Intake Question

[Zombo]

That's because the larger splitter on the R's changed the airflow enough that they needed to adjust the grille opening to maintain proper airflow.

When I read that the R has a smaller grill opening, the first thing I thought was that the GT350 needs more air due to the addition of the AC Condenser. Maybe the GT350R with the electronics uses the same grill opening as the GT350? Just a thought.

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[Redline8250]

That's because the larger splitter on the R's changed the airflow enough that they needed to adjust the grille opening to maintain proper airflow.

I know reason. Just mentioned it to him.

 

[nastang87xx]

Holy Hell, LMAO. Maybe you should remove the CORSA logo under that super neato muffler mod, I bet they won't appreciate it.

Lol, touche.

 

[shelbyman]

Now that was truly hilarious!!!:shrug:

 

[TheDeadCow]

The GT350 has a larger grille opening then the GT350R.

Yep, wouldn't be surprised if that's intended too :cheers:

 

[Epiphany]

So I guess my real question is why would Ford not have thought of this. And why has no other performance company thought of it?

And I'm I correct in my thinking, if the intake can get more air to the motor, the computer will compensate for this and add more power overall?

I think there is a valid argument about restriction in this regard but there are a number of considerations. First, in the stock configuration, is the engine starving for air? Would additional airflow, given the factory grill constraints, increase or decrease velocity? Would the mass air sensor get false air readings and submit to the PCM voltage numbers that are out of range? It would be great to have access to the data.

Hameedi commented in the linked video and mentioned aero. I'm not convinced there would be enough disruption in flow from the standpoint of overall flow across the fascia or up and over the hood (or through the hood for that matter) such that blocking this portion off was deemed to be necessary.


To begin with, there is indeed a large funnel at the origin of the intake tract that appears to have been optimized for maximum flow.





When looking at the back of the grille you can see just how much of the area is actually open in front of the funnel - it is a very small orifice.





Curic penned the car and it looks as if Ford tried hard to stay true to his GT350 sketches. As such, they kept the angled inserts (and the large "fangs" below) in the grille area. While they look great, you can see how the sloped side actually directs airflow into the small opening we are talking about.





The above is a bit artsy and I'd love to review some of Ford's internal computational fluid dynamic analyses on the matter. Gleaning just from that image however, it would not appear as though additional airflow through the area the OP's friend opened up would have much impact on aero "balance."

With respect to the R and standard GT350 model grille opening size differences, it'd be nice to know if the amount of air flowing through the grille and out of the vent on the hood were the same as well as flow through the radiator. Here's a quick overlay I did that illustrates the difference in grille size openings between the two.





Another I did that shows cold weather testing on top as well as a capture of a pre-production GT350 at the car's introduction. Note that Ford appeared to be playing with a block-off plate that may have meant they were testing different size openings in that area. The white car on the bottom may have a slightly oversize large opening as well.

The GT350R-C cars Multimatic ran also had some grille alterations in this regard. I found some photos that show the opening being enlarged quite a bit. Look closely and you can see the grill plate behind the honeycomb has been trimmed downward (for cooling?). Photo credit to DW Burnett.





Anyway, with respect to the OP's mention of the hole drilling allowing a potential power increase, some dynamic as well as static (such as on a dyno) testing would definitely help to offer up a clear answer. Nobody drives (or should be) a GT350 in a blizzard so I think you wouldn't have to worry about a potential issue there. If the mass air sensor is ok with it I wouldn't be averse to doing something similar. From an aesthetic perspective, using a Dremel would go a long way were the time spent to open the holes up such that the area matched the wire frame honeycomb at the rest of the grille openings.

 

[Readfast]

Thanks for the info Epiphany. I was hoping you would chime in on this.

I'm not sold on doing this to my car. But wanted to see what others may think!

Again, Thanks for the feedback.

By the way I need to get the bolts for the calipers soon. So PM me your contact info.

 

[Epiphany]

I wanted to add to this if I could. I pulled my fascia off so that I could take a look at fabricating a mount for a front hook as well as take care of a few other things such as the revised oil cooler line assembly, swap to an R splitter, etc.

It was interesting taking apart the grilles that attach to allow for better access. My car isn't an R so the upper grille has a larger radiator opening than otherwise.

An R has a smaller sized opening but is otherwise identical to the grille above (save for the badging).

Both block off the majority of the opening that ducts fresh air to the filter box under the hood. Without the grille in the way, you can see the funnel-like molded area and tell it was designed to move air efficiently.

Note the clear pathway to the filter.

Anyway, I pulled the back panel off of the upper grille. If Ford sells this panel separately it would be a quick change to that of the R.

Reinstalling the front fascia, I held the upper block-off plate in place in front of the grill to show how the majority of the molded funnel gets restricted. The actual area normally open to the ducting, over to the right, is very small.

Plate out of the way...

Now obviously the plate needs to be in place as you can see in the following photo. It sure does look as though you could indeed open the area in question for added airflow to the engine. Great for a forced induction engine but the question remains as to whether this engine could benefit from it in stock form.

 

[FogcitySF]

^ Really interesting that the R has a smaller sized restrictor plate opening.

 

[Zombo]

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like you have an aftermarket filter element?

I was examining mine last night and came to the conclusion that the open air box with filter element is marketing fluff. The air box should have a plastic cover on it to more effectively seal it from under-hood air and to provide a layer of insulation from that hot aluminum hood.

 

[cking]

Grill shutter?

Where is your active Grill Shutter

 

[Epiphany]

GT350's are wide open and have no shuttering.

 

[VoodooStang]

Cold air intake GT350

Very informative write up Epiphany. One thing for certain, cut the airflow off and the engine won't run. Case in point, NASCAR uses restrict plates to reduce HP.

 

[kart125]

interesting read! I noticed that also when I removed bumper to install tow hook and front splitter. So if one wants to increase airflow (assuming it is good/better for engine performance) opening up this part of grille would be MUCH more efficient and cheap than changing the intake with bigger/less restrictive tubing.

 

[Epiphany]

I'm no CFD guy but I agree, opening up the tract after the small grille opening would seem to address the issue but at the wrong choke point. "Seem" being the word in question.

Regarding the grille ducting, here are a couple of shots of mine as I pulled the piece to drill a few holes and to clearance for a tow bracket.

Thanks for the pictures. Looks like you have an aftermarket filter element?

I was examining mine last night and came to the conclusion that the open air box with filter element is marketing fluff. The air box should have a plastic cover on it to more effectively seal it from under-hood air and to provide a layer of insulation from that hot aluminum hood.

Yes, the blue filter is from FRP.

And I thought the hood to airbox seal was a fairly good one. I'll take a closer look.

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