Wind Break

[-ToM-]

just a question guys, does the wind break thingy under the front of a VR really need to be there? its been sh&#ing me off lately, and keeps rubbing on curbs and that. Will there be any major difference in temperatures or engine protection if i remove it?

Or is there another way i can hide it without sacrificing heat/protection?





they were the best pics i could find to show what i was talking about. Ill try and take a better pic when i have the chance

cheers
Tom

[Haydz]

i have also thought about removing this.

it seems such a useless piece of plastic. does anybody know what it is there for and if it will cause damage to remove it
?

[-ToM-]

well from my understanding surely that piece of plastic doesnt protect against anything that would do real damage, and i bet it creates a heap of drag

[moff_man]

its there to funnel the air in to the bottom of the radiator and its called a air dam for this reason.

[fuzzy2308]

i my self have wondered this also

[-ToM-]

will it make a huge difference if i remove it?

isnt that what the gap in the front bar is for?

[hako]

You'll notice it's curved so that and air which escapes the air dam and flows under the car is directed to the wheels to help improve the airflow and cooling of the brakes. Removal will make bugger-all difference but if you figure that the engineers who spent many hours designing these "things" didn't do it for fun then maybe they should stay there....plus they had to get the bean-counters to approve the extra cost.

[-ToM-]

You'll notice it's curved so that and air which escapes the air dam and flows under the car is directed to the wheels to help improve the airflow and cooling of the brakes. Removal will make bugger-all difference but if you figure that the engineers who spent many hours designing these "things" didn't do it for fun then maybe they should stay there....plus they had to get the bean-counters to approve the extra cost.

im confused with that last statement lol. Will it, or will it not make much of a difference?

[Haydz]

try it and see thats my thoughts.
i reckon its ugly.

just like rear spring insulators. sure theyre nice but they screw up your ride height

[walesy]

i removed mine from most of my cars... didnt notice any difference cept no ugly bit of plastic anymore

[VS Omega]

I screwed my neon onto that thing, can't see the light source from it... but I'm going to keep mine on, want that slightly better radiator and brakes airflow

[Haydz]

hmm **** it mine comes off tomorrow

[-ToM-]

before u do heres a bit of a read from commodorenut on SC forums:

It is actually a fairly crucial wind deflecting element that helps create a low pressure zone behind the radiator, to assist in drawing air in through the front bar opening, and out through the rad & under the car - mostly at highway speeds.

You will notice the temp creep up on the freeway if you remove it.


If you remove it, it effectively creates an 'airlock' in the engine bay & trans tunnel, as the area of air going under the car remains the same. Think of it as sliding a 4" slab of concrete under the car - it hugs the car's floorpan all the way along, creating no room for the air trapped in the engine bay & trans tunnel to escape.

By creating a turbulent pocket of low pressure air behind the deflector, it draws the air through the rad, and allows an escape path.

Go & test it. Results gained on the road speak volumes. Holden started fitting them from VL onwards because of the change to taking in the majority of air via the bumper opening, not the grille as in previous VB-VK models.

It's there for a reason. I've run without it (ripped it off on a gutter) and it does have an impact on temperatures, because of the airflow consequences.
$28 at Holden fixed it.

Why go rootin' around with thermostats & other crap when it works?

not 100% sure on the accuracy of this

[kapzi]

drove with mine off didnt do shit. but when it comes to maths it sounds logical.

[hako]

im confused with that last statement lol. Will it, or will it not make much of a difference?

Yes...a bit confusing but what I was trying to say was that normal drivers like you and I would not notice any difference if it was removed BUT if you asked the designers and the bean counters (money men) who approved its cost, they would say it will make a difference.

So...to a normal driver the answer is no.....but to a Holden purist who believes is what the Holden engineers design then YES.


My personal opinion is that I reckon they wasted their money on it.

[social]

isnt it also to stop splashes of crap getting up into ur engine bay? or am i misinformaed about what piece were talking about lol...