The 370Z Weight Reduction Thread

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Originally Posted by miguez

Hey Zeto,

I don't think there would be enough heat to evaporate a strong downpour, even when you see heating rising from those vents.

That being said, I believe a lot of water (perhaps "a lot" is a relative term) makes its way into the engine bay in any car, during rainy days, be it through the air intakes (and around the radiator), or from the bottom. This is a guess, though, as I have never opened my hood after getting home from driving through a storm to check.

I have

Yes, some water gets into a stock Z engine bay in rain regardless, but it's small amounts that manage to splash their way in past the seams near the wheel wells, the top edge of the hood, etc. The biggest holes in that regard are near the exhaust manifolds, but those will evap just about anything. Even in heavy rain, so little makes it in that it's inconsequential, esp given heat to evap it. You end up with some little splash/drop marks on the outer walls of the bay but that's about it.

But an open vent right over the engine area scares me a bit. In the storm we had last week, it would be like opening your hood and dumping 5 gallon buckets of water on your engine bay repeatedly. No way that's gonna evap off.