Boozehound

I'm not trying to be a troll here, but here's something else to think about before you go and do all the work of fab-ing a mesh protection screen for your car's openings.

Has anyone actually had real damage done to any of their heat exchangers yet? Fin damage isn't really anything - you can straighten them out with a screwdriver or needle-nose pliers, and they should operate just like they should. On top of that, being forced to clean the actual fins and cooler without a mesh grille in the way isn't a bad thing. Eventually the exchangers will get dirty with road grime (with or without mesh), and you'll lose capacity just from the fouling. So having to straighten fins and every so often scrub the coolers isn't a bad idea.

As for real damage, where you could actually puncture or bend the tubes, is a mesh screen really going to stop that projectile from doing the deed? IMO, a screen isn't going to stop the really big problems from happening, and isn't that what insurance (to pay for it) and warning guages (to let you know when it happened) are for anyways? I guess I've got a little riverboat gambler in my blood, but for me the trade-off for serious damage protection does not outweigh the risks of decreased performance of the coolers (either radiator or oil coolers). To put it another way, would you build and install screens if you owned an Enzo?

Of course it's up to everyone individually, but maybe this is just something to think about if someone's still kicking around the idea of building some screens.

romulus

You have a valid point. However, if you drive a lot on highways most likely you will see a lot of stuffs laying on the road (rocks, pieces of wood, tire threads, etc.) specially in LA area. Yes, so far I have fews dings in my oil cooler and A/C avaporator. I did straight them out with a small screwdriver. Just yesterday, I was driving to work and there was a plastic bag flying around and it just happened that I bag cought my car because I didn't see flying around in my rear view mirror. Once at work, I went out to the front area the bag was sitting in the front intake area. I took it off with no problem. If I didn't have the mesh in, it would have got inside restricting the flow of air big time. In addition, I would have to put my arm all the way in order to get it.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

The only reason I made my grills was becuase of this:

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=12313.

Facts, proof, real-world experience. What more could you ask for

Cheers,
Hymee.

jerrymac

I have a dodge ram 2002 Truck, 32,000 mile. I bought the black bra to protect all the chrome on the hood. The way the bra was designed it included a screen, as dense as window screen in front of the entire grill. It didnot effect the temp with or without the grill. I run 4 test, city and highway miles to see if the temp gauge changed, it did not. Keep in mine last summer the temp in Huoston was 101 -103. One thing I do have, a 32,000 mile grill that still looks brand new.

Boozehound

That sucks. I can certainly see doing this mod if something like had happened, but $810 for a fix?!? Sounds pretty high for what probably was a pin-hole leak. Either way, I'm all for prevention, but the cost in terms of reduced airflow/time/money and having to mess with body work to me doesn't outweigh the odds of a (hopefully) freak occurance. That being said, I know about driving roads littered with debris (the Katy Fwy outside of Houston is a minefield at rush hour), and my windshield already sports a 2' long crack because of a well placed stone chip I got in the first week I had the car. Long story short, the way I see it, we've all driven cars with unprotected radiators for extended periods of time and there aren't many people I know of that have had similar issues. <knocks on wood just in case...>

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Like I said - it is a real issue. Within 2 weeks of me getting my car this happened to me. It also happened to a guy in Texas at arouind the same time, and since then at least one other forum member in the USA.

The $810 is for a new condensor. We tried to "fix" it with liquid steel, but were unsucessful.

Reduced air flow. I don't believe that for 1 second. Please explain.

Mess with bodywork? The front bumper is virtually a "snap on" anyway.

Sounds like something worth protecting to me. It is a real issue. My insurance would have paid, but the $650 excees (deductable to you guys) made it basically not worth the bother.

Now, the stone that hit your windscreen...

I hope your nocking on wood is working for you! Like you said, you have a "little riverboat gambler" in your blood.

Put $200USD on red for me next time!

Cheers,
Hymee.

Boozehound

Depending on what type of screen you install (how big the mesh is), you're going to impede the flow and reduce the cooling power of your oil coolers. Don't think it's a big deal? Install a similar screen in the throttle body and see if it makes a difference in your engine performance. If you limit the amount of air (or the velocity at which it passes over the fins), you lose some ability to cool your working fluid (oil/water/freon) because your rate of heat transfer will drop off with your loss of convection. Same goes for fouling (eventual buildup of crud on your fins), except you're losing heat transfer due to poor conduction.

I doubt that most screens people are installing will really make a monumental difference in everyday cooling (there's bound to be a design factor in there to account for most deviations from normal operating conditions), but it's possible that it could make a difference.

And if you just want to be downright cynical, why don't cars like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Mercedes SLR, or Dodge Viper have screens? Just being cheap like Mazda, or is there a reason not to?

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

Yes it does depend on the size of the screen. I have posted more than once in this place what the specs of the material are.

The thing that limits the amount and velocity of the air going over the cooling fins is the arrangement of the cooling fins themselves. I would have though that from the pictures supplied in these postings it would be obvious that the material used in my grill poses the least restriction.

If you think costs cutting does not play a part in the 3 other marques you mentioned I'm afraid you would be wrong.

And if you really think about it, they really don't need to bother. The damage sustained in such a situation as mine is not their responsibility, hence not covered by warranty. On the contrary, it generates the sale of a new part(s), the dealer gets some income from that, and the dealer gets some income from the repair work/labour.

Cheers,
Hymee.

Tony Orlando

I have also been considering a mesh screen since day one of owning my 8. I didn't realize until I got the car home that my foglights had caused the removal of the Mazda screens. My Dad had fabbed up a new front grill and radiator screen for his RX2 using a sheet of stainless diamond weave material purchased at Discount Auto for about $30, and I plan on following in everyone's footsteps here.

Thanks to everyone for the great pictures.

Hymee

iTrader: (1)

WTF??? What Mazda screens???

Cheers,
Hymee.

Japan8

I think he means the plastics covers that come on cars without fog lights.

Japan8

Hymee, will there be a "Hymee oil cooler and radiator cover" kit?

Parmer8

Has anyone changed their front grill to wire mesh? I know people have talked about it, but I haven't seen pictures of how it turned out.
I made my own oiler cooler mesh and front opening and wonder what would the front grill look like with wire mesh. The first two serves a purpose but would putting wire mesh on the front grill be considered too riced-up for you?
Here what I did.

Parmer8

Oops my first picture was too big

mikeb

can you show a close up

Japan8

ricey? nah. Needed... yes.

Parmer8

Here's a close up.

megauo

Nice fit but I would rather consider a larger grid pattern.

Sanguine_Dark

I think that looks pretty sharp actually. Although I would prefer it in black myself.

Parmer8

I thought about painting it black also. I'll probably paint it black later. I wanted to see if silver would look good on the gray car.

As for the hole size, it's the only one available. I went the cheap route and bought it from Home Depot (gutter guards-aluminum). I wouldn't imagine it would restrict air too much. Engine temp is normal so far. On the plus side, I only spent a bit less than $5 for the whole thing. It's my first mod...a decent job.

Omicron

Looks good Parmer8! How did you mount it?

Kushballah

Yea i like! id do something like that, function and looks. same question as Omicron. Howd ya do it?

Parmer8

I purchased 3 pieces of aluminum gutter guards (6"x36")from Home Depot @$1.30 ea. and about 10 #10x5/8L screws(either #10 or #12 size screws). One piece for the oil cooler the other two for the bottom opening. The bottom opening is about 48" long. If you can find a piece that long, it would be ideal. I used a wire cutter to cut the pieces. It took longer, but I had all day to play.

I removed the bumper using this link.
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...threadid=10941

For the oil cooler, I cut the one piece in half and trimmed it to the size of the opening. The piece was larger than opening but you can wrap the excess around the edges. Trimming the shape of the fog lamp was done by trial and error. There are three existing bolt holes I use to secure the mesh. Two on top and one on the bottom. I use the bottom screw as an anchor for tie-wrapping the bottom mesh area.

Parmer8

The bottom piece was a little more work but still simple. I had to use two pieces since they weren't long enough. I cut both piece the same length. I made the end piece meet in the middle of the rotary crest. I bent a 1/2" piece 90degrees on both pieces where they would meet up. It's like butting two L pieces together. Of course the bend would be inside the bumper.

The mesh was wide enough to cover the opening with excess overhangs on the bottom and some on top. I formed the mesh to the bottom of the lip, trimming pieces as necessary. I pre-drilled some screw holes onto the flat plastic trim attaching the front grill to the bottom lip and secured the wire mesh with screws.

The bottom of the mesh did not have anything to secure to. I drilled a small hole towards the edge of where the lip and mesh meet and secured it using small tie wraps.

Hopefully the picture explains it better. Over all it tool about 2hrs since it was a learn as you go process. Hope this helps.

Parmer8

This is the flat area to drill...It's the piece attaching the front grill and lower lip. By the way...the front grill can be remove for those that want to make that a mesh piece.