What happened to Radiator Blinds?
Discussion
I know it's supposed to be summer, but bear with me.
There was a time, long ago, before cheap electric motors and viscous couplings, when the fan belt acually drove the cooling fan all the time, regardless of the coolant temperature. Whilst the thermostat went some way to mitigating the effect, it was commonplace in winter to blank off part of the radiator grill, to get the engine to warm up quicker. Between November and March, cars could be seen sporting cardboard and string, bits of linoleum or even rubber footwell mats across their fronts. The manufacturers of some more up market models even fitted simple roller blinds behind the radiator grill and radiator blind kits could be bought as aftermarket accessories for the motoring enthusiast.
The most impressive set up I saw was on an early'70's Moskvitch, similar to this one which had both roller blind and vertical slat blinds fitted as standard.
I know that modern cooling systems are designed to be much for efficient than those of yesteryear and are engineered to bring the engine up to optimum running temperature as quickly as possible, but I wondered what became of the humble radiator blind and why other than on the odd Landrover or commercial vehicle it's no longer in general service ?.
There was a time, long ago, before cheap electric motors and viscous couplings, when the fan belt acually drove the cooling fan all the time, regardless of the coolant temperature. Whilst the thermostat went some way to mitigating the effect, it was commonplace in winter to blank off part of the radiator grill, to get the engine to warm up quicker. Between November and March, cars could be seen sporting cardboard and string, bits of linoleum or even rubber footwell mats across their fronts. The manufacturers of some more up market models even fitted simple roller blinds behind the radiator grill and radiator blind kits could be bought as aftermarket accessories for the motoring enthusiast.
The most impressive set up I saw was on an early'70's Moskvitch, similar to this one which had both roller blind and vertical slat blinds fitted as standard.
I know that modern cooling systems are designed to be much for efficient than those of yesteryear and are engineered to bring the engine up to optimum running temperature as quickly as possible, but I wondered what became of the humble radiator blind and why other than on the odd Landrover or commercial vehicle it's no longer in general service ?.
You seem to have answered your own question there fella,
But anyways, some cars now do come with active grill shutters (new focus) to reduce drag and increase engine temp and efficiency at high speeds.
Just to reiterate your own points really:
Car's no longer have a constant running fan, so are not constantly being run and cooled so there is no need to trap heat. Overall, cars are more reliable that a 70's soviet carb'd car so no real to help try and keep the engine warm. And, the kind of cold that would kill a car in the 70's, just doesn't have the same effect today.
Trucks in colder states do still have leather heat covers for the rad's though, just watch ice road truckers.
But anyways, some cars now do come with active grill shutters (new focus) to reduce drag and increase engine temp and efficiency at high speeds.
Just to reiterate your own points really:
Car's no longer have a constant running fan, so are not constantly being run and cooled so there is no need to trap heat. Overall, cars are more reliable that a 70's soviet carb'd car so no real to help try and keep the engine warm. And, the kind of cold that would kill a car in the 70's, just doesn't have the same effect today.
Trucks in colder states do still have leather heat covers for the rad's though, just watch ice road truckers.
roscozs said:
The New Focus has grille shutters and I would of thought that many other manufacturers use simlar systems. I belive its becoming more commonplace with the new stage 5 euro emissions standards.
BMW have them as well AFAIK.http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/tech...
Air vent control.
Less air resistance means more fuel efficiency, so the air vent control closes the air vents when cooling is not needed, improving aerodynamics and bringing the engine to running temperature faster.
Air flowing through the radiator helps cool the engine - but it also increases air resistance. BMW's innovative air vent control system automatically shuts the air vents, situated behind the front kidney grilles, whenever air cooling is not required.
The system monitors your BMW's engine temperature and ensures ideal operating temperature by opening and closing the air vents as needed.
In normal driving conditions, additional air cooling is usually not needed, so the air vent control keeps the air vents shut. This results in a significant improvement in your BMW's aerodynamic performance - and it helps the engine reach ideal running temperature more swiftly. The system only opens the air vents during phases where additional air cooling is required to keep the engine temperature at optimum levels.
Thanks to this aerodynamic enhancement, fuel consumption is reduced and wind noise is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, the system helps ensure that your engine has a long service life and improves driving comfort.
tercelgold said:
roscozs said:
The New Focus has grille shutters
BMW have them as well AFAIK.http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/tech...
Air vent control.
Less air resistance means more fuel efficiency, so the air vent control closes the air vents when cooling is not needed, improving aerodynamics and bringing the engine to running temperature faster.
Air flowing through the radiator helps cool the engine - but it also increases air resistance. BMW's innovative air vent control system automatically shuts the air vents, situated behind the front kidney grilles, whenever air cooling is not required.
The system monitors your BMW's engine temperature and ensures ideal operating temperature by opening and closing the air vents as needed.
In normal driving conditions, additional air cooling is usually not needed, so the air vent control keeps the air vents shut. This results in a significant improvement in your BMW's aerodynamic performance - and it helps the engine reach ideal running temperature more swiftly. The system only opens the air vents during phases where additional air cooling is required to keep the engine temperature at optimum levels.
Thanks to this aerodynamic enhancement, fuel consumption is reduced and wind noise is kept to a minimum. Furthermore, the system helps ensure that your engine has a long service life and improves driving comfort.
I was unaware of this.
Have you got any links to illustrations showing how they work?
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