Looking for driving directions - Vegas to Denver

[granatl]

Any of you with a large front mount IC, have you ever tried to climb the Rocky Mountains in mid-summer? I'm thinking about driving to Denver via I-70, but am afraid that my FMIC will just put too much heat into the radiator for me to make it.
For example, around here when it's ~100, if I have on the A/C and am highway cruising, I'm generally at about 180 degrees. If I take one of the side roads to go into the mountains, I can only do about 10-15 miles (~2500 feet?) before the water temperature is more like 220; which I usually U-turn and head back down the mountain.
I am about to add a whazoo oil + tranny cooler, so that will shift some of the heat out of the radiator.

I'm concerned that I'm going to drive 8 hours from Vegas, and have to park until cool night time before climbing up past Vail (or maybe sooner).

Is it any better to go across the 40, and then up through Sante Fe, Pueblo, etc.? I'd have to guess this would add at least another 4 hours to the trip; but if it keeps me from melting and engine, I'll do it.

 

[granatl]

After thought--- when I did that mountain climb this past weekend, that was in drive at usually 1-2 PSI of boost. If the car shifted into O/D, it still did fine, but if the TCC locked I couldn't sustain the 60 MPH that I was doing.
In the winter I have no trouble climbing the same mountain. On the way back down, the coolant gauge will peg at 0. I've gotten the O2's down into something like the high 200's (coasting).

 

[Quiky One]

Have you looked into Spal fans and Bruce's aluminum radiator? Product Information

 

[granatl]

I have dual Spal's, and Nick's 3-core (non-aluminum) radiator. I can't imagine aluminum would change it more that 5 degrees.

 

[UNGN]

Do you have a V8 airdam on the core support?

This will help pull air through the radiator.

Our Big block pontiac would overheat at speed until we went to a large airdam on the core support.

 

[granatl]

No. Do you have any pictures of it?

 

[Scott Atk]

Jack, I tried to make a NA airdam work years ago. You have to trim it where the IC tubes go. Never could get it where I liked the looks of it.
What about the one piece front spoiler that is out now??
Air Dam - Full Width

 

[Nick Micale]

I have dual Spal's, and Nick's 3-core (non-aluminum) radiator. I can't imagine aluminum would change it more that 5 degrees.

You are right Jack!

There is NO antifreeze in the cooling system, only water and RMI-25 right?

 

[granatl]

Distilled water + RMI-25 + [some water wetter knock-off]
I just flushed it clean about 4 weeks ago.


Who else has used the full air dam? Can someone further describe how that helps pull more air through the radiator?

 

[Pablo]

It creates an area of high pressure in front of the radiator and an area of low pressure behind it.

Air likes to move to low pressure regions so the air ends up traveling through the radiator.

A thirdgen firebird will almost immediately overheat without an air dam because there is no grille. With one installed there is no problem. Thats how big of a difference it can make.

I fabbed one out of aluminum and mounted it to the bottom of my powerstroke I.C. If you have a front mount that is away from the radiator and add an airdam to the core support I think you will be increasing the airflow through the radiator at the expense of airflow through the intercooler.

 

[ChavoLC2]

Rocky Moutains

That IC must really be huge ,as I had one of Nicks 3 row and at 100* at 1 mile high(Albuquerque) the car never got above 175. Just come east on I40 then in Albuquerque get on the BigI and go North on I25 to Denver. It's all High Desert. There's no need to go to Sante Fe unless you want to visit the city different It's a artsy fartsy lil town, you actually bypass Santa Fe and go thru Las Vegas NM and Raton NM