( Anyone else ever have a similar problems? Is it something I need to worry about>

I had a leaf get in there. This looks like a job for...... RX8FUN'S OIL COOLER AND RADIATOR GRILL! I will be purchasing some as soon as I get some extra cash. :D (see look publicity and I have not even bought any yet)

haha "a leaf"? I'm talking about a freakin tree! :D

fall is no fun i hate leaves they are slippery and annoying.

I was following someone down a windy country road covered in wet leaves, and they happened to be stirring them all up. When I got home I pulled out ARMFULS of leaves from the oil coolers and from the radiator cavity - I felt it was dangerous to leave them in there when there may be a risk of fire. Some of them even got pushed behind the radiator past the foam "seals" :( Anyone else ever have a similar problems? Is it something I need to worry about>

Can't say I've had the same problem but I have to say that since the rx8 is so low

to the ground it does pick up a lot of dirt. Even after a good wash the dead bugs

still stay there and I cant really scrub because I dont want to scratch the surface.

Any advice.

I caught a frog when he jumped, he was pretty messed up in the the grill :)

I have installed grille coverings for all the openings. While I think it is a good idea overall, one thing you should keep in mind is that in certain circumstances you probably need to be MORE careful than non-grille owners about materials blocking airflow. Especially if driving through an area with a large amount of dry leaves or paper. In stock configuration, there's a lot more room to "accumulate" the litter before it becomes a problem for cooling. With grilles, all it takes is enough to cover a significant portion of the surface area presented by the grille. I'll often find a couple of leaves stuck in my AC grille. Hasn't been a problem yet, but if you're driving somewhere where the road is covered by them, or run into a pile of 'em it's probably a good idea to keep an eye on the temp gauge and check the grilles when you park.

Grille coverings, as others have mentioned. Keeps all but the smallest stuff out and protects your oil coolers and AC condensor from thrown rocks and stuff. Check the DIY forum for ideas and excellent how-to's.

Even after a good wash the dead bugs still stay there and I cant really scrub because I dont want to scratch the surface. Just one word: Zaino. www.zainostore.com

I also had to pull handfulls of leaves out of the oil coolers this morning @ the gas station.. Doubt that the radiator or oil cooler would ever get hot enough to start a fire in the leaves.. if it did, the plastic bumper would probably be melting :)