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Old 01-20-2010, 06:02 PM   #10 (permalink)
Frank Lee
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: up north
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Blue - '93 Ford Tempo
Last 3: 27.29 mpg (US)

F150 - '94 Ford F150 XLT 4x4
90 day: 18.5 mpg (US)

Sport Coupe - '92 Ford Tempo GL
Last 3: 69.62 mpg (US)

ShWing! - '82 honda gold wing Interstate
90 day: 33.65 mpg (US)

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Quote:
Quote:
Subtle reshaping of the front bumper beam greatly diminishes the turbulence of air passing through the grille. Several speed flaps located in the radiator shroud automatically open at highway velocities to allow some air to bypass the cooling fan.
That one's not clear to me. They don't seem to be saying the car has an active grille, which would keep extra air outside the engine bay in the first place.

They seem to be saying that when pressure rises high enough, the flow that already got through the grille is passively re-routed from highly tortuous "path A" to somewhat less tortuous "path B".
Re: bumper beam: they are talking about streamlining the beam behind the grille so that flow behind the grille and before the radiator is "cleaner".

Re: speed flaps: they are nothing new; IIRC I've seen 'em on cars from the '70s. They are light, flimsy rubber flaps behind the radiator that hang like mudflaps; at low speeds they are closed and also if the fan kicks on they are sucked closed so as not to draw air from the engine compartment. Of course then at speed when the flow velocity through the radiator gets high enough they open, just like reed valves.
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