Possible low profile radiator?

[frodoz737]

-confused* Sorry if I stepped in something here.

Many factors play a role with the efficiency of heat exchangers. As it applies here with fluid/air, the limiting obstacles our vehicles face are space, size and shape. Remember our bodies were "designed" to fit on a relatively unaltered VW Beetle chassis with an "air cooled" engine. Ram/static air pressure differentials, forced air differentials, size/number of devices, relative volume of air flow and of course load...must all be considered when placing a radiator and/or condenser.

Some configurations "may" work better than others, but I say as long as you don't cook your motor and the A/C works...who cares. *thumbs up*

 

[Brett Proctor]

I was going to let this topic die until I saw the picture*laugh**yipes*

-confused* Sorry if I stepped in something here.

No you haven't stepped into anything here. I'm just trying to put this into perspective that I can understand

You just contradict yourself in your posts.

One post says

The incoming air gets pushed in and the air flowing under the car sucks it through.

Then you make the statement

Your sketch shows only half of what is going on - and the angle is backwards.

Yet you have that same setup as in the sketch in your car.

If I have anything wrong here I totally apologize for it.

I shudder to think what would happen if I brought up the issue of the water pump having to pump coolant over 10 times the distance it was designed for.

Lets just let this topic die into 2016*laugh*


I have found a couple of AC condenser that has its own separate cooling fan and shroud so it can be located in a different location than in front of the engines radiator if your interested.

 

[frodoz737]

Angle of the dangle, size of the pump, who got the biggest...really? We've all got hand-me-down mitts here, let's just play ball. *thumbs up*

 

[Jay Laifman]

Brett,

To be fair to Frodoz737, you pulled out quotes from me, not him.

I'm just trying to be helpful here to my brethren with fluid dynamic expertise from a bona fide rocket scientist (my father).

So, I will give one last bit of discussion (as it is still 2016 *rock on*).

Yes, it doesn't matter whether the radiator tilts back or forward, as long as the air has a flow going that direction. In my case, the radiator lays backwards, the air comes in from the front through the top, and the entire bottom of the trunk is cut out for the air to flow out underneath. Everything is blocked off so that the flowing air can't sneak out the sides of the radiator or through the trunk lid. It simply has nowhere to go but through the radiator for maximum cooling.

You said yours is going to go lay forward and the air will go up and out the vents in the hood. All things being equal, I'd agree that shouldn't matter.

What I don't know is if there is equivalent suction between the two set ups. In the back tilted radiator, with air flowing under the car pulling the air through the radiator versus the forward titled radiator with the air flowing over the car pulling the air out the holes, or if the small holes in the trunk are enough to provide sufficient volume of air flow. I can postulate all sorts of theories as to why one might be better than the other. But, without windtunnel testing, these would be merely guesses on my part.

The one thing I don't know about your forward facing radiator is if the floor of the trunk is cut open, or just the front part of the trunk in front of the radiator. If the floor is not cut out, then I'd think the air should flow up and through the radiator. Again, just trying to help here. If the bottom of the trunk is cut open, I would be concerned that the air flowing under the car and under the radiator may have the tendency to pull the air under the car before it can get through the radiator, and rob the radiator of air flow.

As they say, as long as the car runs cool enough, doesn't matter. But I suspect that in some set ups, the fan may be doing more work than it needs to. My fan comes on only in hot weather stop-and-go traffic.

 

[frodoz737]

Brett,

To be fair to Frodoz737, you pulled out quotes from me, not him.

In my case, the radiator lays backwards, the air comes in from the front through the top, and the entire bottom of the trunk is cut out for the air to flow out underneath. Everything is blocked off so that the flowing air can't sneak out the sides of the radiator or through the trunk lid. It simply has nowhere to go but through the radiator for maximum cooling.

Thank you...and thanks for answering my original question in post #41 Jay.

 

[Brett Proctor]

I apologize to those that I accused falsely

I should have looked closer at the quotes I posted and who made them.

My bad*very frustrated*

Sorry

Brett

 

[frodoz737]

It's all good.

 

[Peter]

For what it's worth; the negative 'low' pressure under a car is a lot less than the 'high' positive pressure on the front (rad intake) and I would not rely on just that for air flow, having the air flow from positive high to negative low via the radiator would seem the best solution. so one should have the air entering the front into the rad' and exiting through the floor or the trunk but the main thing is not to allow air to spill around the rad' but shroud it in completely and also the fan can 'push' or 'pull' the air when needed, it doesn't really matter because as Brett said it should only be needed when standing and air flow is air flow.