Using car A-pillars as ducts to route radiator hot air to the roof?

[DasKleineWunder]

If you could use the A-pillars (and/or the A-pillar tubes in a rollcage) to route hot radiator and engine area air to the roof
Where would you place the hot air exit?

Fore/aft: In the windshield header, roof midsection or backlight header
Side to side: roof edges or roof center.

What would be the aerodynamic benefits of doing this?

How it would be different if you could use some electric blowers for increased hot air flow and?

 

[MikeHalloran]

Because of the small cross-sectional area, you'd probably need "high pressure blowers" to get much air through an A-pillar, which of course you don't want to make bigger.

You'd have to make a pressure map of the roof to optimize the exit point.
You'd also want to provide a drain for the exit cavity so a heavy rain wouldn't overpower the blowers or backwash a lot of crap into the engine compartment.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[rb1957]

why "hot air" ? there is a low pressure at the edge of the windscreen, and ducting air (hot or cold) from a high pressure (like the front of the engine compartment) to low pressure should reduce the drag (i'd think).

or you can suck the airflow down (as it tries to separate from the windscreen edge) ala "boundary layer suction" as used on the Blackburn Buccaneer.

mike makes a good point about rain.

Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati