RC Car - Body Cutouts For Cooling?

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Cooling Holes In Lexan Body?

Comments: I have a 4-Tec Pro 4WD Sedan with a Picco .12 engine. I was wondering how much of my lexan body do I need to remove to achieve adequate air ventilation for the cooling of the head... half the windshield, the whole thing, or maybe just a little scoop. The body I use is a Dodge Viper.

Response: There is no rule for how much body to remove for engine cooling but the more the better. I don't think it is necessary to remove the entire front windshield as this will greatly weaken the body structure. I cut out half of my windshield, about 2/3 of my side window (for cooling and so I have access to my fuel tank), and about 1/3 of my rear window (this is optional, it helps allow a place for the hot air to escape). How much you cut out also depends on the body being used. When I run a Porsche GT1 body my engine head sticks out of the top of it so I don't need to cut as many cooling holes. You also need to remember that a lot of cool air enters the car through the wheel wells and from under the car but, as I said earlier, the more cooling the better.

Here is another important note when cutting the cooling holes. Don't cut the holes so they have square corners. Try to round the corners. This helps to keep the body stronger, prevent cracking from the holes, and just looks a lot nicer. I personally cut out a rough area I want for cooling and then use my Dremel tool with a sanding drum to round the corners and clean up the cut lines.

I hope this helps,

Let's take off a few tenths per lap,

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