Need definative answer on removing items under the hood

[Matthew]

i see msp owners with their mods as removed weather stripping. is that the two pieces of rubber towards the front (or top if opened) part of the hood? if so i hope its ok to remove those, because while cleaning i ripped the one closest to the front, so i just took it all off.

but my main question, that ive asked before and not really got a good answer, was can i remove the fiberglass piece that takes up the whole underside of the hood? someone before said no because it wouuld cause my paint to bubble and fade. somehow i cant believe that because ive seen cars with stock hoods without that part. so, whats the verdict?

 

[REMillers]

It is possible that yes the excess heat from the engine can get soaked into the hood causing the paint. But have truely yet to see this happen on a car. My old 95 Saturn went 3 years without that on there and suffered no ill effects paint or performance wise from it.
The engine was a bit noiser without the sound blocking.

But guess if you do not drive your car across country for days it will not cause the hood to get heat soaked enough to affect the paint.
There are plenty of other areas for the heat to escape out off than going directly through the hood.

 

[Albert]

The weather stripping the MSP owners are removing is the piece on the back of the engine compartment, by the windshield (attached to the car itself, not the hood). It was said that removing the front one would cause undue dirt and stuff to get into the engine compartment, but I don't see how much of a difference it would make.

 

[Matthew]

so could i remove that on mine as well (the one by the windshield)

also, even if it did let more dirt in, which i dont see happening, since i clean my engine bay constantly and my filter is in my wheel well, i dont see what dirt could really do. you should see the engine bay of my wifes 4runner. it looks like someone painted everything with dirt-paint.

 

[Matthew]

also, as far as the paint...if the paint doesnt bubble on my valve cover, why would it bubble on my hood? im sure as crappy as the paint is that mazda uses, im sure its better than the job i did on my valve cover, right?

 

[Leadfoot]

What are the benefits of removing this weatherstripping....I've always wondered that????

 

[Matthew]

none that i can see, i just want to remove mine because:

1) i ripped one piece already
2) itll be less stuff to clean and expose more wonderful blue paint under my hood for shows.

 

[Leadfoot]

yeah...I'm just wonderin if it's purely cosmetic, or if there is a better cooling effect (or maybe an extra 20 horses....LOL)

 

[orangezoom]

yeah...I'm just wonderin if it's purely cosmetic, or if there is a better cooling effect (or maybe an extra 20 horses....LOL)

That's what people are claiming on the MSP it helps with the heat soak in the engine Bay

 

[Matthew]

so anyone here??? come on!

 

[Matthew]

bump? wtf i thought for sure i would get more opinions than this!

 

[SP33D]

I dunno.. I haven't read into it.

 

[FrigginGLI]

Wouldn't water get into the engine bay. Is not what this weather stripping prevents?

 

[Matthew]

i dont think water in the engine bay matters. i spray the engine bay with high pressure water normally at the car wash.

 

[Installshield 2]

Matt, there are all kinds of opinions on this...From my understanding it is mostly to keep wind "howl" down at highway speeds...it also prevents large amounts of "swirling" air to get under the hood and cause it to rattle...I called the dealership, and they claimed it is also to keep water out...I doubt that, or if it is designed to do that, it doesn't do it with much authority...

Now the large piece of fabricy stuff on the underside of the engine is designed for a couple of things...If you can leave it on...First it does help with heat soak, but unless you are running 30psi of boost, I doubt there will be enough heat from the engine to cause problems with the paint...The paint probably gets hotter in direct sun light anyway...

I am unsure about this part as far as Protege's...Most German manufacturers use a fire retardant material for that under cover...In the event of a fire busting loose in the engine bay, that s***'s glue boils and the fabric falls off...blanketing most of the engine bay, and also in that intense heat it denatures and sort of coats everything...A weak attempt at putting the fire out, but better than nothing and excellent for creating an awesome mess...

FWIW don't take that off...It is pretty lightwieght so there are not much weight savings to be had...but the weather stripping is up to you...You may get a little more dirt on the upper sections of the engine, and you may also get a little better cooling...Not really to your intake but to the engine itself all together, which will help out on your cooling system...

 

[Matthew]

thanks for the info, i always trust you opinion thats why i pmmed you and told you to take a look

i wasnt looking to save weight under the hood, i was tryin to make it something elsei could wax and polish but yea in oklahoma im sure the paint gets hotter in direct sunlight (it was 91 here today in late october), and like i said about the valve cover. eventually im gonna go turbo here next summer, so i guess im wondering what i should do hmmmm

 

[Installshield 2]

No problem man...My bet is that you will be fine regardless...I don't even see the benefit of the fire retardant...In most cases it will only prevent the flames from billowing out of the sides of the hood, so you don't even see the fire...air will still get sucked in from under the engine, that crap doesn't make the engine bay air tight...Even if that s*** puts the flames out, it won't happen until every single hose, sensor, wiring, tubing etc is toast...it won't "prevent" any expenses...

 

[Matthew]

yea if my engine bay catches on fire, im pretty much ******. so you think id be ok to take it off? come to think of it, when i open my hood and grab it, its still not very hot even where the fiberglass thing is anyhow.

 

[Midnight22]

if ur looking for cooling effects get a hood thats designed to get air to flow through the engine bay? as far as fire goes... if u get a fire under there, ur ****** even if that things works as planned, so no point in it, and as with paint... well, if it bubbles n stuff, when u repaint it, make em use hi temp paint... and that particular problem will then be solved...

srry didnt see this thread til now...

 

[Matthew]

not worried about cooling under the hood. this is all for asthtetics (sp) only. if it bubbles and they wont cover it (ill keep the crap in my closet) then ill just buy a cf hood