I don't really like my hood vents much and would like to change them:


From inspecting them they appear to have limited venting functionality but they do appear to significantly limit rain from get into the engine compartment.
I have been thinking about installing a set of Mina Gallery wire mesh hood vents but can't bear the thought of all the water rushing into the engine compartment when it rains.
One solution I have thought of is to install a liner material under the wire mesh to keep water out of the engine compartment, however, I'm also concerned about dissipating engine heat during the summer. A potential solution would be to remove the engine cover.
Any thoughts? Has anyone installed these Mina Gallery wire mesh hood vents in rainy climates (e.g., Chicago). What have you done about the rain intrusion?
Thanks for any suggestions.

 

It doesn't really answer your questions, but years ago I removed the engine cover and I dremelled out the vent holes a bit longer (the holes only go half way along the vent) to improve cooling, and I have had zero problem with water ingress to the engine bay (including using high pressure washing equipment).

 

The stock mesh vents that came on my car were designed to show off the "Supercharged" logo on the engine cover but really just let the sun fade those spots on the cover. I replaced my vents with ones like yours, but in bright finish (chrome) to contrast with the dark body and to match the side ("power") vents. I also dremeled them out to vent more and removed the engine cover. I've had no issues, but have zero quantitative information on cooling, venting, or raining.

 

Upon further inspection, the hood vents that I have are really just ornamental. The photo below is a shot of the vent with a utility light immediately in back of the hood vent. You can see that there isn't even a square inch of opening for air travel, so unless you've dremeled the vent to create more openings (like Lizzardo) this vent isn't doing jack for engine compartment ventilation.

 

I can confirm that hood vents are not ornamental, but essential for engine bay cooling during spirited driving. When I track the car, these vents are instrumental in keeping heat soak in check. However, for them to work optimally you need to remove engine cover.

I recommend you both remove engine cover and leave vents unblocked or potentially get engine power cut due to thermal issues. F-type is designed to be ultra-conservative in its approach to heat and will substantially cut power at slightest provocation. If you block these vents you will effectively detune your car during hot days.

 

Agreed, the vents do work to release heat from the engine bay but they could do with a lot more air flow, the stock vents are a bit miserly when it comes to air flow (which is why I Dremeled my vents).
Problem is, as posed by the OP, how do you get more hot air out without letting excess water in?

 

Water really isn't a problem for the engine unless it gets into intake, and it would take driving through couple feet of water to do that. Normal rain won't do any damage.

 

ditto!

I live in Virginia, very rainy, and I have the original honeycomb style -- no problems at all

 

Did you go with the Mina Gallery? If so, do you have any pics?

 

I have the Mina Gallery vents, here's a photo on Ammonite Grey. Not the best framing but it's the shot I have on hand. I can do better once I roll it out of the garage and wash it!

 

Cool! Thanks for sharing. Is this the Chrome Look or a different color you specifically asked? Was is it difficult to install them? Thanks

 

The previous owner had these installed so I'm not sure, but I'd call it bright chrome. On their website I don't see a good match, their "Bright Stainless" seems more matte to me. They'd know for sure if it's just the photo or if there was ever a bright chrome option.

Installation looks as simple as can be. And yes, the screws were bent over after installation:

 

I tried to upload several examples of the Mina vents on Polaris White with the bonnet up to view the open area, but the photo upload app doesn't appear to be working (stops at 90% of upload). I guess I'll try later.

However, I'm interested in getting more air flow through the engine compartment since I have enough exit area. I know others have drilled out the spaces between the mesh on the front gills. From looking within the engine compartment under the front headlights, it looks like the best option is to drill out the outer or lateral (vs. medial) gill to be the air inlet. Can others that have done this provide any input as to the best way to go?

 

If you look into automotive airflow theory, you will see that the 'valley' at the hood/windshield intersection is a high-pressure area. To REALLY do a good job extracting engine bay/radiator heat at speed, the vents need to be closer to the front of the engine bay where pressure is lower. Perhaps that is why the OEM vents were only half open. (Surprise! Thankfully, the vents were located more forward on the restyled '21s.)

Don't think for a minute that I'm 'dissing anyone who has enlarged their hood vent openings.
This is all theoretical and probably doesn't make one whit of difference for 99% of our driving. Yogi Berra's phrase comes to mind: "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."



The pictured backside of the Mina vents seems kind of crude to me. Although, the chrome/stainless look is GREAT. I bet if I showed the picture to my wife, she would buy them for her Rhodium Silver F.

 

No dissing taken, Carbuff2. Good information and I'll probably just leave well enough alone given this. Ultimately, I'm just interested in cooling the engine bay quicker during warm weather conditions here in the Chicago area. One nice thing about the Mina vents is that they are easy bolt on bolt off, so I fabricated a full gaskets tot put under them in the fall when its cooler and rainy here and then pull off during the summer months for cooling.

 

Why not just pull the under-hood engine cover off in summer? No tools required.

It's a 'snap'. <--- pun intended, since it just snaps in place.

 

thanks for the pics!

I do agree they look great --I have a salsa red F-Type so I might go with Mina gallery vent glossy black with the blade chromed. But yes, the installation is rough!
I hope they are now doing a better job. I also think the Mina Gallery and the original honeycomb vents do a good job dissipating the air (do you see the air simmering our of the vents when it rains or when it is hot? I Love it and I have it because of the honeycomb vents --- apparently the V8 vents with the fake mesh do not allow the driver to see this effect because the trap the hot air inside)

 

Already do that, but do put the cover back on when extended periods of rain are forecast. The problem without the open area hood vents is you are relying on the thermal transfer of the engine compartment heat through the aluminum bonnet that is a diffusion process to the air above it and is limited by the temperature of that air. Hood vents expedite that process, especially in a garage. That makes my garage refrigerator and the beer in it happier.

 

The vents have always been more forward on the AWD cars.