Quote:
Originally Posted by California98Civic
I wonder, is there a way to modestly increase that ram airflow without effecting downstream aero significantly? I'd get slightly better cooling with slightly less electrical load from a fan. Also, any conceivably significant benefit--however modest--to insulating the vent system in some way?
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Ram airflow works by moving air from a point of high pressure to a point of lower pressure. As you improve the aerodynamic efficiency of a vehicle, you reduce the pressure differential between the high and low pressure points around the vehicle, so there is less wasted energy available to be used to move air through the vehicle. Right now to move air into my car, I am trading off a reduction in vehicle drag against a slight increase in electrical load. But I will go the slight increase in electrical load since I can always shut off the fan (and its load) on cooler days whereas an increase in vehicle drag is with you always. I'm thinking about about running a 2" flexible tube from the stagnation point on the nose through the engine compartment to the cabin air inlet by the wipers to improve the ram airflow by taking the air from the highest pressure point remaining on the car rather than from OEM cabin air inlet location, which my aero mods have nullified the high pressure at.