Quote:
Originally Posted by jsta6
I can't imagine how this would affect the air going in to or out of the intercooler? I think it would be infinately better to use a trashcan / scoop to force air in to the intercooler than it would be to use the fender louvres to draw air out.
It seems to me that you are letting more outside cool air to get in to the engine bay to help cool the entire engine bay area. Else, the air would just get pushed around the car if the regular headlights were left in place.
I have also heard that it was good for a tenth in the 1/4 ET to let air come in through the headlight bucket (also seen gains for the FWD 3800 regal and GP crowd).
Additionally, you can gain a tenth or two by removing the weatherstrip on top of the cowl at the back of the hood.
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in order to jam more air into the intercooler, you need to be able to get air back out of the engine bay. it's all about the pressure differential across the core.
the air going thru the rad core and intercooler works on the same principle as any other fluid in motion- nature is always seeking a balance, so things go from high pressure to low pressure. one good way to increase flow thru the cores is to put vents behind them- which is what the fender vents do. but, by jamming more air into the engine bay that doesn't go thru the rad or intercooler, then you will get less airflow thru the cores, since there is more pressure built up in the engine bay behind the cores. all this air piles up under the hood, increasing drag and causing lift on the front of the car. the GNX fender flares sole purpose was to help to bleed off more of this excess pressure, and get more air thru the intercooler and radiator.
just watch a NASCAR race and watch how they play with the amount of tape on the grille and how it affects the cars. if more openings in the front of the car made the cars faster, then you can bet the NASCAR guys wouldn't block off as much of the grille as they can get away with. at high speeds, even a few square inches of extra opening on the front of the car can really upset the handling and speed of the car. of course, i doubt if XRay will ever go into turn 1 at Talledega at 190mph- or will it?- but i can say from my experience with my new beater 97 Cavalier that just by totally blocking off the grille in the front bumper i gained 2 mpg and the car feels more stable at speeds above 50mph, and my 74 Monte Carlo responded about the same when i blocked off all openings on the front of the car and just put a simple chin spoiler under the radiator support to jam just enough air up there to keep things cool. i've been thinking about making some custom blockoff plates to put behind the grille of the T Type just to see how it responds.