GTA Turbo - Best way to cool the car down after a run

Went for a nicely spirited run today with the outside temp at circa 27 degrees.

Drove the last 4 mins sedately through the village and parked up.

On my other silly cars, on a day like today I would open the bonnet to speed up cooling and give less heat soak. But the GTA has forced cooling if the engine bay is above a pre-determined temp. The forced cooling is routed to what I assume are the most important places.

So, am I better to rely on the forced cooling, or better to open the glass and engine cover?

The force fed engine cover is very clever but opening it fully is still the quickest way to cool it down. (Easy way to tell, compare how long it takes for the fans to switch off with the cover open versus it closed).

The sensors measure air temp (latent heat) obviously, but it's all heat soak and just think about it logically - as good as the fans are, they're still fighting to move air about through relatively small holes versus one whopping one.

Why are you worried though? The fans do a good job and unless you need to fiddle with something and don't want to burn your fingers I wouldn't get too bothered.

The only thing that has ever bothered me is how hot the air is that's blasted down from the turbo fan to the ground. Fine on tarmac but park on very dry grass and I would get concerned.

The force fed engine cover is very clever but opening it fully is still the quickest way to cool it down. (Easy way to tell, compare how long it takes for the fans to switch off with the cover open versus it closed).

The sensors measure air temp (latent heat) obviously, but it's all heat soak and just think about it logically - as good as the fans are, they're still fighting to move air about through relatively small holes versus one whopping one.

Why are you worried though? The fans do a good job and unless you need to fiddle with something and don't want to burn your fingers I wouldn't get too bothered.

The only thing that has ever bothered me is how hot the air is that's blasted down from the turbo fan to the ground. Fine on tarmac but park on very dry grass and I would get concerned.

......or better to open the glass and engine cover?

Just beware of one thing when that rear glass gets very hot....... it can shatter.
Many years ago when my Alp was fairly new, I was doing some fairly long contintal tours of around 4000 mls round trip, and on one occasion, having driven up a mountain pass in the Alps (no pun intended).... having got to the top and stopped to enjoy the view, decided to open up the glass hatch as the engine was very hot, released the catch, went to lift the glass, there was a big bang, and glass all over the place....... so beware.

I guess I am not worried as such. But was thinking at old electrics wouldn't enjoy the heat soak, so wondered if it was worth minimising that.

The A610 that competes in hill climbs regularly opens the cover after his runs.

Glass shattering is a worry, I wonder if that was because of the heat build up when closed or the heat exiting past it when open. Or even just a weak piece of glass?

having driven up a mountain pass in the Alps (no pun intended).... having got to the top

Thermal shock? How cold was it outside the car at the top of the mountain compared with under the engine glass?

How cold was it outside the car at the top of the mountain compared with under the engine glass?

Well it was`nt a snow covered mountain range, it was the Col de Montgenevre which we had to drive over as we were driving from Turin in Italy on the S24 over the Col and into France on the N94 and then on to Avignon. The height of the Col is 6087 feet above sea level, and the road zig zags its way up the the same on the way down. As you can imagine in the height of summer.... when we used to have them.... the temperature in the south of France... even at that height, was very hot. It was, of course why I decided to let the engine cool down and open the hatch.
With a very hot engine, the hot sun, the black heat absorbing engine cover and the green house effect of the glass..... the glass its self was very hot.
I never really discovered the actual reason for it shattering... perhaps I tried to lift it too quick or not equal lift on each side of the glass, I don`t know, all I do know is that I never had a problem with it before, and I was not lifting it any differently to what I had done many many times before, but clearly it was extremely brittle and it could only be due to it being very hot.
Even now any time I lift the glass, I do it with a hand under each corner and lift gently. Although easy to replace.... if you can still get them, at that time the cost in Avignon of the glass was well over 3000 francs.... around £300+ . So I treat it with kid gloves now.

PS, Did I mention I was towing a caravan at the time.

I think they are sill available ...1200 or so

[stephendell]

Hose down the engine