I know some 2012 cars seem to have more cooling issues than others. Early on, I hit Limp Mode with high Coolant Temps after 20+ minutes of high ambient track time. After a series of mods, I ended up removing the stock Water/Oil cooler, installing a Setrab 948, removing the grill and the A/C condenser. Coolant is now never an issue, rarely getting above 230-235, but in high ambients with sustained high rpm I was having to back off after 20 minutes to avoid Oil Temps at 280-285.
A couple of weeks ago, I made up baffles to prevent air leakage behind the facia (I have the tubular bumper beam with no foam). These are similar to the plates that Watson make for the 2013 302S (but not available for the 2012's).
Success: Peak Oil Temps have dropped 20-30, and peak Coolant by 10-20 degrees.
The first change I made was to bridge the gap made by removing the A/C Condenser, using Aluminum strip plastic riveted to the stock plastic /rubber baffles:
I used aluminum angle to attach the rear of the extended baffle to the condenser mounts on the radiator:
This mod alone only helped marginally, and obviously you don't need it if you have A/C.
I then made up a cardboard template for the facia baffles and modified with a few trial installs:
Cut the Aluminum sheet and plastic riveted to the front of the plastic/rubber baffles:
Used sticky backed neoprene to seal the gaps, and also (not shown) applied to the top, front and lower edges to seal against the inside of the facia, effectively extending the baffle by about 1/2" on these edges.
If anyone needs a pdf version of the template, let me know and I'll PM it.
I also closed off a couple of small gaps along the bottom of the radiator -- will take photos and post when I get a chance....
A couple of weeks ago, I made up baffles to prevent air leakage behind the facia (I have the tubular bumper beam with no foam). These are similar to the plates that Watson make for the 2013 302S (but not available for the 2012's).
Success: Peak Oil Temps have dropped 20-30, and peak Coolant by 10-20 degrees.
The first change I made was to bridge the gap made by removing the A/C Condenser, using Aluminum strip plastic riveted to the stock plastic /rubber baffles:
I used aluminum angle to attach the rear of the extended baffle to the condenser mounts on the radiator:
This mod alone only helped marginally, and obviously you don't need it if you have A/C.
I then made up a cardboard template for the facia baffles and modified with a few trial installs:
Cut the Aluminum sheet and plastic riveted to the front of the plastic/rubber baffles:
Used sticky backed neoprene to seal the gaps, and also (not shown) applied to the top, front and lower edges to seal against the inside of the facia, effectively extending the baffle by about 1/2" on these edges.
If anyone needs a pdf version of the template, let me know and I'll PM it.
I also closed off a couple of small gaps along the bottom of the radiator -- will take photos and post when I get a chance....
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