FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Pearland, Texas
FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate I have a 2001 SS that I have just ordered a Direct-Flow lid and a Holley Power Shot filter for. I live in the Houston Texas area and I am trying to decide between doing the FRA or FTRA. My main concern is the heat. Just how much more gain is there going from FRA to FTRA.
Thanks
Thanks
Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate One thing I've been wondering is how much the temperature actually varies in that 2-3 feet of height. I know damn well that in the Florida summer I don't like to walk barefoot on the pavement of any kind. I personally have both, with a 160* thermostat & fans coming on to match, and the first time I ran the car in traffic, the coolant readings were above 200* due to the blcoked radiator.
What I don't understand is why the air intake temperature wouldn't increase when the air coming off the pavement is hotter than ambient???
What I don't understand is why the air intake temperature wouldn't increase when the air coming off the pavement is hotter than ambient???
TECH Regular
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 489
Likes: 0
From: Out of Texas, into Tucson, AZ
Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate You are referring to radiated heat from the pavement. This takes time to occur and requires air that is relatively motionless. If you want to test this theory, put a big fan on the pavement and see if it cools down...obviously it will.
The car is moving at speed so the air you see will be just about ambient with the FTRA. Install University found an average of 10 F decrease with the FTRA over stock. That alone is worth 1% more HP over stock on a normally aspirated vehicle before you even start discussing the ram air effect <img src="gr_stretch.gif" border="0">
The car is moving at speed so the air you see will be just about ambient with the FTRA. Install University found an average of 10 F decrease with the FTRA over stock. That alone is worth 1% more HP over stock on a normally aspirated vehicle before you even start discussing the ram air effect <img src="gr_stretch.gif" border="0">
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Pearland, Texas
Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate The FTRA sounds the best for performance but I am still concerned about overheating and water. I drive the car daily and the temperature in the Houston area usually hangs around 100+ degrees most of the summer. I have a Hypertech 160 degree thermostat and the fans are programed with HPP3 for the cooler thermostat but in stop and go driving in the summer the car stays around the 200 mark on the temp. Also, we have been known to get some high water around here. I know you can take the plate off in the summer but that defeats the whole purpose of the FTRA as far as I am concerned. Why not just do FRA?
Trending Topics
TECH Junkie
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 3,015
Likes: 0
From: At the office
Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate i overheat really bad in hard summer driving....235 degree coolant temps and i have a few friends who get the same problems out here. <img src="gr_images/icons/mad.gif" border="0"> <img src="graemlins/formula.gif" border="0" alt="[Pontiac]" /> <img src="graemlins/formula.gif" border="0" alt="[Pontiac]" /> <img src="graemlins/corvette.gif" border="0" alt="[Corvette]" /> <img src="graemlins/z06.gif" border="0" alt="[Z06 Corvette]" />
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo Re: FRA vs FTRA for Hot Climate Generally, with a fan switch to activate the 2nd fan sooner, vehicles run very close to stock temps with the FTRA installed. You can even improve things with a 160 stat if you want.
If you do not have the fan programming, the car will warm up quicker until the 2nd fan turns on and then cool right back down. It seems that the cooling system is up to the job on most vehicles in all but the most drastically hot weather. We have people running the kit in HA, CA, TX, FL even Saudi Arabia everyday with no cooling issues.
Of course, if you hit some wicked hot spell in the desert, well, the FTRA may just tax the stock system enough to cause things to overheat. As mentioned before the lower ram air plate can be removed if this happens in a few minutes.
Another option for you might be to order an extra ram air plate. You could drill holes in one for every day driving and keep the solid one for track use etc. Just a thought <img src="gr_stretch.gif" border="0">
If you do not have the fan programming, the car will warm up quicker until the 2nd fan turns on and then cool right back down. It seems that the cooling system is up to the job on most vehicles in all but the most drastically hot weather. We have people running the kit in HA, CA, TX, FL even Saudi Arabia everyday with no cooling issues.
Of course, if you hit some wicked hot spell in the desert, well, the FTRA may just tax the stock system enough to cause things to overheat. As mentioned before the lower ram air plate can be removed if this happens in a few minutes.
Another option for you might be to order an extra ram air plate. You could drill holes in one for every day driving and keep the solid one for track use etc. Just a thought <img src="gr_stretch.gif" border="0">
