October 3, 2025. It had been a while since I ordered anything for the Type R. I was starting to feel like I hadn’t bought any parts in ages, and man, the hankering was real. I needed to scratch the itch, but I also didn’t want it to be anything expensive. Let’s be honest: Christmas was just two months away, and now that I’m a dad, I can’t exactly skip out on the presents.
So, I was scrolling through Facebook or Instagram (can’t remember which) and came across the WOT cooling plate again. It’s been on my radar for a while now; it’s cheap and claims to boost cooling efficiency. The thing has been on the market for a few years, and I’ve gone back and forth on whether it actually makes a difference or if it’s just snake oil.
In theory, though, the design seems like it should improve cooling, and the science seems to back it up.
How WOT/HPT Claims It Works As the car moves, a low-pressure zone forms beneath the cooling plate. This helps pull hot air out of the engine bay through the integrated vents, lowering engine bay pressure and promoting stronger airflow through the radiator. At higher speeds (like on track), airflow is guided cleanly into the high-velocity air stream under the vehicle for more efficient evacuation.
- Low-Pressure Zone Generation: As the car moves at high speeds, the shape and venting of the aluminum plate create a low-pressure zone directly beneath it.
- Heat Extraction: Air naturally moves from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, so this “suction” effect pulls hot, stagnant air out of the engine bay through the plate’s integrated vents.
- Radiator Efficiency: By evacuating hot air from the engine bay, the plate reduces overall under-hood pressure. This lets more fresh, high-pressure air from the front of the car flow through the radiator core instead of being blocked by a pocket of trapped hot air.
You can’t argue with the logic; it’s basically the same principle as a hood vent with a Gurney flap. A Gurney flap (or ‘hood gurney’) is mounted on the hood just ahead of or around the vent opening. It disrupts the fast-moving external airflow over the hood, generating negative pressure over the vent. This sucks hot air out of the engine bay, reducing under-hood heat soak.
So, it seems very plausible that the WOT Performance cooling plate does, in fact, help improve cooling and lower overall ECT.
For many years now, Jason Lewis (owner of WOT) has been pioneering innovative cooling products to address the Achilles’ heel of these cars. even though he has personally moved on to the FL5 platform, he remains a major contributor to cooling efficiency for the FK8, FL5, and DE5 platforms. I’ve been following his progress and have seen objective results, not only from his own data but also from the feedback and logs provided by his customers.
But of course, as with everything in this hobby, the WOT cooling plate has its doubters. Some folks argue that it can’t really improve cooling all that much, that any gains are purely anecdotal. They claim WOT is just selling a scientific theory that only works at certain speeds or offers a meaningful increase when ambient temps are scorching.
WOT points out that the Ferrari SF90 uses a similar cooling technique for its hybrid system, but critics argue that doesn’t necessarily translate to the FK8. Their reasoning? The Ferrari was designed around that airflow from the ground up as part of its overall aerodynamics, whereas Honda didn’t include any vents or louvers in the factory undertray (other than the single NACA duct, which actually works in reverse by sucking air into the engine bay). Some even claim the plate’s flaps create lift and divert air that normally spills out the back of the hood, potentially hurting front-end downforce.
However, I’m inclined to believe these are probably the same people lecturing everyone about how stepping down to 18-inch wheels, with a wider offset than the factory 20s, completely ruins the scrub radius and destroys the handling of these cars…
Obviously, as FK8 owners, we all know that the tried-and-true 18-inch wheel swap is easily one of the best modifications you can do to these cars.
Another thing worth calling out: the Acuity ‘reverse flow hoses’ have long been part of the go-to cooling recipe for these cars. But we often overlook the fine print on Acuity’s own site, they only promise a modest 4.5°F improvement, and even then, that’s only on cars with major supporting mods. Can you imagine how negligible that effect would be on a bone-stock car without a vented hood or a freer-flowing grille?
- Tested to reduce water temps by up to an additional 4.5°F (2.5°C) on cars already equipped with free-flowing grills, upgraded radiator, and vented hoods. (this is exact verbiage copied directyl from Acuity’s website)
So, I finally did it, I satisfied the itch and bought something for my car. I placed the order on October 3rd, and by the very next morning, I already had a shipping confirmation from Jason.
Luckily for me, Jason is based in Northern Nevada, Reno, to be exact, so it literally took just one day for the package to arrive here in Las Vegas.
When it showed up, it was well-packaged and arrived in perfect condition with zero defects. It included all the necessary hardware, plus a scannable QR code that takes you straight to the installation instructions.
I’ll admit, the ordering process isn’t the most intuitive since he doesn’t really have an online storefront, but it’s really not hard to figure out. By now, so many people can vouch for him that I wasn’t worried at all, and you shouldn’t be either, about getting scammed.
About a week after it arrived, I finally got around to installing it. Honestly, the hardest part wasn’t the install itself, it was documenting the whole thing, which took way longer than actually bolting the plate on.
It’s a legit 20-minute install. No exaggeration. Stupid easy!
Below is what it looked like after first opneing the box.
Immediately, I noticed that the blue PE protective film that came on the earlier versions was gone. I’d seen some customers mention that it was a total pain to remove, with a few even choosing to just leave it on.
Honestly, if it had still come with the film, I probably would have been one of those people who didn’t bother removing it, it wouldn’t affect performance anyway. It’s great to see that Jason listens to customer feedback and has addressed the issue.
Here, you can get a better idea of the thickness, how it’s assembled, and how little the flap actually protrudes downward. I know some people are worried it’ll scrape, but my car sits pretty low, and even at my last track day, I was aggressively hopping curbs without once scraping the flap or bottoming out.
To my surprise, the main vent, the one doing most of the air evacuation, is much larger than online pictures lead you to believe. To me, that shows there’s real potential for this product to actually serve a purpose, rather than just looking good on paper.
I’ll admit that the mounting areas aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing; they look a bit crude, almost like a product still in the ‘developmental’ stage. But I can appreciate the simplicity, which clearly helps cut production costs and keeps the price point down. The bulbous rivets are a bit of an eyesore, but once they’re installed, you’ll never see them. From the driver’s seat, the ‘looks good from where I’m sitting’ adage really rings true.
To install it, simply jack up the front of the car, place it on two jack stands, and remove the OEM undertray.
Once the OEM tray is removed, remove the OEM metal clips that accept the 1/4-turn pins. The WOT Performance kit includes new clips designed to accept their supplied M6 hardware.
Here is what it should look like with the metal clip removed. There are six in total that you’ll need to pop out.
Here is what the six OEM clips look like once they’re removed.
Then, the new WOT Performance clips can be slid into place.
I opted to use some Loctite to ensure the screws wouldn’t back out over time. It’s not that I’d heard of this actually happening, but in my opinion, it just seemed like some solid ‘cheap insurance’ for the long run.
And there it is, bing, bang, boom! It’s just that easy. Quite honestly, it looks like it’ll do a lot more than the Acuity reverse-flow radiator hoses (which I also have installed on my car).
I’ve seen people take photos of the WOT Performance cooling plate while the car is on the ground to show how much lower it sits compared to the OEM undertray. I didn’t do that, and for good reason: this plate doesn’t hang low. I seriously doubt you’ll ever come close to scraping or catching it on anything that wouldn’t have already trashed your OEM tray.
Let’s just put that question to bed right now. If you’re honestly that concerned about the clearance, you probably never wanted to buy it in the first place, you’re just being an ‘Askhole’ to justify why you shouldn’t.
Another common question I see: does it clear aftermarket front pipes? Let me assure you, it does. I run an RV6 ceramic-coated front pipe, and I’ve never heard it rattling against the cooling plate or contacting it in any way. Plus, there isn’t a single wear mark on the ceramic coating to indicate otherwise. One thing to note: I do have a Wunderladen Racing 90A RMM (Rear Motor Mount), which likely helps by preventing the motor from twisting enough for the front pipe to make contact.
Let’s get one thing straight: Jason isn’t out here trying to invent products just for a profit, and I seriously doubt he’s expecting to get rich selling a few parts in such a niche market.
He’s basically doing the Lord’s work for us enthusiasts, engineering and developing real solutions that he’s already hammered on using his own car as a test mule.
So, the next time you feel like questioning a WOT Performance product, just remember that. These parts are designed by a true enthusiast who knows all the quirks and nuances of these cars, understands exactly how we use them, and is familiar with the common modifications we all make.
Will this one part permanently resolve the overheating issues these cars are plagued with? No, but in my opinion, it definitely makes a dent. One thing is certain: there is no single silver bullet to combat the cooling issues plaguing the FK8/FL5/DE5 chassis. It takes a combination of solutions, all working together, to drop ECTs and allow these cars to hot-lap for 20-minute sessions without the overheating drama.
There’s also a substantial amount of misinformation out there about these cars overheating or not overheating. A lot of it comes down to how hard the car is driven, the driver’s skill level, ambient track temps, and, most importantly, how you’re actually monitoring those numbers. As we all know (or should know), the OEM temp gauge is a liar. Even when it’s sitting in the ‘normal’ middle range, real-time ECTs can hit 220°F+, which is already deep into overheating territory. By that point, the car has already pulled timing and killed your power.
Thankfully, some companies are finally addressing the big problems and giving enthusiasts real ways to actually improve ECTs.
Jason Lewis’ brand, WOT Performance, is leading the charge with a triple-pass radiator built on a top-tier PWR core. The genius of this setup is the option to bypass the factory transmission cooler and reroute the trans fluid through an auxiliary cooler bolted to the back of the radiator.
On these cars, the transmission gets seriously hot, and from the factory, Honda uses engine coolant to ‘cool’ that fluid. This forces the entire cooling system to work overtime on track, and it simply can’t keep up. By bypassing the factory setup, the radiator is no longer burdened with cooling incredibly hot trans fluid, finally allowing it to actually do its job for the engine.
Wunderladen Racing has taken a refreshing and unique approach, too. Their oil cooler kit removes the factory oil ‘heater’ entirely. From the factory, the K20C1 has an oil heater that flows both engine coolant and oil through it to warm the oil up faster. The downside? Once the engine is at temp, that coolant now has to pull heat out of the oil, too. That adds a massive thermal load to an already overtaxed cooling system. If you’ve tracked your Type R, you know exactly how quickly these cars struggle with coolant temps and limp mode.
I feel like both of these products have a real shot at solving the overheating issues once and for all. While WOT Performance offers their own oil cooler kit, it doesn’t remove the factory oil heater like the Wunderladen design does. The WOT oil cooler kit seems solid, but I believe the biggest gains, much like with their radiator bypassing the trans cooler, come specifically from deleting that factory oil heater entirely.
Lastly, I want to shut down the aero argument that keyboard warriors who’ve never tracked their car love to make. I recently ran a track day on December 20th, 2025, and set a personal best. It was my first event with the WOT Performance cooling plate installed, and I didn’t notice a single thing suggesting the aerodynamics were different, let alone ruined.
The car felt exactly as it always does: predictable and planted. During my last track day at this same track, I had the same vented hood, J’s grille, the same tune, and the same tire setup, everything was identical except for the addition of the plate. So no, it doesn’t hurt the aero, and I doubt anyone short of Max Verstappen could even tell the difference.
Now for the question most of you are here for: Does the cooling plate actually improve efficiency? Honestly, I don’t have hard, objective data yet. What I do have is real seat time: my car never went a single tick above the ‘normal’ line on the OEM gauge all day. That almost never happens; I’m usually watching it creep past the halfway mark. For me, that leans heavily toward this thing actually doing its job.
That said, it was a cold December day, temps were in the high 40s/50s in the morning, only climbing to the high 60s by noon. Most of my other track days have been 70°F+, so ambient temps definitely played a role. I don’t have an oil cooler installed, but I do run a standalone oil temp gauge (with the bung welded into the pan), and oil temps never crossed 250°F despite pushing the car hard. Normally, I’m seeing 260–270°F, which makes keeping coolant in check even more of a battle.
Was that because the cooling system was more efficient with the WOT Performance cooling plate, or simply because the ambient temps were so low? We’ll never know for sure, but it really does seem like the plate was contributing to improved cooling efficiency.
Of course, a ton of factors affect cooling. But knowing the car stayed rock-solid through 20-minute sessions of stupid-hard, brake-smoking pace, I truly believe the cooling plate played a key role.
On top of that, it’s a relatively cheap cooling mod.
If you’re the type who’s happy to blow $150 on fancy radiator hoses chasing tiny, barely measurable gains, then why the heck wouldn’t you drop $300 on something that, at least on paper and in real-world use, actually moves the needle in a meaningful way?
If nothing else, it can’t hurt. It’s a clean, non-warranty-voiding mod that literally bolts on with zero cutting, zero fabrication, and zero mechanical skill required.
If you’re still too scared to do it, that’s on you.
Think about it for two seconds: you’ve got a bigger opening under the car now, letting all that nasty, harmful heat actually escape from the engine bay instead of just baking everything alive. On top of that, the flap creates a nice low-pressure zone that actively sucks the hot air out even harder. It’s basic freaking science, Bernoulli’s principle isn’t optional just because you’re scared of spending money.
Peace of mind is basically free with this one. Your engine gets to run cooler, whether you believe in the science or not.
To sum it all up, I would recomned 10/10.
- Stupid easy to install, literally perfect for beginners who can barely turn a wrench.
- Non-warranty-voiding, and there are literally zero downsides to installing it.
- It’s relatively inexpensive.
- Gives you actual peace of mind when you’re beating the shit out of the car (there has to be at least some improvement in hot air expulsion, right?).
- Well built to handle anything you throw at it.
I would happily recommend this to anyone I know on the FK8/FL5/DE5 platform as one of the very first modifications they should do.
Thanks for reading my write-up on the WOT Performance cooling plate. I hope you enjoyed my perspective and found the info useful!
This product isn’t aimed at the clout-chasing influencers on social media. Let’s face it, WOT Performance doesn’t yet have the pedigree or ‘clout’ that more established brands enjoy, and it’s not like you can even see the modification once it’s installed. It’s not going to win you any show points, and it’s definitely not engine bay eye candy for people to drool over.
This is just a simple part, engineered by an enthusiast trying to solve real-world problems. WOT Performance is well on its way to carving out a name as a top-tier choice for cooling solutions, and one day, they’ll have the same pedigree as those big-name brands
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to reach out, I would love to hear from you. Email: Billy@Functiontheory.com, Instagram: @Functiontheory, or simply comment below and I’ll get back to you.