OK. You do have a point!

 

Ahh. If I understand this correctly. The hood is sealed and all the high pressure air under the car is sucking the hot air through the radiator only and not from anywhere else to help cooling.

 

cant believe people are still talking about this!!! open the hood some air comes out!
olddragger

 

Thats why I stated above "This thread should become a sticky"

So maybe some of us can learn something.


Yes I did read the whole thing!


BUT, BUT. Why then are ALL vehicles hoods sealed from front to back? I'm sure millions of $$$ could have been saved by not putting all that weatherstripping on.

I first started on the side of the hood vented side from my old school days. Afterward............

 

Most cars either don't have cooling issues or have better evacuation flow out the bottom or sides of the engine compartment. The reason this works is because Mazda didn't design the airflow out of the engine compartment adequately enough to begin with. If they had Rotorocks and MM wouldn't have had to come up with this. If the cooling air flow was better than most likely the engine compartment pressure would be lower and it wouldn't work. But the fact that it does is testament to the lack of air evacuation in the original design.

 

What I find funny is that Mazda's 2001 RX-8 concept car had a beautiful vented hood. It was like somebody at Mazda understood the issue, but the fix never made it into final production.

I would strongly consider buying such a hood. Would anybody know of any company making such a hood?


Note- The front opening made more sense too. Because on the concept car you would/could put the license plate below the opening. While on the production model the license plate blocks the opening unless you take it off, mount to the bottom, or have a folding license plate bracket. Also, the higher position may have meant a default designed cold air intake versus having to go to a 3rd party intake duct.

 

Well about the front grill opening...

The opening on the production version is larger, no doubt. can we agree on that? It appears to have stretched downward taing out the surface area between it and the bottom opening - where you suggested a lic. plate could be mounted.

Go take a look at the grill area on your car. only the bottom 1/8th or so of the grill is actually opened. The rest is molded completely closed. This looks to be about the same size area as the original opening from the concept picture that you posted. Now If you take the bumper off you will see why the opening was enlarged downward and why the top of the grill is not open. It would not be functional for airflow anyway because of the crashbar and foam padding back behind it.

I don't live in a state that requires a front plate but I do live about 5 miles away from one that does. I have look at the possibility of ever needing to use that grill area to optimize my cooling, and I had a front plate I would mount my lic. plate under one of the headlights. Front plates look goofy anway so I don't think that would look any worse.

 

I like that hood. Thats why I want the TS Seibon hood.

 

I'm thinking that the KS hood along with the lower intake plate removed, will allow the hot radiator air to vent upwards and out the hood.

 

might as well toss in a small battery and/or relocate it to the trunk while you are at it.

 

How about have 2 hood duct like GTR?

It will sure suck in more cold air.

 

Getting cold air in i do not believe is the problem, its getting the hot air out.

 

use this duct to get more cold air into the engine bay, then remove rubber lining at the end of the bonnet to let the hot air out...just an idea.

 

that area of the hood is not an air discharge. it is an intake.

 

I agree! Your best bet for airflow is to remove the intake undertray and battery box, move the battery to the trunk, and go with the TSII. At least thats what I'm doing.