Am I the only one who's Camaro cools best at hmm 55-60 mph ???

Listen to this .. I got the stock airdam and grill... I had my AC on (only to have the fan running to cool the engine, long story here .. never mind right now)

And yes the engine was heating up... quite a bit.. due to the fact that I was driving uphill ... in the mountains ... high heat .. driving to the casino ... engine went up well ... I had one eye on the gauge.. on the road ... it went up all the way.. now .... as I was able to go to 55-60 mph.... cooled down a lot ....

As I go faster than 60 mph... engine won't overheat but... won't cool as good as 55-60


Is the grill and airdam combo designed to do just that ???


Anyone tried a different grill in order to get the air cool the radiator a bit better ?

And yes before anyone asks ... due to me living in California .. YES.. I'm of the unfortunate crowd .. who is required to... have a front licence plate .. *lol*

 

ah, too bad this is about 'maros...

 

The pupose of the air dam is to direct air to the radiator. You may want to check you condenser and make sure the fins are in good order. The condenser for the a/c is in front of the radiator. When I pulled my radiator out there was a bunch of leaves caught inbetween.

 

yeah but still.... better cooling at... 55-60 mph ?? like that's the "optimum COOLING speed"

 

Well I don't know what to tell you. If your rear end is still stock, cruising at that speed would mean the engine is running pretty low rpm's(like 2000 or so). Above that speed would be more rpms and more strain on the motor.

Air resistance doesn't become greater that the resistance from the tires until up around 45 mph.

 

I think that airdam was designed to work up to a certain temp (per say). You are having the same problem I do, but I flush my cooling system regularly and I replaced it whole few months after I bought it.
I belive, since I have a camaro airdam that they are probably designed to keep the car up to a ceratin temp to where the air can not be directed anymore, and rather bounces or bends the dam backwards.
Try fabing up some supports for the air dam so that when you go fast the damn does not go backwards and throws everything off.
That would probably show some improvements. (****, just get some wire drill the bottom end of air dam and connect to the metal beam behind the bumper).
Try cleaning your system first though.

 

I had just installed a new air dam about a week ago. Keeping a close eye on the stock gauge I have noticed:

(100+ temps during the daytime here in El Paso)

0-25 mph - Little effect, engine will continue to climb up to 220 degrees.

25-40 mph - Temp will drop to approx. 200 degrees and hold steady.

40-60 mph - 'Optimal' Temp will drop to 180-190 and hold steady until I have to stop for a light or whatever.

60-80 mph - Temp will hold steady at 180-190 degrees.

Keep in mind the car has a clutch fan (to be replaced very soon with a dual fan setup) and a Summit 180 degree thermostat.

 

I've been almost thinking about removing my stock grill and throw in a damn piece of aluminum diamond mesh (that I had saved for my Fiat Spider .. on the jack stands in the garage .. lol)


I'll wait and see... how it all goes.. once I flush the radiator probably hmmm tomorrow.. and throw in the 180 degree thermostat I bought

 

Make sure you change when the fans turn on, otherwise the the 180 thermostat won't make a difference. I know this from experience.

 

You mean when the fan kicks in ?

Right now I kick it in "semi-manually" by turning the AC on .. or heater control ... this weekend I may run a switch to my center console.. and switch it manually

 

Yeah, when the fans kick in. They are controlled by the ECM. Really running the A/C won't help much, because you are running hot coolant through the A/C condenser in front of the radiator.

You can get one of those programer things that plug into whatever and let you change certain perameters like when the fan turns on, or buy a performance chip that already has that programed.

(sorry, I haven't delt with the chip stuff. I immediatley ditched the ECM and TBI for a Carb and HEI)

 

Would one of those adjustable fan switch relay "packs" for GM work ? They got them at Kragen .. which would be very convenient ... lol... close to my house lol

 

I switched from the stock grill to an Iroc grill and didnt notice any changes in cooling, my setup is a 180 thermo with a 1/8 inch hole drilled in it with the fan wired to startup and the car never goes past 200* even on the hottest of so cal days.....and about the license plate thing..the law never stopped anyone

 

that has me thinking. I really like the way that looks . My 91 has the full grill like all of the Z28's that cover the center part.