|
If a belly pan were installed, blocking off airflow exiting from the lower rear of the engine compartment, would the hot air from across the radiator and through the underhood area be forced out along the driveshafts and suspension in the wheel wells? Maybe this would keep the tires warm in the winter. In the summer the extra heat would improve tire traction though it would probably decrease braking performance at low speeds, but all the while would keep air from ending up under the car where we don't want it anyway. Maybe some kind of sliding vent under the car to control where the air can most easily flow.
Something that I really don't understand about cars is why, if they can modernize the interiors and engineer safer windows and better paint and electronic everything, they haven't changed the basic design of the engine compartment. Not just recently; not ever. It seems to me that the engine is still basically a block of metal with dozens of messy wires and pipes, all supported by two metal beams running from the wide open grille to the flat, protrusion-studded firewall. Install a hood and fenders, some kind of bumper, and you have the basic engine compartment design of all front-engined vehicles that I've ever heard of.
Why not build a sealed compartment with variable openings for air ingress and egress? Instead of a flat firewall that impedes airflow, use a panel shaped in such a way as to direct air out hood vents at the base of the windshield. A sealed and aerodynamically optimized engine bay would control component wear by reducing rust and dirt contamination on all those hoses and pipes and electronic bits while allowing precise control of heat and aerodynamics for any driving situation.
|