OEM Functional Side Vent Install Pics

[Tbone289]

This is why I have a set of the Air Designs for sale and went with my own semi-functional stockers. The ADs are just too big.

Did you remove the fender insulation to improve the air flow to the vents? I'm assuming you have the factory insulation in your Lariat.

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[Tbone289]

I’ll take an additional half a percent improvement Although I think it closer to 2.23% improvement.

Meh, I think it's more like 2.229999999999999999%, not quite reaching 2.23%, but close.

 

[lavaspill]

In high performance vehicles they use fender vents to relive air pressure that creates lift. Not saying that lift affects Mavericks

 

[Phimosis]

I’ll take an additional half a percent improvement Although I think it closer to 2.23% improvement.

If you look at

VS

You can see that more than 50% of your potential airflow is being blocked by 3D printed plastic. If you wanted to actually know if there is any function at all, you could block them off, mount a WiFi thermometer under the hood, drive around for a half hour or so, then stop, pop the vents out and remeasure the temperature. Personally, I’m betting it’s no more than -2 F with wide open holes in sheet metal vs no venting.

Add in 3D printed vents that restrict more than 50% of the airflow and they are cosmetic only and not functional.

 

[Tbone289]

Since the driveshaft tunnel area will likely relieve a lot of the under hood pressure as you're in forward motion, do you really want to divert some of the air that would normally pass by the turbo and exhaust through the tunnel to the fenders where it won't pass by the turbo? Something to think about!!!

Let's face it, anyone can speculate about how air moves through the engine bay and is exhausted, but that's all it will ever be unless you can work through some very complex fluid analysis modeling, so you might as well consider the vents a cosmetic change.

Just because you have evidence of air moving through the vents (dust) doesn't indicate that you're exhausting more air from the engine bay than you were without the vents.

 

[The Real Maverick]

So 30 bags of concrete would help with down force?

One would.

Thirty would be 30x as much.

 

[EVH5150]

Did you remove the fender insulation to improve the air flow to the vents? I'm assuming you have the factory insulation in your Lariat.

No, insulation is still there. I only did this for aesthetics. That's why they're "semi" functional

 

[Blue_Max]

So 30 bags of concrete would help with down force?

Absolutely. Before good (radial) tires were common, manufacturers used to brag about things like "road-hugging weight." The California Highway Patrol had a minimum weight standard for cars (I think it was 3800 pounds) because they believed heavier cars handled better.

 

[Phimosis]

Absolutely. Before good (radial) tires were common, manufacturers used to brag about things like "road-hugging weight." The California Highway Patrol had a minimum weight standard for cars (I think it was 3800 pounds) because they believed heavier cars handled better.

I’m curious, what year was that? 1,600 lb VW Beetles and 2,200 lb VW busses were imported to California starting in 1949/1950 and the California DMV never banned them. If there was such a standard, it would be from the DMV, not the CHP.

 

[Chops]

Took my first test drive with the vents. A bit concerned they might whistle/rattle/hum…but none of that whew. Got up to 65mph because still in break in period.



When I returned home to my garage, while letting the truck idle (as all good turbo owners should do) for a few minutes - I got out and felt the vents.



HOLY CRAP - heat was streaming out of vents. The high idle fan was blowing hot engine bay air out in gops.



When low idle kicked in the blowing reduced. I turned off my beast. 20 minutes of sitting in garage & heat is still coming out.



So I’m raising my engine bay heat reduction to 5%++



450 Fahrenheit to 425 or lower here in the desert driving “spirited”. Heat rises, the vents are up high, and if heat is blowing out at idle - I can only imagine the heat extraction at speed.

This is available from Ford Accessories fyi. Here are some before and after pics:

Took my first test drive with the vents. A bit concerned they might whistle/rattle/hum…but none of that whew. Got up to 65mph because still in break in period.



When I returned home to my garage, while letting the truck idle (as all good turbo owners should do) for a few minutes - I got out and felt the vents.



HOLY CRAP - heat was streaming out of vents. The high idle fan was blowing hot engine bay air out in gops. If I had a smoke machine there would be clouds of smoke exiting

When low idle kicked in the blowing reduced. I turned off my beast. 20 minutes of sitting in garage & heat is still coming out of the vents.

So I’m raising my engine bay heat reduction estimate up to 5%++

450 Fahrenheit to 425 or lower here in the desert driving “spirited”. Heat rises, the vents are up high, and if heat is blowing out at idle - I can only imagine the heat extraction at speed.

 

[Tbone289]

No, insulation is still there. I only did this for aesthetics. That's why they're "semi" functional

Well, I think they look great regardless, and much better than the Ford ones.

 

[Tbone289]

Took my first test drive with the vents. A bit concerned they might whistle/rattle/hum…but none of that whew. Got up to 65mph because still in break in period.



When I returned home to my garage, while letting the truck idle (as all good turbo owners should do) for a few minutes - I got out and felt the vents.



HOLY CRAP - heat was streaming out of vents. The high idle fan was blowing hot engine bay air out in gops.



When low idle kicked in the blowing reduced. I turned off my beast. 20 minutes of sitting in garage & heat is still coming out.



So I’m raising my engine bay heat reduction to 5%++



450 Fahrenheit to 425 or lower here in the desert driving “spirited”. Heat rises, the vents are up high, and if heat is blowing out at idle - I can only imagine the heat extraction at speed.

Where do you think that heat would be going if the vents weren't there? Do you think it would just be "stuck" in the engine bay with the fan pressurizing it? Again, air coming out of the vents isn't an indication that the air wouldn't exit the engine bay via some other route.

People sometimes want to believe in something to the point that logic is thrown out the window, and in actuality there's no data to support a conclusion or estimate.

 

[Chops]

Where do you think that heat would be going if the vents weren't there? Do you think it would just be "stuck" in the engine bay with the fan pressurizing it? Again, air coming out of the vents isn't an indication that the air wouldn't exit the engine bay via some other route.

People sometimes want to believe in something to the point that logic is thrown out the window, and in actuality there's no data to support a conclusion or estimate.

Are you saying that all heat extraction vents on many many sports cars are just cosmetic? I don’t think so? You’d be better off arguing that my Lobo is not a sports car

 

[Tbone289]

Are you saying that all heat extraction vents on many many sports cars are just cosmetic? I don’t think so? You’d be better off arguing that my Lobo is not a sports car

"I don't think so?" indicates that you don't know for certain. That is exactly the point I've been expressing. I don't either, nor do I know if yours are doing anything beneficial.

I suppose they're functional from the standpoint that we know air travels through them. We don't have any evidence to support that they're improving cooling.

 

[Chops]

"I don't think so?" indicates that you don't know for certain. That is exactly the point I've been expressing. I don't either, nor do I know if yours are doing anything beneficial.

I suppose they're functional from the standpoint that we know air travels through them. We don't have any data to support that they're improving cooling.

I am certain heat extractors are helpful - in sports car especially.
“I don’t know” was aimed at not knowing your opinion. Sorry for confusion?

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