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Anybody coming to the ATL meet have a FLIR camera for their phone? We can shoot rolling shots of multiple cars and have solid proof one way or the other.
The IR photos in previous posts tend to indicate there is no significant heat difference around the slit. I still do not believe it is a "vent" and I am highly inclined to believe it is a styling add, not a performance add mostly because marketing screws things up a lot. the New Car Features book has never been factually wrong in the more than 20 years I have been reading them.
I know this is an old post, but it just stumbled on it now...
Thermal image proves that there isn’t much heat expelled through the side vents during regular street driving, but that’s probably not when most cars would have heat buildup in the engine bay. Many cars will start to build up excessive heat in the engine bay towards the end of a hard track session with lots of WOT. I wonder if cramming the V8 in the engine bay caused heat build up during aggressive track sessions, needing to vent it somehow.
The IR photos in previous posts tend to indicate there is no significant heat difference around the slit. I still do not believe it is a "vent" and I am highly inclined to believe it is a styling add, not a performance add mostly because marketing screws things up a lot. the New Car Features book has never been factually wrong in the more than 20 years I have been reading them.
I know this is an old post, but it just stumbled on it now...
Thermal image proves that there isn’t much heat expelled through the side vents during regular street driving, but that’s probably not when most cars would have heat buildup in the engine bay. Many cars will start to build up excessive heat in the engine bay towards the end of a hard track session with lots of WOT. I wonder if cramming the V8 in the engine bay caused heat build up during aggressive track sessions, needing to vent it somehow.
See post #55. The ISx50s also have the same vent holes. The question is whether or not the side fender vents expels hot air.
Originally Posted by redspencer
This thread had me curious as to how the ISX50 models expel heat from the engine bay compared to the IS-F. For the sake of science, I pulled off all the engine covers to see what the difference would be.
To my surprise, the IS250/IS350 utilizes the same two holes on each corner of the engine bay to expel heat (Small rectangular cutout on top and a larger oval hole slightly below [it was difficult to photograph both holes in one shot but the red circle illustrates its location]):
From what I could see with my flashlight, the heat from the ISX50 would then exit through the fender compartment in what appears to be the same design as the 3rd IS-F picture you posted. The green arrows that I doodled up match the three holes of the picture you provided:
So are we back to debating on whether or not the side fender vents are real since the ISX50 utilizes the same/similar design?
There's nothing but marketing material to substantiate these vents actually vent anything from the same marketing department that claimed the wing on the MkIV Supra generated 88 pounds of downforce at 120 mph which was proven to be a bald faced lie when independent testers put the MkIV in a wind tunnel. Thermal imaging does not support it. New Car Features does not support it. As previously stated, airflow is a funny thing and the only way to determine if there really is airflow from the engine bay to the vents is to measure it through thermal imaging. It's crystal clear there is no signficant difference in temperature in the sheet metal behind the vent after normal operation. For sure there is significant thermal difference between the inside of the wheel wells near the engine after even normal street driving, you can feel it with your hand if you don't have a FLIR camera. Holes do not mean airflow. Pressure differentials mean airflow. If anything, there is a high pressure zone right at the slit because the slit interrupts the flow over the body, and just like a "spoiler" air at the slit isn't moving unless there is a higher pressure source on the other side. I'm still far from convinced these slits do anything functional. Has ANY owner seen streaking in the dirt remaining on the car after a rain storm? I haven't. That too would be a dead giveaway the vents are moving air. Sorry, just not there.
02-13-21 | 02:24 PM
