[turkmauser]

Hi as of this Monday I am a New Beetle owner and I have driven it ~500 miles already (My job requires me to do a lot of driving, that's why I bought this car). Anyways, I am not going to do a whole lot of modifications to my Beetle for probably another year as this is my daily and I need to ensure it is reliable. I read somewhere before purchasing the car about removing the weather stripping from the rear of the engine compartment. The reasoning being that it lets the hot air out and increases short ram air intake performance. I live in Kentucky and will be driving on and off the interstate a lot. Summers get into the 90s here, plus hot black top, and while I doubt I will have cooling issues, it is a concern.

My questions for those who have done this:

Have you seen improvements in cooling?

Any improvements in performance?

Did water entering the engine bay become a concern?

And: Was there any change in noise/vibration?

Thanks.

 

[turkmauser]

No one? Maybe it was a silly question after all.

 

[PRM502STREET]

Welcome to New Beetle .org what kind of beetle do you have, and what year model is it? I removed the rubber strip from mine also. I drive a 99 2.0 and it is hot here in Texas too. 90 plus days over 100 degrees in 2011. I figure it's bound to help out a little bit. Enjoy your beetle and the nice highways out there in Kentucky.

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[turkmauser]

Thanks PRM502STREET! It is a 2003 1.8T. Did you notice any increase in road noise?

 

[PRM502STREET]

Nah, wasn't really paying attention though either.

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[scarabY2k]

I own a 2000 New Beetle 1.8t. I have removed the weather stripping a long time ago. No issues on this end and she runs nice and quiet.

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