Cooling a Tech pack on the track

[krt22]

I was reading about the transmission in a article on this site and discovered another issue

"If you plan to take yours to the racetrack, you should consider the Track Package or the R-model, as they both feature an air-to-oil transmission cooler fed by a gerotor pump in the transmission. In applications without the cooler, the transmission features neither the pump nor the plumbing needed to support the cooler, which is mounted right behind the front fascia and fed ambient air."

So installing a cooler will not be so trivial. I blame myself for assuming it would be generally usable for light track use, but I am quite disappointed.

Any feedback from the dealer? Any chance it was just a faulty sensor? Seems very odd that it was already over-heating after a 10-15 minute session. I would definitely ask for them to replace the sensor and try again, and as a 2nd measure see if you can actually datalog those temps. IE check if the fluid is slowly heating up and then reaching the threshold or if if it triggers in a more abrupt fashion

Someone on the other forum was able to get the tranny temp read out with the Lund Ngage

 

[bpmurr]

It's official, with a visit to my local ford dealer they confirmed the tranny is throwing the overtemp errors. I actually don't think my car is any different than any other would be, and if on a sub 60 degree day it cannot complete a 20 minute session without over heating the trans, then the tech optioned car is simply not engineered for ANY track use. Buyers beware.

They are taking my data to SVT, and I will lobby to have them install the transmission cooler. I think we should all pull together on this since in my opinion the issue is so bad that I believe it can occur or is marginal under normal driving conditions on a hot texas day and therefore all these cars should have shipped with a transmission cooler period. Remember the hotter it runs the shorter life it will have.

Did Ford Performance ever get back to you with their findings? I would hope a base or Tech pack GT350 can survive a 20 minute HPDE session. Heck even a GT can do that.

 

[cluscher]

GT doesn't rev to the moon.

 

[bpmurr]

GT doesn't rev to the moon.

It wasn't his motor that was running to hot. It was the trans.

 

[Tob]

Where the motor goes, so goes the transmission.

 

[krt22]

Someone on the other forum reported a similar issue with his tech pack car at chuckwalla. After ~5 laps it would kick in. He also had an ngauge hooked up and was able to display the transmission temps and it was reading 280 when it would start cutting power

 

[bpmurr]

Someone on the other forum reported a similar issue with his tech pack car at chuckwalla. After ~5 laps it would kick in. He also had an ngauge hooked up and was able to display the transmission temps and it was reading 280 when it would start cutting power

It's going to be pretty sad if we start finding out that Tech Pack and base GT350s can only handle a few laps before overheating.

 

[662]

Where the motor goes, so goes the transmission.

true, I have also heard that when a motor breaths well, the heat is more efficiently transferred to the exhaust and these engines produce power partly because the flow is so good... The dual exhaust pipes are tucked up into the tunnel with the trans and I think driving at sustained high RPM's moves heat to the pipes and it heats the air around the tranny thus the tranny by convection.

I should get the scoop next week but I had a look at the belly pan and it seems like I can make it fit easily enough. I think it will help a lot and if my analysis is correct, its a better solution than a oil to air cooler.

If I have trouble fitting the scoop or temp issue is still there but improved, I will try and insulate the pipes with some of the new materials. It seems the pipes are very accessible and that would be easy and inexpensive.

 

[cluscher]

Cool that you're taking this on and many will benefit from your findings. My hope is this a viable solution for you and all the tech pack guys who want to track their cars.

For me, I'm not at all surprised by this issue given the rigors of track driving and how high this motor revs. There is just no way to even remotely simulate track driving on the street. The tech pack car was made for the aggressive street driver. Track pack and R's were made to handle track duty. Ford's statements about the car and the different packages said as much, so questioning the tech pack's inability to last a typical HPDE session is surprising to me.

 

[bpmurr]

Cool that you're taking this on and many will benefit from your findings. My hope is this a viable solution for you and all the tech pack guys who want to track their cars.

For me, I'm not at all surprised by this issue given the rigors of track driving and how high this motor revs. There is just no way to even remotely simulate track driving on the street. The tech pack car was made for the aggressive street driver. Track pack and R's were made to handle track duty. Ford's statements about the car and the different packages said as much, so questioning the tech pack's inability to last a typical HPDE session is surprising to me.

I don't think it's too much of a stretch to ask for a track focused car regardless of trim to last a typical HPDE session. Right now we have two Tech Pack owners who couldn't finish a complete HPDE session. It was in the 60's for the one owner and around 80 for the other. The owner driving during the 80 degree day could only get in 5 laps at Chuckwalla (2.3 mile, low 2 minute lap) before it pulled power. From his findings it looks like safeguards took over to protect the trans from running too hot.

 

[cluscher]

Aware of that and I understand your point of view. But this car is pretty unique in it's configuration and setup that requires countermeasures to address heat. That's why they made a "track pack" and said tech pack cars would overheat on the track.

 

[bpmurr]

Aware of that and I understand your point of view. But this car is pretty unique in it's configuration and setup that requires countermeasures to address heat. That's why they made a "track pack" and said tech pack cars would overheat on the track.

I see this leading to some bad PR for Ford Perfomance down the road when we see more Tech/Base GT350s hit the track. You know the fanboys of other performance cars are going to have a field day with this.

 

[krt22]

I see this leading to some bad PR for Ford Perfomance down the road when we see more Tech/Base GT350s hit the track. You know the fanboys of other performance cars are going to have a field day with this.

the owners supplement clearly says one should add coolers if moderate track use is intended. Now making it 15 minutes vs 20 is a bit disappointing I'm sure, but its not like Ford didn't make tech pack owners aware of the potential limitations

 

[bpmurr]

the owners supplement clearly says one should add coolers if moderate track use is intended. Now making it 15 minutes vs 20 is a bit disappointing I'm sure, but its not like Ford didn't make tech pack owners aware of the potential limitations

I'm aware Ford says that in the manual. We've two drivers that couldn't complete a typical HPDE session in what I wouldn't call anywhere near extreme conditions weather wise. Looks like a base or Tech is good for four or five laps before it shuts down to protect from overheating.

 

[Tob]

I'm sensing you are buying or wish to buy a Tech Pack car. Is this indeed the case?

 

[krt22]

I'm aware Ford says that in the manual. We've two drivers that couldn't complete a typical HPDE session in what I wouldn't call anywhere near extreme conditions weather wise. Looks like a base or Tech is good for four or five laps before it shuts down to protect from overheating.

"For sustained high speeds or track day use with a Base or Tech model, we recommend that transmission and differential coolers are added. Your vehicle has electronic controls to reduce power and/or limit RPM tor educe powertrain temperatures if required."

The car did exactly what the manual said it would. Makes no mention of ambient temps. Unfortunately a bunch of folks seemed to convince themselves (and others) that the car would be fine, despite it clearly stating in the manual that coolers should be added for track day use. It has been debated over and over in fact, with some users being quite vocal that the no coolers would be needed for HPDEs, despite having zero data to back up those claims.

Now we wait for FP or the aftermarket to come up with a simple remote pump and a proper air to liquid cooler, although it would be nice if just a bit of cooling air will do the trick. Not a big deal really, track day folks have been addiing cooling on their own for quite some time

 

[BilletProShop]

Excited to get our base model... Did not want tech as we wanted the recaros. Opted for base model to be able to work on some aftermarket goodies...

 

[bpmurr]

I'm sensing you are buying or wish to buy a Tech Pack car. Is this indeed the case?

My order is currently for a Tech pack but hasn't been pulled. It will be a daily driver that I would like to track. With it being a daily I like the creature comforts and fit better in the regular seats that come with the Tech Pack.

I understand krt22's point about Ford stating the base and Tech will need coolers. It just seems silly to sell a "track car" that's actually less track capable (from a longevity standpoint) in some configurations than a PP GT.

 

[cluscher]

To BPS, the market is there......look forward to what you guys come up with.

 

[65sohc]

It's interesting that the Lethal Performance tech pack car was subjected to extensive track driving by the fastest GT350 driver on the planet, Billy Johnson, with no report of issues.