Cooling 101 (FM Live)

Summer time is Miata time, but that also means hot weather and hard driving. What's the best way to keep your Miata running cool in the heat?
This week on FM Live, Matt and Nick discuss all the basics of Cooling your Miata. From proper antifreeze ratios to radiators to a little bit of aero, they'll touch on all the little things to help keep your Miata healthy during the hottest part of the year.
Basic checks and maintenance 0:18
Coolant Ratios 1:41
Forcing Air Through Heat Exchangers 2:50
Radiator Upgrades 6:16
FM Airflow Kit Upgrades (Radiator Fans) 7:30
Hood Louvers 8:51
FM Coolant Reroute Kit 9:40
Questions from Our Views 10:52
PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO
FM Koyorad Crossflow Radiator:
www.flyinmiata...
FM Coolant Reroute Kit:
www.flyinmiata...
FM Stage 3 Brushless Airflow Kit:
www.flyinmiata...
FM Stage 2 Brushless Airflow Kit:
www.flyinmiata...
FM Stage 1 Airflow Kit:
www.flyinmiata...
Redline Water Wetter:
www.flyinmiata...
LLD Fender Vents:
www.flyinmiata...
Singular Motorsports Hood Louvers:
www.flyinmiata...
Verus Engineering Hood Louvers:
www.flyinmiata...
Coolant Overflow Tanks:
www.flyinmiata...
ND Cooling Products at FM:
www.flyinmiata...
16psi Radiator Cap:
www.flyinmiata...
22-24psi Radiator Cap:
www.flyinmiata...
New videos weekly! Join us here on FB every Thursday at 2:00 PM Mountain Time for new live content, and be sure to subscribe to our KZbin channel to see all our Miata videos! Original live video recorded 7-7-22.
Flyin' Miata is the world leader in Miata performance. We offer a wide range of parts for all years of the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
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#FMLive #Live #video #engine #cooling #basics #street #track #summer #heat #tech #talk #QandA #coolant #fans #radiator #brushless #stage #tips #tricks #louvers #vents #aero #101 #Mazda #miata #miatalife #FM #FlyinMiata

[@richarddietzen3137]

FM: Adding a cross flow radiator eliminates the foam seals on the sides of the stock radiator. Since the seals function to increase forced air through the cooling fins, why are foam seal replacements not included with the aluminum crossflow radiators (up to ND)? Thanks for all your great videos. PS: Also note that the ND has a lifetime (expensive blue green, bitter to reduce animal poisoning) coolant that is incompatible with standard antifreeze.

[@jillybooty]

Can't wait until you get the stage 1 NB fan kits back in stock.

[@richard-mai]

Can you guys make a video on aftermarket grilles?

[@crxh22honda37]

They say after 20mph your fans are slow air down and not helping. I could see this being true on cheap fan and oem. I have your stage 2 brushless. I like how it only has one fan and a bunch of hole if air does get built up. But I think with your fan it can really suck alot of air through. I wish there was a way to test to see what mph the fan is useless. I think if it's much higher it could be a selling point. Cause it seems like it's working for me. No undertray, 98° humid asf. Driving on the highway at 70mph 185°. 195° doing some pulls. Haven't brought it to the track yet but for a miata with a/c(not on). That's pretty damn good!

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Excellent question! There's a lot of noise about how necessary fans are, and there are a lot of right answers - for specific situations. The more (and better) your ducting is, the lower the road (really, air) speed needs to be to flow more than the fan(s) can. To test this yourself, since you have our fan setup with flaps, set up a camera in the engine bay (with a flashlight!) that's pointing at the flaps in the shroud. Be sure you can log speed (maybe start a second camera at the same time and point it at your speedo), then go drive. At what speed do the flaps open? That's when the air coming into the mouth overwhelms what the fan is pulling. If you want to do the same test for the max that the fans can pull (since your fan varies its speed depending on temperature), set the fans to full speed (12V down the blue wire if you're using the brain kit). Depending on the specifics of your install, this could be as easy as turning the AC on (refer to the instructions for more details). Agreed that 185 - 195°F is great for temps! FWIW, assuming you're using our fan brain kit, the fan doesn't start to spin until 190°F and isn't at full speed until 215°F. IOW, it looks like the fan has no difficulty pulling the temp back down to nearly the thermostat temp (assuming you're using a 180°F thermostat) with very little fan speed - meaning you have tons of headroom for when you're really pushing things!

[@shrimp562]

What sort of testing have you done with those Civic half radiators? Leaves the other side open for an intercooler and the piping is easier. I've seen good things about them from people that have them and I've seen a lot of bad things about them from people that haven't ever tried it

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We haven't tried that setup, but we're nervous - Miata engines aren't great at cooling to start off with, so halving the cooling capacity (heat exchange, specifically) doesn't give us warm and fuzzies. The only argument (cooling-wise) we can see for that is to move the intercooler to the other side so it's not in front of the radiator, to eliminate restriction / pre-heating of the air in front of the radiator. We'd be really curious to see the results of that, but we're not optimistic. Really, what are you trying to accomplish? How is this going to be beneficial? Easier intercooler hose routing? Awesome, makes sense. Improved cooling? Might not be a great idea. Also remember that you want low pressure in front of your heat exchangers and low pressure behind to improve airflow through the heat exchanger. Opening up half of the "mouth" (if you don't put your intercooler there) could increase underhood pressure and compound cooling issues.

[@shrimp562]

@@FlyinMiataVideo everyone I have seen that has actually done it has done a coolant reroute + a civic thick radiator + intercooler for their turbo. I haven't seen someone non-turbo do it. Apparently it really is easy for routing and if you want to keep ac.

[@egilsaerman8769]

My temp gauge (NA6) climbs and just stays at like 12:30 (just a little past the middle, towards the hot side), no matter what. Traffic, cruising, spirited driving. I've been told it isn't bad for the car, but it irritates me to no end. The fan (big aftermarket one) works, and i have changed the temp sensor. What might it be? (Edit because i my brain is slow. It doesn't leak from anywhere, the coolant is changed yearly or so, and it always looks nice when poured out. And the plastic undertray looks surprisingly well)

[@DocNo27]

Just because you changed the temp sensor, the gauge may not be sensitive enough/right type to use it. After '94 (if memory serves) both the sensors *and* gauges were dumbed down to essentially be idiot lights. Get an ODBII gauge - I'm a big fan of the ScanGauge II - nice and compact. You can see the actual coolant temp as well as a lot of other useful stuff, but there are a ton of different ODBII guages on Amazon/Ebay in all kinds of shapes and sizes.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Stock gauges have a dead spot in the middle, so a single needle position accounts for a relatively large (but entirely safe) temperature range. We've also heard that Canadian cars have their needles set a tick warm to ensure the driver that the heater will work while US cars have their needles set a tick cold to ensure the driver that their car isn't overheating. Hearsay? Definitely. Possible? Seems like it. Based on your symptoms, you're probably fine, but an aftermarket gauge will answer that question definitively. Please feel free to reach out to our customer support team directly if you have any other specific details!

[@egilsaerman8769]

@@FlyinMiataVideo Thank you very much! And i'm working on a bit of a list to ask your CS team, you will hear from me for sure!

[@Rumnhammer]

So I have your Crossflow radiator, and your Intercooler piping on my 94 NA, I do not have the reroute kit, and with the crossflow radiator hose even cut down as far as I can get it, when the engine is up to temp the radiator hose will touch the intercooler intake hose. I don't think it rubs enough to be a problem, but I just can't get the hose any shorter should I be concerned? Note when the engine is cool, I have about an 1/8 inch gap between the hoses, and it only rubs when it is hot and the radiator hose expands. The only way left I see to get more clearance would be to trim the intake hose a bit more at the thottlebody. as I have maybe 1/4 inch inbetween the IAC plug and the back of the intercooler hose. I noticed in one of your prior videos that Matts car is configured this way and wondered if he has this issue.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Slight rubbing between two smooth hoses, while not ideal, probably won't cause an issue. That said, if you can bring the throttle body inlet hose a little closer to the engine, that would be great. Just remember it's really difficult to add material back on! Trim a little at a time and look around first to be sure you're not going to cause other problems.

[@Brandeino]

Have you tried removing the hood?

[@HARaZAC]

Did anyone have a link for the intake filter shroud they have on the car at the end of the video? 34:28

[@auntbarbara5576]

Ive always knowm deionized water to be correct for cooling systems, not distilled. The water used in premixed coolant is deionized, not distilled, as well

[@MrHeisenb3rg]

In terms of cooling systems I’m pretty sure deionized water and distilled water are created equal.

[@daddude1319]

I wouldn’t use deionized water in a car. It is known as “hungry water” because it wants it’s minerals (iron) back that were removed. Deionized water will destroy cast iron. There is a reason DI water is run in plastic piping.

[@pabloporras4169]

Is there any proven data about if using rubber coolant hoses over silicone ones is better? I mean about leaks and long term durability, efficiency OEM rubber hoses are way more expensive than silicone ones

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We haven't performed any back-to-back durability tests, but silicone is generally considered longer-lived than rubber. That said, be sure you're comparing roughly comparable parts, quality-wise. Mazda hoses should be the best rubber parts, are you comparing to the cheapest silicone parts or the best silicone parts? For what it's worth, we use high-quality (Mazda) rubber for most of our coolant hoses and we have no durability concerns.

[@quattro192]

guys im sorry to be that guy. But could you tell us if the V8 conversion for the ND is coming back?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

No, unfortunately. We're focusing all our resources on new parts and products for all Miatas and will not be doing more V8 conversions. Please feel free to reach out to our customer support team directly for more questions or info.

[@auntbarbara5576]

Taking freezing temps out of the conversation, so say you live in a place that never gets below, or even near, freezing, then what is the IDEAL ratio of coolant-to-water?

[@shrimp562]

probably distilled water with water wetter added to be honest. coolant is only there to stop the forbidden gatoraid from freezing and ruining your engine

[@DocNo27]

@@shrimp562 Coolant does have corrosion inhibiters too - which is why I need to stop procrastinating and change mine :p

[@shrimp562]

@@DocNo27 well yeah. That's why you use water wetter with distilled water and not pure distilled water

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

As stated in the video, straight distilled water with water wetter or similar additive, paired with a high pressure rad cap, should be the optimum set-up in warm environments that never have to worry about freezing. Feel free to reach out to our support team directly if you need more specifics! :)

[@vlenhoff]

I really want to get your race radiator for the NC. I thought you guys would sell replacement hoses for the stock cooling system too, but I didn't see any on your website. Do you know if anyone sell improved hoses for the stock system? Or should I just get stock replacement hoses?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

The stock rubber hoses have been great for us, that's what we would suggest. Be sure you get high quality hoses, we'd suggest Mazda.

[@vlenhoff]

@@FlyinMiataVideo Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.

[@apexlife4234]

Do you guys not make the NA 1.8 turbo kits anymore? Would love to buy one.

[@Tacojoint]

They have been out of stock for a while I think. I went for the kraken turbo kit white a bunch of FM stuff.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

We do! We're sorry for the delays and supply issues, but we are working hard to get the turbo kits back in stock ASAP! If there is no date on our website, please feel free to reach out to our customer support team directly, and they will be happy to give any info we have on the next ETA. You should also be able to sign up to be notified the next time we have kits in stock inside the listing on the website. Sorry for the hassles, we appreciate the patience and understanding while we work through the supply issues!

[@aidenjoseph-obiorah3012]

Can you recommend an aluminium radiator for an NA automatic?

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Unfortunately, most aluminum aftermarket radiators will have the same issue because they eliminate the secondary cooler that the automatic cars use for the transmissions. If you really want to go the route of an aluminum radiator, you'll need to get and install a separate small trans cooler. Feel free to reach out to our support team directly if you'd like more details or need suggestions. We do sell stock style replacement radiators for automatic Miatas if you just needed a good quality replacement.

[@chrisschneider7727]

How effective is the stock water-oil cooler? Many early miatas have the iac valve, water-oil heat exchanger around the oil filter, and enters at the back of the cylinder head. Does bypassing this / capping it off make a big difference? Whats your opinions on heater core bypass?

[@aygwm]

The stock cooler is mostly effective as an oil warmer. Do not bypass the heater core as you can overheat the engine

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Remember that when you have two fluids with different temperatures, each one will try to match the other. Coolant warms up more quickly than oil, so it will perform as an oil warmer until the oil gets hotter than the coolant. Oil, given enough time, will generally run hotter than water (and can deal with higher temperatures), so what started off as an oil warmer (or coolant cooler) will transition to a coolant warmer (or oil cooler) eventually. For street cars, this is okay - cold oil isn't great for your engine (or power, emissions, etc.), so the quicker your oil can come up to temp the better. You also want to boil condensate and general nastiness out of your oil as much as possible, which means getting it to at least 212°F. For track cars, bypassing this could help keep the coolant temp more in check, although your oil won't have any cooling. We can help with that problem, though.

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

As far as the heater core bypass - Depends on the application. For cars that don't have a heater, such as an Exocet, we'll bypass the heater (we don't recommend plugging the ports). If you have a heater, bear in mind that what you really have is an extra radiator - it's uncomfortable, but turning the heater on can help shed more heat from the engine. Basically, there's no cooling advantage to a heater bypass - instead, it could be a disadvantage. The only reason to do it is fewer potential failure points.

[@grantkendrick277]

On a stock 95 1.8, would y'all believe that a crossflow rad and fresh hoses all the way through is good enough for beginner track work? I planned on doing a reroute (and I still will sometime) but Im wanting to start my time on track asap

[@Izanami2442]

I track my Miata all the time with a skunk2 aluminum rad, fresh coolant and fresh hoses. Stock fans no reroute and I’m able to beat on my car for entire 20 minute sessions and don’t ever have heating issues. Willow springs is in the dessert too so it gets pretty hot

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

At that absolute least, that - and fresh coolant, preferably 70% distilled water and 30% antifreeze, and a new 16 psi cap - are a great place to start. If you have issues beyond that, fans or venting will most likely be the next steps.

[@SW-pz1yy]

I tried running straight 100% water and an experiencing boiling and losing water quite rapidly (1-2 cups per day) is this normal?

[@aussiechris5904]

OMG, this must be a joke.

[@SW-pz1yy]

@@aussiechris5904 not a joke on hot days I get home, turn off my car (99 nb1-1509xx miles and here loud boiling and thumping. But it never runs hot and the fans rarely turn on

[@FlyinMiataVideo]

Water boils at a lower temperature than antifreeze, so the more water you have the lower your boiling point. The solution is a higher pressure radiator cap - higher pressure raises the boiling point. Just be sure you have no questionable components in your system - an old radiator might be okay with a lower pressure cap, but a high pressure cap might push it over the edge and cause a failure.

[@SW-pz1yy]

@@FlyinMiataVideo thank you