Another Paul Brown (Tiger Racing) Hood question thread

[twistedneck]

I would have posted this question in the latest Tiger Racing hood threads but the forum said I should make a new thread because that one is too old.

I'm very close to purchasing the FG hood from Cortex for my 2012 GT. I've heard great things about drag reduction and reduced weight on the front of the car.

1. Do i need at least two hood pins along with the latch? From other threads, yes.
2. Is this hood OK or are they all cracking? I've heard stories of the FG and CF versions showing cracks both in the middle area of the hood and near the hood hinge area.
3. Is the hype real? Is there a real drag reduction and front lift reduction?
4. Is there an alternative i.e. can you add vents to the factory hood?

Thanks!

 

[Brandon302]

I would have posted this question in the latest Tiger Racing hood threads but the forum said I should make a new thread because that one is too old.

I'm very close to purchasing the FG hood from Cortex for my 2012 GT. I've heard great things about drag reduction and reduced weight on the front of the car.

1. Do i need at least two hood pins along with the latch? From other threads, yes.
2. Is this hood OK or are they all cracking? I've heard stories of the FG and CF versions showing cracks both in the middle area of the hood and near the hood hinge area.
3. Is the hype real? Is there a real drag reduction and front lift reduction?
4. Is there an alternative i.e. can you add vents to the factory hood?

Thanks!

I can only speak to the cracking, I have had no cracking on my hood for the past 2 years and I have driven with the hood on my car in any and all weather conditions.

 

[Roadhouse]

If you don't want to spend the money on the hood you could always just buy some vents and cut up your hood. Centri5.0 put these on his car and they seem to be working just fine. I will probably do something similar at some point.

 

[JScheier]

1. Do i need at least two hood pins along with the latch? From other threads, yes.

. You can go without additional pins, but the hood will flutter at freeway speeds.

2. Is this hood OK or are they all cracking? I've heard stories of the FG and CF versions showing cracks both in the middle area of the hood and near the hood hinge area.

Mine is cracked. I have an OEM latch + two outer pins. Crack isn't bad, but it's there.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

1. Do i need at least two hood pins along with the latch? From other threads, yes.
2. Is this hood OK or are they all cracking? I've heard stories of the FG and CF versions showing cracks both in the middle area of the hood and near the hood hinge area.
3. Is the hype real? Is there a real drag reduction and front lift reduction?
4. Is there an alternative i.e. can you add vents to the factory hood?

Thanks!

1. Not required but recommended.
2. My FG version is rock solid.
3. There's test data from Ford Racing that says it works, but you'd have to do The Pepsi Challenge with your stock hood on the same day/track/setup to really know.
4. Check out all the Vorshlag Mustang build blog posts where they vented the stock hood and boxed the radiator.

 

[twistedneck]

Update: After doing more research on it i discovered a couple things..

From this thread
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2005-2010-mustang-talk/322977-better-aerodynamics-s197.html

Got a hold of tigerracing. From TigerRacing " When Ford Racing tested our products on a Mustang Challenge car at Grathan, the rear wing was worth 7 tenths of a second over the challenge wing, the hood gained 8 tenths and 100hp increase was worth 9 tenths." Well 908, I don't think you could ask for a better hood. That's pretty much the cat's a$$! Seems like a LOT of the hardcores are in California. Agent 47, Ross Murray, Tiger Racing.

From the same thread 908ssp said he purchased the hood and made sure to get the no latch option so he could remove his hood latch for aero reasons. That sounds like a good idea.. is there any room freed up by removing the latch mechanism?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Update: After doing more research on it i discovered a couple things..

From this thread
http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/2005-2010-mustang-talk/322977-better-aerodynamics-s197.html

From the same thread 908ssp said he purchased the hood and made sure to get the no latch option so he could remove his hood latch for aero reasons. That sounds like a good idea.. is there any room freed up by removing the latch mechanism?

Not a lot, but it will also add slightly more airflow to the radiator and any oil cooler you may have mounted in that area.
If you ditch the latch, you'll need to fabricate a block-off plate for the opening in the grille shroud; I know Rehagen has a pre-fab one you can buy and bolt in.

 

[twistedneck]

Not a lot, but it will also add slightly more airflow to the radiator and any oil cooler you may have mounted in that area.
If you ditch the latch, you'll need to fabricate a block-off plate for the opening in the grille shroud; I know Rehagen has a pre-fab one you can buy and bolt in.

I've been looking on Rehagen's website for the past 30min and i can't find it anywhere.. got a link?

Rehagen is close to my house so i could just pick up the part from them and save on freight.. $250!

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

I've been looking on Rehagen's website for the past 30min and i can't find it anywhere.. got a link?

Rehagen is close to my house so i could just pick up the part from them and save on freight.. $250!

Sorry--I meant Watson: http://shop.watsonracing.com/MUSTANG-HOOD-LATCH-BLOCK-OFF-PLATE-p/wr-hdlatchblkoff10-12.htm

But yes--I would definitely pick up the hood in-person if you have the opportunity.

 

[Roadhouse]

Agree with AZBOSS. If you ditch the latch it's best to get the block off plate. I removed mine last year and just ran some duct tape across the opening for a quick fix. It held fine but the plate is a better solution. I need to order one of them...

 

[WinterSucks]

So the hood allowed them to trim lap times by almost as much as another 100HP? Would a + ~100HP sticker for the hood be appropriate in this case? ;D

 

[LP Heaven]

I would have posted this question in the latest Tiger Racing hood threads but the forum said I should make a new thread because that one is too old.

I'm very close to purchasing the FG hood from Cortex for my 2012 GT. I've heard great things about drag reduction and reduced weight on the front of the car.

1. Do i need at least two hood pins along with the latch? From other threads, yes.
2. Is this hood OK or are they all cracking? I've heard stories of the FG and CF versions showing cracks both in the middle area of the hood and near the hood hinge area.
3. Is the hype real? Is there a real drag reduction and front lift reduction?
4. Is there an alternative i.e. can you add vents to the factory hood?

Thanks!

I put in the 2 outer pins
zero cracks
hell if i know - it looks badass period
chop up oem hood = yes

 

[Black Boss]

I went with 4 pins rather than 2 after removing the stock latch, as recommended by both Watson and Rehagen.

 

[twistedneck]

I went with 4 pins rather than 2 after removing the stock latch, as recommended by both Watson and Rehagen.

Now its down to what hood pin kit, I assume i need two pairs each of the following:

http://shop.watsonracing.com/Road-Race-Drag-Race-Mustang-Spool-Hood-Pin-Set-p/wr-hoodpins.htm
https://shop.watsonracing.com/Road-Race-Drag-Race-Mustang-Spool-Hood-Pin-Set-p/wr-spoolhoodpinset.htm
http://shop.watsonracing.com/Mustang-Racing-Parts-Hood-Pin-Support-Plates-p/wr-hdpnsuprts.htm

Rehagen does not seem to sell the spool kit or the support plates.. they just have the Ford racing pin kit.

Are there other hood pin setups that are superior?

I am not sure what difficulty level i'm looking at with the pin install.

 

[JScheier]

I'm running the pins that you show in the first link. Just make sure it is all stainless (including the screws for the plate) or they will rust! I didn't use the spools or backing plates. I simply pulled the two outter rubber bumpers and put the pins in those holes. I then drilled out the bumpers and slid them over the pins to act as additional hood support.

 

[Grant 302]

4. Is there an alternative i.e. can you add vents to the factory hood?

Absolutely. Just know that it's aluminum before your start making plans. I plan on cutting/welding a spare hood. Vorshlag's red GT is a good example of what you can do. Takeoff pricing used is usually about $300-400 if you want to keep your stock hood.