Noob Question about the hood "speaker grilles" hahah ---

alwayscode390

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Is the left "speaker grille" vent near the window non-functional?

The right/passenger one goes into a rubber mount.

Someone told me that it cools down the brakes ... but I dont see where it is actually going.

What do the "speaker grille" vents actually do?

I searched this and actually couldnt find an answer, sorry for the noobie question, lol ... I just want to say a true answer when someone asks me at a car show.

Thanks :) ---
 

01sapphirebob

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The one on the drivers side is just for Appearence. The one on the passenger side is for the HVAC system I believe.
 

VIPER GTSR 91

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They both allow some engine heat escape and mostly for accent looks. They do allow some water to enter when washing so cover from below with a towel.
 

jdeft1

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Yes, The passenger side is where the a/c vent intake is....The other is to balance the look.
 

chopperpilot

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Right. The passenger side grill is where the air that is heated or cooled enters the blower and the one on the driver's side makes the hood look balanced.
 

PDCjonny

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They both allow some engine heat escape and mostly for accent looks. They do allow some water to enter when washing so cover from below with a towel.

How does a completely sealed drivers side "speaker" allow water to enter or disperse engine heat?
 

VYPR BYT 94

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Oops, I mis read the post thinking he was talking about the two black hood grills on top that many think are speaker grills.

Ah yes...
I use them at cruise-ins and car shows...
Just throw open the clam shell hood and crank up the volume with Bad Company, Foreigner and Boston
Crowds Love it!
 

AviP

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It's mainly useless and cosmetic. Basically it breaks the lines on a long hood. The right one is the AC intake. Same with the vents above the front wheels. Mainly useless, I've never seen them vent any heat but feel free to blast me if I'm wrong.

-Avi
1997 Viper GTS
 

Dom426h

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OP, Do you know how to open your hood?:rolleyes:


How does a completely sealed drivers side "speaker" allow water to enter or disperse engine heat?

Oops, I mis read the post thinking he was talking about the two black hood grills on top that many think are speaker grills.

Im still confused at GTSR91's comment.:dunno:

I assume these are ther grilles that the OP is asking about:

Driversside, sealed off. (Some people use a hole saw to cut a large hole there so more engine heat can escape from under the hood)
You must be registered for see images


Passenger Side (Has hole for HVAC air intake)
You must be registered for see images
 
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alwayscode390

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Yes I know how to open my hood, thats how I knew about the rubber grommet beneath... sorry but this is the first open breathing HVAC system I have seen that goes through the hood.

I could hardly tell that was the A/C system with how blocked off they have it from the rest of the engine. I figured something else could be in there with the A/C stuff.

Yes, thats what Im talking about in the pics above, thanks for that ---
 

ZYellow01RT

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It's mainly useless and cosmetic. Basically it breaks the lines on a long hood. The right one is the AC intake. Same with the vents above the front wheels. Mainly useless, I've never seen them vent any heat but feel free to blast me if I'm wrong.-Avi
1997 Viper GTS

Avi - not to "blast" you, but the front vents do indeed allow heat to escape from the engine compartment. Just take a look at them sometime after a drive and you will see the heat "waves" coming from them.
 

mattdillon

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Dom, that's exactly what I was going to ask is why doesn't anybody ever cut a hole in the one that is closed up (don't think I've ever heard anybody say that they've done it & I never understood why you wouldn't, to at least make it functional & maybe help to release some heat. jmo
 

sfm79

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Dom, that's exactly what I was going to ask is why doesn't anybody ever cut a hole in the one that is closed up (don't think I've ever heard anybody say that they've done it & I never understood why you wouldn't, to at least make it functional & maybe help to release some heat. jmo

Matt, I was thinking the same thing. Very interesting concept.
 

ViperTony

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The speaker grill modification i.e. cutting a hole has been done use a 3" hole saw and some rubber gaketing. There's a thread on the site somewhere on how to do this.
 

mattdillon

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Thanks Tony, & sfm for posting it, I'll have to check it out. Tony do you know if its even worth the effort to do it or would it make enough difference.
 

ViperTony

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I was going to drill the hole but chickened out. :) I was going to do it, had the engine bay covered, hole saw ready to go but I wasn't thrilled with the hole being over the top of the PCM area. My thought at the time was "Wow...this is going to get soaked in the rain, wash, etc." So I decided not to do it.

Instead, I installed a vented cowl from Autoform. The cowl does allow heat to escape, I can see it through the windshield. At some point....there's only so many openings one can drill into their hood and what problem is that actually solving? I don't believe the GenII vipers have issues with heat not escaping from under the hood, rather, it's getting more AIRFLOW through the engine bay that's the key. I installed the Roe Front Fascia kit some time ago, and it does increase air flow at speeds above 40+mph and does help manage my engine temps. That was Mod#1 on my temperature journey.

Mod#2 was a lower temp thermostat. It helps, kind of opening a window sooner on a hot day. However, eventually with the window open sooner....it will get hot.

Mod#3 was the vented cowl. I see it working, don't know if it's actually contributing to cooler coolant temps or not. Might be helping make the interior more tolerable in idle traffic.

Mod#4 was programming the PCM with an SCT tune to change the fan turn on temps. In my case, they were changed to come on sooner than factory. Unless it's 100 degree day, my temps stay around 195ish (middle mark on the guage) tops with the way the fan comes on now. I've seen it get up to 206 degrees in 100 degree weather on a hot brutal day. I log OBD data so I know the numbers. But the new fan settings does a noticeable difference in managing the temp.

But all of it doesn't really matter is better airflow isn't making it's way through the engine. This is why I believe it's a combination of things I listed vs. drilling a 5" hole. Assuming of course, that a less hotter engine bay is the goal.

I will say that with better airflow....it seems the heat gets to the cockpit quicker, LOL, as it's forced out of the engine bay.

At some point I would like to install additonal pusher fans, like Dave6666 did, and have those come on at different settings than the stock fan or work in conjunction with the stock fan. Airflow is key, more of it.

I should also add that I run a different mix of Coolant/Distilled Water than what the factory recommends. I think I run 30% Coolant / 70% Water with some Water Wetter. But that's another topic, different discussion.

There's no silver bullet, I've learned. The Viper enginer was engineered to run within a certain temperature range.
 
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alwayscode390

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The water entering the engine bay would be the only reason I wouldnt mess with cutting a hole in the hood.

I will check out that writeup above to see if they had a solution to this :)

Where does the stock drain hole let the water go?

I bet it freaks a lot of people out cutting into their $20k hood too HAHAH!!! ---
 
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