Mini-Blinds on Your Car Radiator

[russ_watters]

When I wrote this with regard to wind turbines on cars:

Let me give a real-world example that may help you out:

All cars have a radiator and grille in the front. In a lot of cars there is an air scoop to direct air to the radiator. Flow through the radiator (and then the engine compartment) is awfully draggy. Virtually any obstruction to that flow would would reduce drag. So if you placed a turbine in the airscoop, less air would get to the radiator, so the drag of the car would decrease. But a sheet of plywood across the airscoop would do a better job of blocking the airflow and would therefore decrease drag even more: and more importantly, the sheet of plywood would save more energy than the turbine could generate.

In other words, there is nothing you can do with a turbine to reduce the drag on a car that couldn't be done better another way. [emphasis added]

...I had no idea manufacturers actually did such things:

Just as mini-blinds help keep out the sun, automakers are starting to use their own version of shutters to keep out the wind — making cars more fuel efficient...

When they are open, the car can breathe better on hot days or under stress, like when it's chugging up a hill. When they are closed, the car becomes more aerodynamic, trapping or disrupting less air and increasing fuel mileage up to 2%.
Ford is using the shutters on its new Focus, both regular and high fuel-efficiency versions. Chevrolet has them on its new Cruze Eco, a high-mileage model of the new compact sedan.
Both were preceded by BMW, which uses them in Europe on cars with smaller engines than it sells in the U.S.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-04-06-shutters-for-cars.htm

Interesting stuff.

 

[berkeman]

Maybe the next step is a more aggressive air dam under the front bumper, with a sensor to cause it to flip up out of the way when you come close to a curb or speedbump...

 

[brewnog]

Cool, thanks for that o lad!

I thought this was going to be about those covers you see on Land Rovers from the days when you wanted to keep them as warm as possible on cold days, before thermostats were any good at sealing things.

 

[Ranger Mike]

racers been doing this for years..we put duct tape over the front grille to block off flow..during three lap qualifying...reduces drag big time..and high heat makes big horsepower,,it works..by replacing the tape with mechanical means would be good

 

[xxChrisxx]

All of lifes problems can be solved with two things, duct tape and WD-40. If it moves and it shouldn’t, you need duct tape. And if it doesn’t move and it should, you need WD40.

There's nothing racers can't do with gaffer tape.

 

[Ranger Mike]

and if it moves and shouldn't then does when it should...use BEER..so there are three things not two..in OH-10 that is...but i digress