FAQ
Q. What are Race Louvers?
A. Race Louvers are Louvers specifically engineered for increased cooling and front downforce. They are designed for front engine front radiator production car hoods and front fenders.
Q. Are Race Louvers universal fit or made for a specific vehicle?
A. Race Louvers offer vehicle specific and universal fitment as well as custom sizes to fit most any consumer needs.
Q. What are the benefits of Race Louvers?
A. Race Louvers provide increased radiator cooling, increased front downforce (reduced lift), lower engine compartment temperatures, and reduced cool down time when parked.
Q. How do Race Louvers increase downforce?
A. Race Louvers increase front downforce by reducing front end lift. Front end lift is a product of air flowing over the vehicle creating a low pressure zone on top of the hood coupled with cooling air forced thru the radiator creating a high pressure zone under the hood, this differential pressure acting on the vehicles surface creates lift. Typical hood vents simply provide a path for air to flow from high to low pressure solely relying on differential pressure to work. Race Louvers are engineered to extract more air up thru the louvers while the blades direct the newly created airflow path within the engine compartment. This greatly reduces the differential pressure acting on the hood which reduces front end lift. On cars equipped with aerodynamic devices such as a splitter front downforce is further increased. Race louvers allow for reduced front grill openings, grill blockers and/or nose tape to significantly increasing front downforce further.
Q. How do Race Louvers increase cooling?
A. Race Louvers reduce engine compartment, radiator core, intercooler core temperatures by increasing airflow thru the radiator and exiting heated air out the top of the engine compartment. Quicker cool down once parked is also a benefit. The top side of the louver is engineered to vent air up thru the louver while the blades direct the newly created airflow path within the engine compartment. This flow increase thru the radiator and intercooler significantly increases their cooling ability.
Q. How can Race Louvers be used?
A. Race Louvers can be set up for maximum cooling or maximum front downforce or anywhere in between. Race louvers are design to increase airflow thru the radiator by providing suction behind the radiator, this rear suction combined with the front pressure can more than double the flow thru the radiator when compared to the competition. This would provide a maximum cooling setup. Combining the rear suction of a Race Louver with a grill opening as small as possible to still sufficiently cool will provide huge gains in front downforce. This would be a maximum front downforce setup. Grill blockers or nose tape are easy ways to establish a setup right for your car and can easily be changed as needed. We recommend blockers/tape on the sides of the grill opening vs top or bottom as this performs the best.
Q. What are Grill Blockers?
A. Grill Blockers are ABS plastic plates designed to be installed in the front grill to reduce the grill opening and restrict airflow into the radiator and engine bay, this reduces cooling to the minimum amount required but significantly increases front downforce which improves speed and laptime.
Q. What is the most efficient location to mount Hood Louvers?
A. The most efficient location is a large single Race Louver in the center of the hood just behind the radiator, next would be two medium sized Race Louvers in the center of the hood just behind the radiator, next would be two medium sized Race Louvers on the sides of the hood just behind the radiator centered between the side of the engine and the fender.
Q. What is the most efficient Race Louver shape?
A. Rectangular, wide and shallow perform the best, ie 20"W x 10"D. Rectangular, narrow but long louvers such as a 10"W x 20"D perform well but not quite as good as the 20"W x 10"D even though they have the same area. Triangular or curved louvers to match body lines work well too as long as the louver angle relative to the angle of airflow does not exceed about 15deg.
Q. What if my hood has raised body line?
A. Although Race Louvers can conform to surfaces that have a slight curve, we dont recommend bending them to fit over raised body lines. We recommend you purchase a pair to fit on the sides of the raised body lines.
Q. Do you sell Race Louvers that will fit in my factory hood vents?
A. We generally do not stock OEM sizes. Most factory hood vents are cosmetic. Their design and location are not optimized for performance. However we do offer custom sizes to fit most any consumers needs.
Q. How deep do the louvers sit below the surface?
A. All of our louvers sit about 1" below the top surface of the hood. The support structure on most hoods is about 1" thick so clearance should not be an issue. Light trimming of the blade is ok for clearance but blades should not be bent. If there is a very tight clearance between the hood and engine bay components we have two options that may help. Our 'low profile' design has louvers only 1/2" below the surface while our 'ducted' version has standard 1" deep blades but no rear blade.
Q. Do you offer Race Louvers that will fit between my hoods support structure?
A. Not specifically. Further trying to fit a louver by limiting its size and location to fit within a certain area will certainly reduce performance. We recommend using our guide to select a size and location for maximum performance.
Q. What if the hood structure on the bottom of the hood is located were the louvers will go?
A. OE Hoods generally come with significant structure below the skin and much can be removed without negative effects. We do recommend the perimeter, latch and hinge structure remain unaltered while everything in the middle can be removed. When installing Race Louvers we recommend a structure clearance of at least 2" on the front and 1" on the sides and rear.
Q. Do I need to remove my inner fender liner when using fender louvers?
A. If front downforce is the primary goal then the fender liner should remain and a hole should be cut in it near the louver, this maximizes front downforce but still provides some cooling. If the primary goal is improved cooling then the front of the fender liner should be removed as well as a hole should be cut in it near the louver, this maximizes cooling but still provides some front downforce.
Q. Can I get custom sized Race Louver?
A. Yes. Please call us to discuss your needs.
Q. What if I am unsure a particular Race Louver will fit my application?
A. All Race Louvers have a template that you can download, print and mocked up. Templates can be found in the description of each product. Templates must be printed to actual size and will usually need a printer capable of 18x24 or 24x36. We have found that staples online is a great resource for this. Simply: download the pdf, go to staples.com, then print & marketing, then blueprints, upload the template pdf, select either 18x24 or 24x36, deselect scaling, finish checkout and go pick up your templates.
Q. Can I use Race Louvers with a cold air intake kit?
A. Yes, we recommend sealed cold air kits. Cold air intakes that use the hood as a top or have open filters should not be installed directly under the louvers, if you have an open filter cai kit already and a vent is to be installed directly above it a hydrophobic pre-filter is an easy solution, these pre-filters will repel water while allowing air to pass thru.
Q. Do Race Louvers come with screens?
A. No. Our louvers are designed for maximum performance. Screens restrict airflow but can be added by the consumer if desired, we recommend aluminum or stainless wire cloth with an open area of at least 75% so as to not restrict airflow. We do not recommend common window screen found at the local home improvement store.
Q. Do Race Louvers come with rain guards?
A. No. Engine compartments and components are design to be in a 'wet' environment so rain guards are not needed. Further rain guards will restrict airflow and reduce performance.
Q. What colors do Race Louvers come in?
A. Race Louvers come standard in semi-gloss black powder coat. Race Louvers also come bare if the customer desires to have it painted themselves.
Q. What type of hardware do they come with?
A. Race Louvers come with color matching aluminum rivets with aluminum mandrels so no rust will ever form. Our rivets are a tri-fold design, have a depth range of .000-.375", can be installed in up to .250" diameter holes and have a low clamping force. This leaves plenty of room for error when installing and works great on all hood materials. We also offer stainless steel button head cap screws as well as stainless steel flush mount clinch studs as an option.
Q. Do Race Louvers need gaskets?
A. No, gaskets are not required. However a single layer of electrical tape may be used around the perimeter if a cushion is desired between the two surfaces.
Q. Why Race Louvers and not some other brand?
A. Our Louvers have been professionally researched and designed, wind tunnel tested and track proven to perform the best.
Q. Are Race Louvers worth the investment?
A. Definitely
Q. Do you offer a military discount?
A. Absolutely, we offer a 10% discount to all military personnel. Contact us for a discount code.