Hello everyone,
I have read so many posts about the F-Type hood vents.
I have the base ones, like this below



I think I like more the vents of the V8 version, like the one below

these are pretty expensive and I read that the mesh on this one is fake and does not cool down the engine. I see super hot air coming off my vents any time I drive a little bit spirited and I read that when the engine overheats, even a little bit, it scales power down. So the only one solution I found online is to drill the fake mesh and make some wholes so the air can pass through.

A third solution is provided by Mina Gallery:

the mesh here is open and the design is cool. The cost is the same of the one above.Bright stainless frame and mesh (chrome look) is the default option. But they can make the surround, mesh, and/or spear powder coated matte black

Here is the question: which one would look better on my jaguar ftype salsa red?
The V8 version? The Mina gallery? If the latter, should it be matte black or all stainless steel, or some kind of combination? Or do you like the original "honeycomb" the best?

 

As you have noted, the optional vent is not really a vent (odd....), so unless you are willing to drill a significant number of holes in the faux-vent mesh area, I would avoid that option. If you think the Mina version looks better than the original real vent (!) style that you have already on the car, i think the chrome version would go well with the Salsa Red...the black version would be totally out of place.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! you might be right --- all chrome would be better. also given that my side vents are chrome already

 

The "optional" vent does have holes in it from stock, it is what my V6S came with from the factory.
Just not a lot of holes and not a lot of area.
They are in the "side" part, see the pic posted by LucaGarage the one with the red background, and even then they only go "all the way through" and allow some air flow in two small spots each about 2 cm long, one in the middle and one towards the front. That is why I Dremelled out a bunch behind next to those existing two holes.
I much prefer the ones that LucaGarage refers to as "base" vents, per his top pic, but I have never seen a pair for sale at a reasonable price.
I have a spare set of the stock vents (per the pic with the red background) that I bought a couple of years ago on Fleabay but I have never fitted them and they are in "as new" condition, maybe Luca and I could engineer a swap!
Strange that what Luca calls "base" and "V8" are the exact opposite of my experience.

 

+1. Love the mina gallery vents.

 

Do you get steam coming off the engine when it rains with the base ones?

Oz, I think I liked the vents from my XKR/your XFR best

 

yes, I do!
And I see steamy air coming out of the vents during hot days and/or after a spirited drive (it is not a real steam -- but is visible -- like when it is very hot on the road and you see that the air near the asphalt is "fluctuating"). That is why it is clear that the vents have a function (at least on my car). I love seeing the steamy air coming off the engine.
This was even before the VAT tune --

 

i see from your signature that you have Stainless steel hood vents on your F-type. Are the Mina Gallery?

 

Tempting to get them for the heat shimmer alone...very cool. We dont get that with the standard style vents.

 

I had concerns with the stock mesh vents because the sun was already bleaching the engine cover and I wanted to remove the that cover. I was worried that the sunlight would make the plastic fittings and such brittle enough to crack.

I got the bright ("chrome") versions of the alternates above to match the "power vents" and haven't had issues, except that on one side, the "chrome" seems to be bubbling a bit. This is a recent addition to the patina of a daily driver, but I think it's a bit low-rent.

 

Yes they are! I removed the "supercharged" lettering. Between these hood vents and removing the engine cover, I feel a lot better about heat escaping unencumbered.

 

I actually prefer the raw functional look of the basic honeycomb vent.

 

I like the vents on the E Type. Not appropriate for the F though.