Junk on the front...

[spacemanspif]

Hi guys and gals. Been a while since I've been on, just been enjoying a pretty steady mid-30s mpg out of my wagon and haven't been doing much continuous modding.

My question is for aero impact of equipment hanging off the front end. I'm thinking of strapping an LED light bar to my front grill but wonder what kind of impact I could have. The Focus grill is set back a little from the very front of the car so the light bar could possibly catch wind that is coming up from the front and to ultimately pass over the hood. My upper grill where the bar would go is blocked 100% already. Would this catch air and add drag or is the front of the car so turbulent that it would be minimal? My other thought is center of the hood back by the windshield, driving in the snow seems that this is a dead spot and could work as a mounting location.

The bar is 21.5" long, 2 rows of 20 LEDs and about 4" deep.

Thanks,

[Jez77]

You'll get a lot of glare coming off the bonnet if you mount near the windscreen.

[freebeard]

I think you'd do better to paint the hood black and put the light-bar in front of the top of the windshield but below the top. For visibility.

At the front, there is a stagnation point where the air is trapped, then bleeds off to sides, top or bottom. Anything you put there will have negligible effect.

[spacemanspif]

Here is the pic of the snow collection after driving through snow one morning years ago. I was happy to see all the collected snow in the grill making me think the block mounted behind it is working as I hoped. Looks to me like middle of the hood is dead air space between the wiper jets. Thoughts? Also gives an idea of where it would ride if I mounted it to the grill or on top of the bumper in front of the grill.

[BamZipPow]

You could make a pseudo light bar from a block of foamular or cardboard and test it out.

[spacemanspif]

I sat the bar on the hood and bumper tonight to get ideas. I'll need to cut up the grill to mount the light to the grill which isn't a deal breaker per se. Mounting to the bumper cover looks pretty good and wouldn't protrude past the very front of the car. I'm wondering if I stuff pipe insulation under the light if it would negate the extra drag of being mounted out front.
The stands ride perfectly to the outside of the washer nozzles on the hood, they hold the light about 1.5" above the mounting surface, I'm worried the bar might stick up too much above the hood and am thinking of making shorter brackets if I decide on the hood mount.

[freebeard]

Anything on the front below and in front of the tops of the headlights will be inconsequential if it is faired in. Anything that size in front of the windshield will be inconsequential. My example, faired in Buick headlights in front of a flat windshield:

[Saskwatchian]

Not sure what your road rules are for aux lights in "Dirty Jersey" but here if they are higher than the headlights you need to keep them covered when on public roads (unless you are running a snow plow that obscures your headlights)

Also if you want the light for driving in snow you might find snow building up on the bar on the hood exactly when you want to use it. I would go for the grill.


I replaced the halogen bulbs in the headlamps on my Ridgeline with LEDs. I was concerned the whiter light would be glaring in falling snow but it has not been an issue at all.

[freebeard]

That's surprising. I replaced the halogen bulbs in my Hella H-4s with LEDs and the beam pattern went all to hell-a.

[spacemanspif]

I'd like to have the light bar for dark road driving and because it only cost me $30 lol. Since I can't see any bit of My hood from the driver's seat I don't think I'd even need to paint the hood black. I'll have to check the rules on needing it covered though as this is my first step into off road/ralley lighting and I'm not familiar with things at all.