Hood Louvers
#22
#23
Yes, but as an indy, you wouldn't wear gloves and you'd spill liquid all over the place, so I wouldn't let you do it
What are these caps you mention? Maybe mine were just lost. I would love some of those chrome strut covers you make.
What are these caps you mention? Maybe mine were just lost. I would love some of those chrome strut covers you make.
#24
#26
#27
#28
Thanks for the photos, Frog. I'll show them to the body shop manager for reference. I do like the position of the grilles in the photos.
#29
#31
#32
It's a lot cheaper to mold out of plastic than fabricate out of steel. Almost all large manufacturers use plastic now days. What might look good on the XK8 would be the old fashion louvers cut into the hood, located towards the back, like the XKE. A few Rod shops have the louver machines.
#34
Thanks RCSign, I had thought the vents were to help the supercharger induct more air, but now I understand they flow the other way to help keep the engine compartment cooler. That's good, it means I can leave the blanket uncut, and the elements will stay out of the engine compartment.
#35
Now who told you that???
As far as I have been concerned they have always been there to reduce heat from the engine bay, they serve no purpose as far as aerodynamics are concerned!
#36
When they were going at high speed there was too much lift in the front and too much rear wheel pressure causing the steering to become a little squirrely so they added the vents so that any lift generated in the front end would be released through the hood vents, and hence their placement up closer to the front end instead of near the back of the engine compartment... It's for air flow from under the car, through the hood and out...
Where did YOU read that they were put in to reduce heat?
Edit: Come to think of it, there are only two reasons why hoods are vented that I can think of... the first is for cold air intake / ram air and the second would be to reduce lift. I can't think of a car that has hood vents just for cooling, but there are plenty of examples for intake and to equalize air pressure...
Last edited by xenophobe; 10-21-2011 at 07:17 PM.
#37
#39
Make up another one.
Seriously though, in my research after buying my XK8, I read that the corrections to the body style for high speed handling included both the tiny rear spoiler and the vents to the hood.
And I'm not a freaking idiot, I didn't read and absorb information that was either questionable or unreasonable. Sheesh.
@ Skidmark... I've taken my XK8 over 120mph and my XKR over 130. The XK8 gets scary at 120-ish while the XKR just begs for more. Have you even pushed the speed limit on yours?
And it's hard to compare the XK8 to the XKR, even though they're the same body style. They drive completely different from each other.
Last edited by xenophobe; 10-22-2011 at 07:14 AM.
#40
Gotta go with Tony (XKRacer) on this one.
After all, he's built his entire career around these cars, does some incredible work, and is always here (on the forums) with solid answers.
Plus, I gotta say, heat-release through the louvers makes sense. Normally-aspirated XK8 engines put out a lot of heat...XKR engines significantly more. That heat's got to be vented somehow.
I'm certainly not a aerodynamicist, but I did spend several years with Automobile Magazine and Michelin, working with scores of race teams and performance shops. I can't think of any way the hood louvres would reduce front-end lift in any significant way.
I am also a former marketing guy, however, and I CAN imagine a scenario in which a copywriter comes up with something like that.
After all, he's built his entire career around these cars, does some incredible work, and is always here (on the forums) with solid answers.
Plus, I gotta say, heat-release through the louvers makes sense. Normally-aspirated XK8 engines put out a lot of heat...XKR engines significantly more. That heat's got to be vented somehow.
I'm certainly not a aerodynamicist, but I did spend several years with Automobile Magazine and Michelin, working with scores of race teams and performance shops. I can't think of any way the hood louvres would reduce front-end lift in any significant way.
I am also a former marketing guy, however, and I CAN imagine a scenario in which a copywriter comes up with something like that.