What about ducting the air intake from somewhere cooler?
I'm wondering what drawing the cool air from in front of the air con outlet would do for engine power/and FE in hot weather. Be noisy in the cab, like an angry vacuum cleaner.
Tar seal is melting here in NZ yesterday and today its a hot one too. The road and tyres make a ripping sound as you go through the soft stuff. From a FE perspective the rolling resistance is high, and it pays to drive outside of the grooves made by other vehicles.
I've noticed when my engine is cooler from driving in the shaded forest or descending a mountain that I have way more power than when the motor is really hot like after climbing a mountain.
I'm getting the best FE now though, 75mpg US average tanks on mountainous roads with a lot of braking and tons of engine off time...I travel for 6 minutes without having to turn on!
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