Radiator Location - Questioning the Conventional

WolfGT

LIFETIME
SUPPORTER
#1
One thing about vehicle design that has always bugged me is the location of the radiator. It just doesn't make any since to me. You are pushing air through the radiator to remove heat from the coolant flowing through it. But the heated air leaving the radiator blows directly on the engine which is what you are trying to cool in the first place. It just seems lazy. They put the radiator in the easiest spot to catch air. Not the best for overall performance. I'm sure the whole thing comes down to space, but with engineering at the level it is nowadays, I don't believe that this can't be improved.

My idea would be multiple smaller radiators in the fenders with ducting coming from the front facia. Heated air either blowing out the bottom, out through the wheel wells, out through vents or out the back via ducting. The air would have to be forced. So some sort of high flow fan setup would need to be used. Maybe even using the intake air flow to run the fans (kind of like a reverse turbo setup, use intake air instead of exhaust).

Some vehicles don't have space for this idea, but others would be great. I'm looking at doing something like this with my mustang (because it has large front fenders that I think will accommodate this idea) but thought I would see what you guys thought.
 
#2
I am by no means an engineer, but from my reading the radiator also works based on a pressure differential, and there is a high/low pressure created by the car(like a plane wing) that pulls the air out of the engine bay.
 
Top