So, I used this thread and others to battle heat control in the cab. Here's what I did...
First was the Honda "fix" which included the rubber pieces (mine was updated right before I purchased it).
Next I added a layer of the foil insulation between the rubber and seat (not sure if that helped or not).
Then I added one 5.5 inch SPAL blower fan below the seat that is controlled by a Tusk dirt bike radiator fan control switch. The thermometer is mounted on the intake tube directly above the headers. The programable switch is mounted below the passenger seat, right between where the passenger legs would sit. I also installed an override switch on the dash.
The blower fan worked pretty good, but I honestly felt that all it was doing was creating "dirty" air beneath the seat; meaning that it was moving air, but it was very effective at exhausting the hot air. So, I picked up a 6 inch 90º PVC elbow, a flush mount (for a gutter drain) and mounted a second 5.5 inch puller SPAL fan in that. A little work with the Dremel and some epoxy worked nicely. I mounted the fan about 1 1/2 inches inside the topside of the elbow. I exited the wires through the top part of the elbow. I then mounted all of that to my skid plate, right near the header exhaust shield, beneath the rear passenger side entry plate (in front of the right rear wheel). I drilled about 10, 1/2 inch holes in the headed guard to aid in air flow. That fan was also then wired into the thermo-switch and override switch. To make it match, I used back petroleum dye (eBay for $10) to dye the PVC elbow black. It took about 6 coats to really soak in and turn black.
I keep the thermo-switch programmed for 140º.
Next I added the SPAL upgraded fan for the radiator to keep things cooler in front of the cab, since I figured a lot of that heat was blowing back. The factory fan is slow and sort of weak. The larger and more powerful fan moves a lot more air and at a faster rate.
I ordered up some Thermo Tec sound and heat insulation from Amazon and pulled all of the factory covering, and lined everything that touches the engine bay, or exhaust route. (PS: I was concerned on how that stuff would hold, but after pulling everything, cleaning it with alcohol and letting it al sit in the sun before installing...it has incredible hold! I was very impressed).
And finally, I installed a large black pipe insulation on the bed release bar. I had to get fancy with the razor knife to try and provide the most sung fit I could get without interfering with the dump beds operation, but it worked. I used heavy duty zip-ties to secure that.
Combined, it all made a HUGE difference in not only heat reduction, but sound. You don't hardly hear the engine and transmission from inside the cab. If anything, I really just hear the exhaust note now. Of all the mods/add-ons....the puller fan made the biggest difference. My speculation of the the blower fan simply dirtying the air up seemed to be correct. Before the puller fan was installed, it would take the pusher fan upwards of a minute to cool the engine bay enough to trip the switch off; sometimes it would just keep running if it was really warm outside. After installing the puller fan and duct, I haven't had it run consistently more than 15-20 seconds. If I'm sitting still, it'll only take 10-12 seconds to cool it down. You can still feel the seat belt area on the passenger side get warm to the touch, but nothing like it did when it was new.
It took a lot of time, but it was worth it in my opinion. Hope this helps!
