wheel arch vent for IC

jerry · Oct 9, 2003

not sure if this counts as tuning or modification, sorry if i got it wrong:

i've heard some people put a vent in the offside front wheel arch behind the intercooler to allow a flow of air through the ic. apparently tt's have these as standard...

anyone done this and is it a worthwhile mod?

where can you get the grills from, hoe much

dreamer · Oct 9, 2003

I did this to my Leon about 18 months ago. Definite improvement while moving but obviously doesn't do anything while you're stationary. A good mod though considering all it cost me was about an hour of my time - I modded the existing wheel-arch liner.

jerry · Oct 9, 2003

cool cheers.
what did you do? just drill holes in the wheel arch?

could you post a pic?

dreamer · Oct 9, 2003

I removed the arch-liner from the car and roughly marked out where the intercooler sits. The, using a very sharp knife, I cut about seven slits in the liner in the same area as the intercooler. Then using the GF's hair-dryer I heated the plastic and carefully shaped the plastic into vents.

Some people just buy a new liner from a TT or Beetle (the turbo version has a vented liner I believe) and then cut out the vent and stick it into the Leon liner in the appropriate position.

If I remember I'll take a couple of pictures at the weekend and post them up.

prc · Oct 9, 2003

Here's a few sites with articles for your reading:

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel8.shtml

http://www.geocities.com/racer561/mods/perform.html

http://www.18turbo.com/ttvent.html

JmZ · Oct 10, 2003

Originally posted by dreamer

Some people just buy a new liner from a TT or Beetle (the turbo version has a vented liner I believe) and then cut out the vent and stick it into the Leon liner in the appropriate position.

If I remember I'll take a couple of pictures at the weekend and post them up.

So would the Audi S3 also have this vent in the arch liner? Seems quite an inexpensive mod! (a rare thing)

Just wondered which arch liner would be closest to the Leon in size/shape etc so the vent has the same curvature as the Leon arch liner...

prc · Oct 10, 2003

From my understanding just pick up the cheapest one, rip out the vent, and use it on your liner.

big ALI H · Oct 10, 2003

Sound like it will be another thing on my list.

Out of interest, surely the air will now flow through to the brakes, is it worth doing on both side to act as a duct for brake cooling????

jerry · Oct 10, 2003

there's no intake on the nearside

big ALI H · Oct 10, 2003

On the MY03 Cupra bumper (Leon) there s a grille there. Is it just a blanking plate behind it? Mmmmmmm will have to investigate this weekend - could be an answer to my brake fade problems when out for a blast.

jerry · Oct 29, 2003

i'm keen to go ahead with this mod, but from the links seems to involve cutting out the vent portion from an audi wheel arch liner and rivetting / glueing it into a hole you cut in the leon liner.

just seems a bit messy to me. i prefer dreamers method of cutting slits in the liner and then heating/shaping them.

when i was at RSD's workshop they had some metal vents that they put in wheel arch liners. i've also seen domestic brass vents in B&Q/homebase etc that look like they would fit. shame they're brass coloured.

does anyone know whether any of the vents on VAG cars are a separate part to the actual liner?

m0rk · Oct 29, 2003

i looked earlier this year about vented arches & attached some pics from ETKA too.

the S3 has a 'complete' arch with vent, not seperate - why would it be?

cheap answer? cut out some slots. off the car though, lot easier.

Fl@pper · Oct 29, 2003

take the liners out altogether just watch the stones and the muck

jerry · Oct 29, 2003

found this on 1.8turbo.com

Fender Liner
Modification to the fender liner behind the IC will allow heat to dissipate more readily much like the Audi TT does. So why would this be better... with the stock fender liner the air that goes to your IC has no where to go but up into the engine bay and back down and out under the bumper. With vents in the fender liner behind the IC this gives the air a straight path to follow through which allows more air to flow through the IC which keeps the intake air cooler. Heres the how-to on modifying your fender liner as performed by Jim Wilson.
1. Remove wheel and fender liner from car
2. make 6 8" horizontal cuts w/razor in front of where IC sits
3. get at least 1500W hair dryer and heat where you want to make a permenant bend
4. hold dryer as close as possible to plastic without over heating dryer, while holding dryer with one hand use needle nose(or whatever you have) to twist the plastic. Use your feet to keep the rest of the liner from bending.
5. keep holding the piece you're bending (bend further than you need because it will go back slightly) and switch the dryer to no heat (or just wait till it cools)
6. once cool it will stay in that position. keep doing this til your fender looks vented
7. takes about 45min start to finish.

dreamer · Oct 30, 2003

That's pretty much exactly what I did to mine.

jerry · Oct 30, 2003

how far apart did you make the slits?

did you make cuts at either end of the slit to make a flap
or did you just pull out the slits?

dreamer · Oct 30, 2003

I think I cut them about 1 and 1/2 - 2 inches apart.

I didn't cut them at the ends. That would have made a flap and the plastic probably wouldn't have stayed in position very well.

sssstew · Oct 30, 2003

cool... any pics mate?

dreamer · Oct 30, 2003

I'll try to remember and take some at the weekend when there's some light.

Jon@VAGWORX · Oct 30, 2003

Does it take much to get the arch liner off?
Is it part of the under tray?

wheel arch vent for IC

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