Functional Wing vents - Ghetto style
Discussion
Gary Ghetto Enterprises mod for today:
Always bugged me how HSV had gone to all that trouble to press a unique vent into the wing...which does nothing.
In my yoof, venting the inner wheel liner to draw air through a side mount intercooler and away using a vent from another car was a popular mod in VW circles, so I thought I'd adapt it - mainly to draw air away from the brakes - (with my recent track record not a bad thing) - but also to reduce pressure build up in the wheel arch at speed.
Two issues - the wheel arch liner separates the wing and the body tub and also the arch liner starts curving quite quickly.
So here's my 'ghetto' approach:
You need:
9x3 B&Q vent grills
Self tapping screws
black silicone
plastic primer
paint
Paint the white grills with plastic primer then paint (I used Volvo Dark Grey Acrylic - an exact match to the arch liner...purely by accident.)
The vents will be pushed through so the hole needs to be smaller than the grill so you can glue 'n' screw (22 x 7cm IIRC)
Once measured (you can't go too high or you won't be able to compensate for the curve) cut with a Stanley knife
Get it right and you'll get it right on the edge of the wing and a straight through view
Apply plenty of Silicone
And push in Vent and screw in whilts exerting pressure, pushing it to try and secure it with a bit of curvature.
(A used two more screws in the middle, not pictured, which really helped to put a bit of a curve in the grill)
Once secure, go around the edges liberally with more silicone
As I was being cheap I had some galvanised self tappers in the Garage, rather than black screws, so gave the whole area a going over with Gravi-Guard stone ship paint
Finished result: Not noticeable unless you're looking for it!
Total time: 45 minutes, total cost £6.
Always bugged me how HSV had gone to all that trouble to press a unique vent into the wing...which does nothing.
In my yoof, venting the inner wheel liner to draw air through a side mount intercooler and away using a vent from another car was a popular mod in VW circles, so I thought I'd adapt it - mainly to draw air away from the brakes - (with my recent track record not a bad thing) - but also to reduce pressure build up in the wheel arch at speed.
Two issues - the wheel arch liner separates the wing and the body tub and also the arch liner starts curving quite quickly.
So here's my 'ghetto' approach:
You need:
9x3 B&Q vent grills
Self tapping screws
black silicone
plastic primer
paint
Paint the white grills with plastic primer then paint (I used Volvo Dark Grey Acrylic - an exact match to the arch liner...purely by accident.)
The vents will be pushed through so the hole needs to be smaller than the grill so you can glue 'n' screw (22 x 7cm IIRC)
Once measured (you can't go too high or you won't be able to compensate for the curve) cut with a Stanley knife
Get it right and you'll get it right on the edge of the wing and a straight through view
Apply plenty of Silicone
And push in Vent and screw in whilts exerting pressure, pushing it to try and secure it with a bit of curvature.
(A used two more screws in the middle, not pictured, which really helped to put a bit of a curve in the grill)
Once secure, go around the edges liberally with more silicone
As I was being cheap I had some galvanised self tappers in the Garage, rather than black screws, so gave the whole area a going over with Gravi-Guard stone ship paint
Finished result: Not noticeable unless you're looking for it!
Total time: 45 minutes, total cost £6.
How will the heat escaped from the disc from inside the wheel, surely it would exit the wheel and out of the arch which by then it would be a lot cooler, I would be more worried about water and road debris getting inside of the arch via the vent then low down near to the cill and inside the hinges for the front door.
Hope it works for what you want it to do but the arch liner does what its meant to do, did you not fancy some form of brake duct from the front underside of the bumper directed into the disc area from the front of the arch, I appreciate it is a lot more work but might help the cooling of the discs in the form of direct cold air feed.
Hope it works for what you want it to do but the arch liner does what its meant to do, did you not fancy some form of brake duct from the front underside of the bumper directed into the disc area from the front of the arch, I appreciate it is a lot more work but might help the cooling of the discs in the form of direct cold air feed.
Burt, you know those duct-like things in your lower grill...you know, either side of your radiator...any idea what they're for? 
If you look at all track/race cars, getting cold air to the brakes isn't an issue - ours have ducts either side of the radiator to do just that - but it's getting it out. Some louvre the top of the arches, others use a vent wing...so to paraphrase 'I'm doing what it's meant to'
Rain - not an issue, Debris? The vents are quite small and the entire inner wing was Gravi-Guard/sealed when I had the vents out when I painted them. I'd be more concerned about the Air filter getting water logged (down behind the foglight) before I'd worry about 'debris'.
If you look at all track/race cars, getting cold air to the brakes isn't an issue - ours have ducts either side of the radiator to do just that - but it's getting it out. Some louvre the top of the arches, others use a vent wing...so to paraphrase 'I'm doing what it's meant to'
Rain - not an issue, Debris? The vents are quite small and the entire inner wing was Gravi-Guard/sealed when I had the vents out when I painted them. I'd be more concerned about the Air filter getting water logged (down behind the foglight) before I'd worry about 'debris'.
Gary H 2008 said:
Burt, you know those duct-like things in your lower grill...you know, either side of your radiator...any idea what they're for?
If you look at all track/race cars, getting cold air to the brakes isn't an issue - ours have ducts either side of the radiator to do just that - but it's getting it out. Some louvre the top of the arches, others use a vent wing...so to paraphrase 'I'm doing what it's meant to'
Rain - not an issue, Debris? The vents are quite small and the entire inner wing was Gravi-Guard/sealed when I had the vents out when I painted them. I'd be more concerned about the Air filter getting water logged (down behind the foglight) before I'd worry about 'debris'.
If you look at all track/race cars, getting cold air to the brakes isn't an issue - ours have ducts either side of the radiator to do just that - but it's getting it out. Some louvre the top of the arches, others use a vent wing...so to paraphrase 'I'm doing what it's meant to'
Rain - not an issue, Debris? The vents are quite small and the entire inner wing was Gravi-Guard/sealed when I had the vents out when I painted them. I'd be more concerned about the Air filter getting water logged (down behind the foglight) before I'd worry about 'debris'.
Yep the low volume ducts that dont perform too well lol after 4 years of ownership Im aware they are not as good as they are supposed to be.
I appreciate the need for exiting the hot air and hope it works for you, my comment about the inner wing, I meant behind the liner, the parts that are usually covered up by the liner. My worry would be in heavy rain road spray would enter vie the grille and into the area around the exit grille but get trapped or blown under pressure into the door seal. I hope it doesnt and hope it works out well.
Slide it across, and it's closed. 
Gary H 2008 said:
I understand the theory, to make it more streamlined would it be better to creat a sealed route from the grille in the arch to the grill in the wing, as i can imagine a lot of air rolling around inside the wing.
Brothers from a different mother
Baffled Power Steering fluid reservoir on it's way. Once it's here, that and my Charge Cooler reservoir tank are off to Zircotec (just up the road) to be coated.
PS Cooler kit & Engine Oil cooler should be here next week
Along with a Tridon High flow Thermostat, that's all my additional cooling taken care of.
Baffled Power Steering fluid reservoir on it's way. Once it's here, that and my Charge Cooler reservoir tank are off to Zircotec (just up the road) to be coated.
PS Cooler kit & Engine Oil cooler should be here next week
Along with a Tridon High flow Thermostat, that's all my additional cooling taken care of.
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