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Old 05-29-2008, 06:57 PM   #12 (permalink)
Xringer
Old Retired R&D Dude
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Woburn Mass USA
Posts: 702

Little Red - '12 Toyota Prius c 2 Two
90 day: 57.82 mpg (US)

"Whitey" Bulger - '14 Toyota RAV4 LE
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Quote:
Originally Posted by worldskycat View Post
Interesting idea concerning the bra... I will be very curious to hear your results. I may go that route if indeed the numbers are favorable.

A note on radiators... I have been doing a lot of reading of late on the subject of cooling and it is my understanding that a radiator cools because of the variance between the high pressure zone in front of the radiator to the low pressure behind the radiator. If I am right (and I am sure that someone will politely correct me if I am wrong) then the real concern would be having the air pressure behind the radiator increase due to a modification, because that would increase your engine temp.

I took a closer look at the openings in my two stacked radiators (one for the AC) and man! Those are some tiny holes for air to push through. I can't see how fast air flow from the front could do much of anything.
The surface turbulence on the forward surface of the radiator is going to be blocking big time..
So, I think you are dead right with the low pressure on the back side.
The vacuum in the engine compartment must be pretty strong to suck enough air though that mesh of honeycomb cells. They are so small that little gains of sand are stuck in some of them..

----

I took the plate off today and scoped out how I'm going to do the tape-up job around the plate supports.
I might find some good tape to use, so I can leave it on for a while.


I was thinking of making a little pointed air foil / vertical air splitter that will sit in the center of the lower intake hole.
I would make the TE of the splitter flat and wide enough to fit across the face
of that vertical steel strap in the center of the radiator.

When I reduce the air input to that single opening, I think anything that can be done streamline the intake air flow to the radiator is going to help.
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Rich

Current ride: 2014 RAV4 LE AWD (24 MPG)

Wife's Pizza Transporter
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