Griff lower (under-car) bonnet vent
Discussion
As a potential Griff owner I am still learning about many of the model variants. There seem to be differences under the nose, the 400’s I have seen are smooth, whereas a pre-cat 430 that I saw had a subsidiary vent with what looked like a piece of chicken wire fixed into it. It was too dark to take a photo from ground level, but having searched PH I have found pics of both the “smooth” and vented variants from underneath. Can anyone give me a quick tutorial on this please ?
This is the front air splitter Tvr fitted to later models so both are doimg the same thing and often added by owners as a retro fit, or even using home made materials as many do.
It does two things.
Reduces lift when at high speed and has an added benifit of helping draw the now slower and broken up stream of air up into engine bay to aid cooling.
Some say it makes no difference but I think it does both things mentioned above and well worth keeping on the car. If you see one without it but find retaining holes it’s likely to have been knocked off and owners don’t bother replacing it.
It’s very easy to straddle a curb etc and so ripping it off if your ride height is to low.
If a car doesn’t hsve the holes drilled to retain it I’d assume it was never fitted to that car.
It’s a small detail but does make a difference imho.
It does two things.
Reduces lift when at high speed and has an added benifit of helping draw the now slower and broken up stream of air up into engine bay to aid cooling.
Some say it makes no difference but I think it does both things mentioned above and well worth keeping on the car. If you see one without it but find retaining holes it’s likely to have been knocked off and owners don’t bother replacing it.
It’s very easy to straddle a curb etc and so ripping it off if your ride height is to low.
If a car doesn’t hsve the holes drilled to retain it I’d assume it was never fitted to that car.
It’s a small detail but does make a difference imho.
I’ve just realised I’ve missed your point entirely 
I got so transfixed buy the splitter nonsense didn’t even notice the mesh.
That’s not standard as far as I’m aware.
It’s either to aid cooling for extra things like oil cooler radiators or just to aid cooling.
If you have a decent cooling system that's not restricted the o/e set up is man enough for the job. You rarely hear of TVR overheating if everything is in order so I can’t see why you’d do this unless you have plans for FI or similar.
On the move these cars are over cooled which is why most people worry when they are in traffic. If your fans are doing the job they will keep temps in check although the heat around the engine bay will seem extreme.
I got so transfixed buy the splitter nonsense didn’t even notice the mesh.
That’s not standard as far as I’m aware.
It’s either to aid cooling for extra things like oil cooler radiators or just to aid cooling.
If you have a decent cooling system that's not restricted the o/e set up is man enough for the job. You rarely hear of TVR overheating if everything is in order so I can’t see why you’d do this unless you have plans for FI or similar.
On the move these cars are over cooled which is why most people worry when they are in traffic. If your fans are doing the job they will keep temps in check although the heat around the engine bay will seem extreme.
Classic Chim said:
I didn’t even notice the mesh. That’s not standard as far as I’m aware.
I found a pic in the Shackleton Griffith book showing an early [March 1992] press demonstrator Griff. If you look carefully at the pic it shows the “subsidiary vent” as I have called it, with sure enough some mesh (plus a hangy-down bit of stuff). I guess that makes it OK -- the reason I was asking is that if it was a retro-fit (i.e. cut-out by a previous owner of the car I was viewing, as a cooling aid) wouldn't that reduce the structural integrity of the whole nose of the car ?
As I understand it the early 4.x Griffs had the nose cone as shown in your post with the pic from the Shackleton book. The 500's had a redesigned nose cone to improve cooling as per the picture of the green Griff you have shown in your first post. The chicken mesh as you describe it, is fitted in front of the rad matrix on all 500's as far as I know, presumably to reduce stone damage.
I've read that some early Griffs have the later nose cone fitted due to front end impact damage being repaired with later mouldings due to the non-availability of the early type mouldings.
Is the picture of the red car a Griff or Chimaera?
I've read that some early Griffs have the later nose cone fitted due to front end impact damage being repaired with later mouldings due to the non-availability of the early type mouldings.
Is the picture of the red car a Griff or Chimaera?
MisterT said:
Is the picture of the red car a Griff or Chimaera?
I'll give you a clue, it's not a Griffith 
My Griff, an early 400 Pre-cat which has had a later "500" front fitted at some time in its life ..............
rubbish photo but it's pi##ing down here at the moment
Edited by phillpot on Sunday 26th August 14:28
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