Re: [DML] Venting outside air over engine

["therealdmcvegas" <DMCVegas@xxxx>]

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Andrei Cular" <acular@xxxx> wrote:
> Has anyone figured out what the air flow is doing around the rear 
edge of
> the T-panel or around the louvers? I remember reading that lotus 
added the
> louvers for aero reasons.
<SNIP>

Nope, the louvers were added in for astetic reasons, according to 
several books. JZD was touring the Hethel plant where Lotus was 
building the DMC-12 prototypes, and completing the engineering work. 
While on the tour, JZD saw an Esprit with prototype louvers on the 
back, and decided that the DMC-12 must have them (IMO, I agree).

This is a popular example used quite frequently to describe a common 
difficulty with the engineering of the car: Constant Change. With the 
introduction of rear louvers, Lotus then had to re-engineer the rear 
of the car to accept them. Not bad sounding, except when you take 
into consideration that the rear was already complete, and now needed 
to accept hinges, a latch, side lips, and mounting points for the 
struts, that could handle the stress.

As far as keeping the engine cooler? Who knows. Many people attest to 
this, but I've no idea what they've based this upon. I can tell you 
though that one day when I left work to go home, I noticed a cicada 
crawling around on the edge of my engine cover, below the edge of the 
rear louver. Taking the car up to around 80+mph, the little insect 
was still crawing around. I looking up a couple of seconds later, the 
bug was gone. So who knows if he jumped out, or got sucked out. The 
only real way to know for certain if the louvers really are a benefit 
to the car, is to film one driving fully warmed up with a Infrared 
Camera, and the remove the louvers, to see if there is a difference.

-Robert
vin 6585 "X"