I did this mod about a week ago after the Sticky post from Bitum (Original Thread HERE)

I upgraded to Slotted Hi-Perf Rotora Rotors, but i wanted to prevent them from getting warped. Primarly, i wanted to intake air from the front of the car and direct the air stright to the back of the rotors, which required removing or cutting the brake shield. However, when acutually looking at the TL's wheelwell, there is no space for anything!

Bitum had a 99-01 TL which has the extra holes for the emtpy foglights...but the 02-03 TL don't have that. You can't pull air in from the center airdam, there is not enough room to run any significant hosing through. So i decided to scoop the air in from the tire air deflector.

So I came up with the following. Went to local Home Depot, walked through EVER asle in the entire store to get idea on what items/materials i can use. Most duct and hosing i found in plumbing and building supplies. The intake and exhaust duct were from plumbing, they are both 4 in diameter. I wanted to get silicon hosing, so they can withstand the harsh enviroment & usage. But they didn't have silicon hosing, they only had the aluminum hosing made for the dryer. I got the more expensive flexable aluminum hosing, I was afriad that it would rip or rust out, so i wound it with duct tape (sister got red instead of silver, couldn't drive w/ bumper off) Some nuts and bolts to mount the stuff. Total cost $20, $10 for hosing, $8 for ducts/adaptors, $2 for bolts/nuts


I measured out the rectangular hole where i wanted to cut. Used a Box Cutter & Rose Pruner. The plastic is easy to cut throughonce you pierce the blade through. Just stable it hard, and carefully and firmly pull the blade to make the cut. To make more smaller cuts, you can use some sort of sissor like utlility.


After matching up the duct and the hole, i mounted it with the bolts, and marked the angle i wanted to cut the duct.


Finished product of intake duct


Cutted, Painted, & Installed

 

I now had to cut the exhaust hole. I wanted to make as much as a perfect cut i can make. So I turned on my computer and printed out a 4 in templete and i spray painted to make a templete so i know where to make a perfect cut.


Finished Cutting and mounting exhaust duct


I then inserted the Hosing covered with red duct tape. Clamped the ends and then taped it to seal it.


Picture of the exhaust duct. Aimed and leveled it at the rotors.


I did the same to the passenger side. THe problem i encounter here is that the windshield washer continer was in the way. So i had to remount it with a new hole i drilled.


Review: To the touch, the brakes do feel cooler after relative braking compared to before the mod. This is a cheap $20 mod that can't do anything but help.

After completing the mod the a week, like most guys, we always want MORE power. So i began thinking how i can improve my mod. I did the mathematics and decided to put in 120mm (4in) Computer case fans. Rated at 130 CFM. This would be more effected for stop and go's. So it's always running at full capacity even when your at rest. Did the math, you have to be going roughly 60 MPH to get around 130 CFM. Bought the fans, haven't installed them yet...i'm looking at a direct swap with the 4 in exhaust adaptor

 

it helps our brakes to remove the black shield on the brakes also!

 

thats f-ing

 

Are you concerned at all that a lot of the water/debris that comes flying off of your tire and against the back wall of the wheel well is going to end up on your brake rotors?

 

You can just install a meshing and that will take care of debris....

 

The exhaust duct has cris-cross pattern on it to catch medium/large size stuff...like if a leaf got through. I was going to installa mesh like Mr suggested.

If you are going to install the mess, install it on the intake duct, so nothing get's into the system in the first place. If you stick it on the exhuast duct and something get's caught in it, it will block air flow and you will have a hard time remvoing what is stuck.

 

That's exactly what I was wondering.

 

Was put water and debris into consideration before i started the project. The exhaust duct has "guards" on them, so nothing too big will get through, and the chances of having a rock or pebble flowing through the intake duct and get past the guarded exhaust duct is unlikely.

And water, when it rains, your rotors will probably get wet without the mod. And after the mod, i think there is not a significant amount of water that actually passes through the duct. Water usually is kicked up after the tires. However, anywater that is kicked up by the car infront you will will be "caught" in the ridges of the duct. So water doesn't just fly straight through, it's gonna get stuck and slowly makes it's way through.

The rotors are hidden inside the tire, so there is no direct contact with the air or water that passes through. I mounted it leveled with the center of the rotor as possible and as far inward to the car as possible. The brake sheild is still there, so it will not let stuff hit the rotors.

There are other custom brake mods that actually direct the ducts straight to the rotors, which require you removing the brake shield. But the main design with my mod was just to get air passing throught the wheelwell creating a current of air to cool the brakes down.

 

Well, to make sure they do work in water, I did my own experiment. I did three test, each time achieving a higher degree. I took a computer fan i had, and turned it on, and start spraying it with a Spray bottle with tap water. I drenched the entire fan, and IT STILL WORKED . I then decided to immerse it in water, i pulled it out of the water and turned it on, IT STLL WORKED. I then decided "what the heck, i'll just turn it on when it's still immersed. Long and behold, it was still working underwater.

For those unbelievers, i have a .MOV file i took with my digitial camera to prove that it works underwater. The reason is water has ions in them H+ and OH- , but the ions concentrations aren't enought to conduct electricity to short out the fan.

Last edited by acuratlfan on December 28th, 2003 at 10:23 AM

 

Looks awesome....you put a lot more effort than I did, well I already had the front bumper/mesh done for looks.

Any feedback?

 

Bitium, I would've just done it your way if i had a 99-01. Would save me alot of time to get the design and do it. But had to improvise. So far, i think it's good, haven't run it too hard, but when i touch it, it does seem to feel cooler.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

im going to use your method on my 99, i dont want tot cut the bumper again, i made that mistake once already and it cost me. good job dude!!!

 

whoa..sorry...i was readign this thread and all of a sudden this...whats the signifacants of the fan?