For those who don't want the hassle of a DIY, or locating the right screen, Racing Beat is now selling drop in screens for $19 each.

They look nice, and go right inside the rubber oil cooler sleeve. No affiliation, blah blah blah, I just figured people would want to know.

Racing Beat

 

I dont see them Tony, where exactly on the site?

 

Select the 'Oil System' category from the drop down box on the RX-8 page.

http://www.racingbeat.com/FRmazda4.htm

 

Any chance this is the same material as your CTS-V

 

how hard is it to install them. gotta take the font end off???

 

Great find! Thanks for posting this up, Tony!

 

On the bottom of the webpage.........it says......

Installation of the screens requires the removal of the front nose, and be accomplished with the provided step-by-step instructions. Installation can be undertaken by one person in about an hour and requires only simple hand tools.

 

some people (like me) find it a little scary to take the bumper off a brand new car but hope they design a air intake screen for the radiator in the bottom of the nose then would do the whole job at one time. As for now I am happy with my Gutterguard fix.

 

Installation of the screens requires the removal of the front nose, and be accomplished with the provided step-by-step instructions. Installation can be undertaken by one person in about an hour and requires only simple hand tools.

WTH!!!???

IMO, this is nuts! For $.50 each at Wallmat you get what you need, takes the skills of a kinderkarten kid (scissors) and about 5 minutes time. No removal of anything

There are threads on this mod..here is one:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...ht=oil+coolers

 

Well, there's a hole in the market for some type of screen, and it was only a matter of time before some vendor stepped up to the plate to fill it. Yes, you can make your own that is as good as or better for less than $5. But some people will pay $19 + shipping (a) just for the Racing Beat name, and (b) because Racing Beat's must be better, somehow, than the one you can make yourself, right?

Finally, I am not convinced that you cannot get to everything you need to without removing the front bumper. When my oil cooler lines were replaced, I wandered over and took a look at the work in progress. They had my '8 up on a lift and had the lower protective cover (starting at the bottom of the front bumper and running back from there) kind of "curled" back out of the way to access the oil cooler lines. While I didn't study it closely with access to the bumper openings in mind, I did note that there was quite a bit of room. So when I put my "permanent" ones on this summer (much like Tony Orlando did here) I'm sure going to try this simpler method first. We'll see.

 

In my opinion, I'd rather have something substantial deflecting large debris, as opposed to something that it will go right through, only mildly slowing down in the process. If I took a slingshot and fired a pebble at a screen door, it'd go through like it wasn't even there. Just an opinion, though.

For those with the extra 40 who would prefer to get it precut, there it is. And for anyone wondering, it goes inside the rubber "air collectors" that extend from the front of the coolers, it does not mount flush against the opening like I did mine.

 

edit: let me try reading before i post

 

No offense, but why not try opinionating from experience? Go get the material (all of $.50) and try your sling shot. I doubt anything sort of a small gun will penetrate it.

The material from Walmat (Quick Count 7 mesh sku# 032231570151, in the craft/sewing dept) is as different from screen material as tissue paper is from canvas.

Whatever, you seem hell bent on taking $40 and sending it to RB, regardless for some reason. Be my quest.

 

Tony made lots of money singing with Dawn so he doesn't mind:D

 

I'd rather have a screen mounted to the rear of the bumper rather then on the oil cooler itself where if something hits it the oil cooler is still going to take the impact.


BTW-removing the front bumper is not that hard