12v heater.. for stripped out track car

hello

Is anyone using a 12v heater in stripped out track car with the original heater box/ matrix removed?

Would something like this heat up the cab in the winter.. think there a little under powered to be honest

http://www.tindlenewsshop.co.uk/products.asp?id=373&type=1660&channel=22



Something else ive seen is 12v Diesel Night Heaters like this

http://www.tmxnews.co.uk/parts_database/webasto_diesel_night_heater_airtop_2000s1/index

which are more than upto the job by the looks of things but i want something that can be removed in the summer only to be used in the winter. can't find any specs on size weight ect

Thanks Tom

 

There's a bit of a discussion on this thread, more related to the ducting side, but it might provide a few ideas.

I'm still stuck on answers.

The bilge pumps seem to be quite popular - the motorsport suppliers are now selling them - but it gives no heat.

A heated screen is another option + the bilge, but in the winter you've then got hypothermia....

 

ive spent the last week looking, put this thread up and then just now i think ive found the answer lol

Im having no ducting.. just a heated screen (assuming that demists as well)

Just come across this http://www.coldchain.com/pksel.asp?CatID=20&PkID=90

2200kw of power (enough to heat a lorry cab) only 30cm long and weights only 2.7kg (compared to the 13kg or so of heater box and ducting from the oe system) hopefully can be removed easy enough in the summer months

would still like to get input from people that have used similar systems

 

I use these Airtronic heaters at work on Military plant machines, they take a few mins to kick in but once they do it will melt your face off! (if on full blast!) Remember you need to allow for a diesel tank to fuel it though. let me know what you decide

 

Dragging this back up...

Any thoughts on heat exchanger off the exhaust, air-cooled style?
Stick with me on this-- air in through pollen filter, ducted down to a sealed U bend round the exhaust (clamped tight to it, maybe heat wrapped) ducted straight into the vent system, using existing blower (I haven't looked behind a dash, heat-wise is it a blower or sucker?)

What do you reckon, melted dash or what? Temp probably controlled by fan speed

 

Maybe not the tidiest solution and to be honest, it was done to see if it would work, aesthetics were secondary..

some 4" aluminium ducting and routed it from the front of the engine bay, cut out a bit of the scuttle and then secured it to the air inlet with lots of gaffer tape. The idea being that once on the move, air from outside it blown into the cabin instead of hot air from the engine bay.



Gaffer tape to the `inlet` to ensure no fumes are sucked into the cabin


Mounted to the back of the grille


It actually works too. Once on track, the air into the cabin is definately cooler than before, although in the carpark or waiting to get on / off, its still very hot on a warm day.

What I also tried, was instead of the duct running from the back of the grille, I cable tied it to the back of the radiator fan, then turned on the fan-override. The air from the back of the fan, even on a cool day is fairly warm and the air into the cabin was warm enough to demist and take off the chill.

Haven`t tried it on a cold wet trackday yet, so I can`t say if it will work in that situation yet.

 

heated screen what you are really after? or heating inside the car... (ya big girl)

 

I worked with those Eberspacher cab-heaters too, and confirm they can provide a tremendous amount of heat.

They can be tempremental though and are prone to coking up if not allowed to go through their run-down cycle, before switching off.

 

iirc i read somewhere that some bmw convertible uses a seperate rear screen demister which somebody had adapted to demist the front windscreen in a track car, maybe worth a look into

 

http://www.hallselectrical.com/d2-12v-airtronic-truck-modulator-kit-eberspacher-e4287_1970_1033.htm

I was getting all excited when I first saw it but then I saw the price, 850 that's pretty expensive for a heater.

 

lol the inside of the car.. its still a daily

 

you can get them off ebay fella. 2nd hand there about 150

 

Surely the current draw is massive?

 

Bodge....Just how much faster do you think the car will be on a track without a heater?

They don't weigh that much.

 

there run off diesel mate so you have to have a checky little 1.5L tank. but they hardly use any fuel. you can get petrol ones but there really rare 2nd hand.

current draw is really small. they can run all night without the engine been on

 

lol that's not the right attitude . you can say that about every weight saving thing we do... combined with a bigger weight saving program it should make a difference. My carbon bonnet only saved me 10-15kg and that cost 4 times this.

after this your dash is just a single skin.. nothing behind it. you can loose all the venting and ducting that goes to your feet and into the back ect. the heater box is 10kgs on its own without all that stuff. all im saying is you bin more than you would think. If your going to loose sound deadening ect why not this. just makes sence to me for the price.


Just to add (as if i haven't chatted enough **** already lol) you get a 7 day timer with them.. so you can program them to come on before you get in the car in the morning, (which is mint i recon magic car that's always warm lol) only take a few seconds to warm up.. so they do the job just as well as the OE item although you do have to fill them up with fuel once a week

 

What about a 12V hair dryer with ducting? Light, variable speed and heat settings? Are they up to the job?

 

has no one else heard of car builder soloutions?

they advertise in PPC sometimes and do a cheeky little 12v heater/demister for 22+vat. it just bolts/bonds to the underside of the dash and you cut a hole where you want to vent the air...

first links for the website second should be for the correct page of the catalogue, if not its easy to spot.

http://www.nfauto.co.uk/index.html
http://www.cbsonline.co.uk/electric-demist-heater--demst-309-p.asp

download the catalogue for a stocklist with prices. you find it in the "heating, aircon and ventilation section" under "demist"

 

That car builder solutions one looks like the one to go for, and 22, bargain!

 

just leave the heater in. simple.

as GVK has said, it doesn't weigh that much, plus it helps cool the engine too.