Car is running very hot at the track. need help!

I'm looking for suggestions as to why my car is running hot at the track. I have the 3rd radiator and all thre radiators appear clean. The coolant is topped off but I'll have it flushed this week. There doesn't appear to be any leaks as the coolant level is stable. On the street the temps run a touch hot. The needle is in the middle or to the right of the 0 in the 180. If the car is moving at highway speeds then itss between the 8 and the 0. On the track after a few laps today with temps in the upper 80s the needle marched firmly towards 250 after 8 or so 1:2X minute laps! Once I come off the track and drive a bit a cools right down. I'm at a loss. Please offer up some suggestions so I can pass them on to the shop where I'm taking the car. -KJ

You shouldn't have to flush your coolant. It is "lifetime" coolant. As for the temp you really aren't running hot if you are right of the "0". The tick mark b/t 180 and 250 is 215 and you should be about there. If you are right of that mark toward the 250 then there is something wrong. Might want to have your cooling system checked....ESPECIALLY since you have the 3rd RAD kit. Did your fans kick on at all? By the way, I ran over 2+ hours of track time yesterday here in the Vegas sun at 100+ temp outside so I can't even imagine the track temp and I never approached the 250.

Yes, the problem is that the needle is closing in on 250 and well past 215 when at the track. I'm not sure about the fans. -KJ

That does seem to be hot on the track. I know you said the radiator seems to be clean, but did you check the area around and behind? Air flows though the radiators, and should exit in front of the tires. Very often, this area gets filled with debris, obstructing air flow. A friend found a dead squirrel in there. Short of taking the bumpers down to check the areas, see if you can poke around with a long vacuum nozzle inside the radiator comparment. The other thing that leads to high temps on the track is short shifting. Often, due to fear of hitting the rev limiter, people will shift way too early then floor the gas pedal. The engine won't rev freely and generate excess heat. Not saying you short shift, but just in case. Otherwise, if it's neither, then it's a malfunction in the cooling system only the techs can figure out and correct.

As already mentioned make double dog sure the radiators are free, it's amazing what you can vacum out of that space. Also consider an air lock in the system, just open the vent for a few days and it should clear or have the dealer pressure check the system. Mine rarely gets past about 190-200 with the third radiator at our lovely Texas summer track days. Did ou use a 50-50 mix of antifreeze and H2O? Worst case scenario, if there is a lot of friction building up in the engine that can also cause severe, acute overheating. Is everything else ok with the motor?

The radiator fans have a low speed and a high speed. As the coolant temperature rises the low speed comes on first and then if the temperature continues to rise one or both will kick into high speed. If the low speed doesn't work for some reason then by the time high speed is reached its often too late for the fans to "catch up". The A/C condensors, one on each side, are in front of the radiators so killing the A/C at the track, or running it on MAX cool but with a fairly low blower speed, can help. Who installed the center radiator and how is it "plumbed"??

maybe the system has air in it and needs to be "burped". if it's running too hot on the track turn the heater on full blast. it'll help the car but not you

You haven't installed grills on the bumper openings, have you? Raditors clear? Lower collant mix to 60 water/40 antifreeze. If coolant is more than 3 years old...change it. There is no type thing as lifetime coolant. Hook up your scanner and take a reading of the ACTUAL water temp to make sure your gauge is reading correctly. Check level of coolant in tank. Often, it can be empty without setting off the low level light.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I didn't install the third radiator, the original owner had it done. i have the receipts at home and i'll check. I'll also have my shop check the plumbing. However, the temps weren't an issue last year. I've had the RMS changed and a lightweight flywheel and clutch installed in the past few months. I also have a small oil leak that I believe is the air-oil separator. -KJ

No lifetime coolant....... Well I guess.... Last year I finally changed out the factory coolant in my 1992 LS400, 13 years and over 100,000 miles. Rh and specific gravity measured okay but instead of pink/clear and it was starting to appear dark/murky. So I guess I'll never know, my 2001 C4 only has 15,000 miles so far.