[Xringer]

What you are talking about sounds like a screen mesh.
Depending on the size of the openings in the mesh, air flow slows way down at higher speeds.
During a hurricane, a screen mesh satellite dish has almost the same wind loading as a solid metal dish.

So, one could use a small aperture mesh that looks almost solid at 55 MPH
and higher, but allows air to be pulled in by the fan while in slow city traffic.


It's likely that the radiator air flow is limited by the apertures of the honeycomb.
Very high speed air rammed in the nose might just flow around it.