Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Our Hood Louvers:
Q. Do you have a gasket between the Hood Louvers and the Hood?
A. The Instructions tell you how to place a single row of black electrical tape on the underside of each Hood Louver, as a cushion. This is all that is needed. If a thicker gasket were used, the hood temps and the frequent cycling effect (hot to cold and cold to hot) would cause it to break down and shrink – and for the panel to become loose.
Q. What about using a screen in the Hood Louvers?
A. We have found that this is not necessary because, 1) large objects cannot fall through the louvered openings, and the flow of air and heat is out, not in, and 2) anything in the way of the heatflow/airflow provides resistance and slows it down. HOWEVER, for some reason, some people feel compelled to have a screen in place. If so, you can simply get a 3’ x 7’ piece of screen at Lowes for less than $10 (GC “Charcoal/Anthracite” color aluminum General Purpose Screen, by New York Wire), cut it slightly smaller than each Hood Louver panel, place it in between the Hood Louver panel and the hood, and let the pop rivets through the Hood Louvers hold it in place.
Q: Are these the real thing?
A: Yes, these are the real thing! These are open Hood Louvers… and they really work!
Q: How do they work?
A: They work because hot air rises! Your cooling fan pushes the hot air out through the Hood Louvers. Before the cool air can come into your engine compartment, the hot air must go out. Without an escape, the hot air just sits there – and gets even hotter!
Q: What’s wrong with heat in the engine compartment?
A: Heat is the mortal enemy of performance. In a hot engine compartment, heated intake air and heated incoming fuel hurt performance by reducing “volumetric efficiency,” and cut power and gas mileage. It is also the mortal enemy of engine life and the life of under-hood components. Heat shortens the life of everything under the hood: radiator, heater and vacuum hoses; insulation on wires; steering flex units; delicate sending units and relays; the battery; high-performance ignition systems and expensive ABS systems. And more strain is placed on your cooling system to maintain the engine at proper operating temperature. A/C efficiency also drops.
Q: Why is this critical?
A: Because if everything isn’t working perfectly and you find yourself in a traffic jam – on the race track or on the street – you might need the extra margin of safety heat escape Hood Louvers give you! They push back the critical failure point of many components to make the difference in getting there or not! Helps solve hot-start problems, too.
Q: Is it true that engines are running hotter today?
A: Yes, due to government-mandated pollution controls, engines are now running about 30° to 40° hotter than back in the 1980’s. The norm for many decades was 180°, today many run at 210° to 220°. So, today, the need for hood louvers is even greater!
Q: How do I know these work?
A: After you install them and get your engine up to full-operating temperature, especially on a hot day, just try to hold your hand over the Heat-Escape Louvers. Feel the heat pour out! In cold weather, with ice on your windshield, start your engine and let it warm up. Depending upon the placement of the Heat-Escape Louvers in relation to your windshield, the heat can actually melt the ice on your windshield! Police testing shows an underhood temperatures drop of 47°, and many owners with overheating engines report their engine temperature drop, of 15° to 26°, on the temp gauge!
Q: Is this a new approach to old, proven science?
A: Yes! RunCool® Hood Louvers invented and introduced this easy-add-on, universal-fit metal louver concept. Now, at a fraction of the cost, you don’t need to: (1) remove your hood, (2) cut the “skin” off, (3) find a shop (few!) that can press louvers in your hood (usually $400-$600), (4) then re-weld the skin in place, and (5) repaint your hood (another $800?) and then, (6) re-install it.
Q: Are these desirable in the winter, too?
A: Yes, even in the winter, because heat inside your engine compartment reduces component life, year ’round!
Q: Are these universal fit?
A: Yes, these have designed-in flexibility; they contour to fit hoods from flat to curved.
Q: Can I paint these?
A: Yes if you don’t choose the Powder-Coated models, it is easy to spray paint the Natural Aluminum models the body color of your vehicle, if you like. Buy a can of spray paint from the dealer or from a parts store. Paint them before you put them on so the stainless steel rivets will remain the natural color and be more noticeable – for that performance look.
Q: Some vehicles (such as, today, the Ford F-150 “Raptor”) come with hood louvers, but they have “drip pans” mounted under them. Good or bad idea?
A: Bad idea. No need to go to the trouble, as these “drip pans”:
1) Are not needed (see our Installation Instructions).
2) They reduce the air flow down to only about 10% efficiency!!! These are designed for their looks — not to effectively increase heat flow out!!!
Q: What about wrapping your exhaust manifolds/headers with cloth insulation — is that a good idea?
A: The problem is that holds in all that heat into the cast iron of the manifold or the steel of the headers. This raises the temperature of the metal to ultra-high levels. This can cause molecular breakdown of the metal, causing the manifold or headers to fracture or crack – then it’s time to shell out $$$’s for a new set (this happened to the our company’s president on his Harley on I-95 on the ride back from Daytona Bike Week!). In the Summit Racing Catalog, they now tell readers that this “wrapping can void the header manufacturer’s warranty,” for this reason!!! For the same reason, it would be harmful to wrap your turbo!
Q: What about wrapping your turbo with cloth insulation — is that a good idea?
A: No — Bad idea! See answer, above. You don’t want to keep the heat in! You want to get the heat out!
Q: What about water running through the louvers and onto my engine?
A: No problem. Water doesn’t hurt your engine. After all, many car enthusiasts wash their engines many times each year. As explained in the directions, you don’t want water to get on a distributor — but most vehicles built in the past 20 years don’t have a distributor. If you do, and if it’s a V8, the louvers will be outboard of that, so no problem. Also consider the alternator — but the louvers are usually far enough behind so it does not matter. Otherwise the instructions provided explain how to easily make a rain diverter, if needed. RunCool Hood Louvers have been in use on many vehicles around the world, in all weather conditions, for over a decade, and we haven’t received a single complaint about this. However, if the thought of getting water on your engine freaks you out (unnecessarily), the Size Long Hood Louvers will probably mount outboard of your engine and avoid this!
Q: Are instructions and mounting hardware provided?
A: Yes! Concise, step-by-step instructions are included. The instructions are so very clear and easy-to-follow that more than 95% of owners install them themselves in their own garage or yard.
Q: Will these hood louvers or rivets ever rust?
A: NO! We hate rust! Our Hood Louvers are made of non-rusting Aluminum! The rivets are Stainless Steel — non-rusting! They will outlast the rest of your vehicle; they will outlast you; and they will outlast everyone alive today! We should re-name them the Eternity Hood Louvers!
Q: What if some under-hood frame support might be “in the way”?
A: Most successful installations have some hood frame in the way. The answer is to “hole-out” or “Swiss cheese” out the hood frame in this area (often a 1″or 2″dia. hole saw works well). This retains the structural rigidity while maximizing heat flow. The instructions, provided, expain (and show) this, in detail.
Q: Where can I find installation instructions?
A: Installation Instructions ( .97 mb)
Q: Where can I find specifications for the louvers?
Q: Can I order these directly from you, the maker?
A: Yes! Just call, email or order from our website, www.hoodlouvers.com.
Q: Can I call you if I have questions?
A: Yes! And you will speak in English with a friendly, helpful, knowledgeable human being — no “Press 1 for English”, or “Press 2 to choose where to direct your call”!
Q: Is satisfaction guaranteed?
A: Yes. You have 30 days to decide, or return them for a full and unquestioned refund– including shipping charges! However, once you set them on your hood and see how good they look – and how plain and meek your vehicle looks without them – you will find them impossible to live without – guaranteed!
RUNCOOL® HOOD LOUVERS
6841 FOREST HILL AVE. • SUITE 361 • RICHMOND, VA 23225 • (804) 355-1758
Fax (804) 320-3223 • EMAIL: COOL@HOODLOUVERS.COM
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED OR RETURN IN 30 DAYS FOR A FULL AND UNQUESTIONED REFUND
RunCool is a manufacturer of hood louvers, hood vents, and accessories to cool your engine.