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Come summer time everyone’s main concern is how to keep cool. But while you are living it up and acting a fool down at the beach getting pissed and chasing chicks, it might be an idea to have a think about how you are going to keep your car cool through out those hot months.
Now I’m about to make a statement that I am sure plenty of people will not like, but they are going to have to deal with it. The internal combustion engine is very inefficient when it comes to actually creating power. Sure they have improved markedly since the early days, but the internal combustion engine has been around for a long time now and is only getting refined. It is quite difficult to increase the efficiency of the combustion in big leaps anymore, especially with the emissions laws world wide, but it is still being done in dribs and drabs.
The new Bugattis Veyron makes 1000hp, but it also absorbs 1000 horses into its cooling system, and 1000 more through the exhaust. Up to 70% of the energy in petrol will be converted into heat. It is amazing to know that the cooling system on a car traveling down a freeway dissipates enough heat to keep two average houses warm.
The easiest rule of thumb to know is that any high performance engine will require an upgraded cooling system. The higher the power output of the engine, the more heat it produces. This means that more heat needs to pass through the radiator.
The heating situation is compounded when forced induction is being used to produce the power. Not only do forced induction engines crank more horses, they also inherently create more temperature because the compressor heats the intake charge in a turbo and with a supercharger a certain amount of the engines power is being used to drive the blower.
A nice big radiator and a good water circulation system to feed it is necessary when making big power. The size of the radiator will depend on a few factors such as how much horsepower you are making, how well the radiator is exposed to a nice dose of fresh cool air when moving and how well hot air can escape the engine bay. Even the ambient climactic conditions and temperatures need to be factored in. For example some of our mates in Darwin will need to take a closer look at their cooling system then some person living in Sweden.
But the cooling system is not all about ridding the engine totally from heat. An engine works at its optimum at a bit of heat in its pants. When the engine is cold, the components wear out faster, the engine is less efficient and emits way more pollutants. What the cooling system is designed to do is to allow the engine to heat up as quickly as possible before doing its thing. At this stage the cooling system needs to keep the engine working at a constant temperature.
The ideal temperature for the engine to operate at is 93 degrees Celsius. At this temperature the metal parts wear less, the combustion chamber is hot enough to totally vapourise the fuel for a better combustion process, and the oil has had a chance to warm up and thin out, allowing for better lubrication of the components so that the engine does not have to work so hard and waste more energy to turn its own parts.
The most common method of harnessing the heat is with liquid. In the past some cars were air cooled, with Porsche sticking with this method up until the mid ‘90’s. This worked by having the engine covered in aluminium fins to conduct the heat away and a big fan to ensure there is enough air flow to direct it into the atmosphere.
Liquid cooled engines direct the liquid throughout the engine to absorb the heat into the liquid. This takes it away from the block and keeps it cool. The water flows towards the radiator where the heat is exchanged into the air. It sounds simple but there is quite a bit involved. For a start the plumbing is quite intricate. A pump sends the fluid throughout the engine block, through the plumbing which is around every cylinder. It then travels to the cylinder head. The thermostat is placed just after this point where the fluid leaves the engine. If the thermostat is closed the water is directed back to the pump. If it is open it goes to the radiator which takes care of the cooling.
Without a cooling system an engine would not be able to operate for very long at all. Taking care to ensure that your car will be able to maintain a constant, steady operating temperature will translate to you having a great time in your ride without damaging components or the engine all together.
Words by Adrian “Wax dat ice” Paton
Photos by Jim “Yeeros” Skouras
Typical looking radiator hoses, nothing special but they play a part.
The pressure created by the radiator cap is essential.
A close up view of the radiator fins.
got this thru a friend
Now I’m about to make a statement that I am sure plenty of people will not like, but they are going to have to deal with it. The internal combustion engine is very inefficient when it comes to actually creating power. Sure they have improved markedly since the early days, but the internal combustion engine has been around for a long time now and is only getting refined. It is quite difficult to increase the efficiency of the combustion in big leaps anymore, especially with the emissions laws world wide, but it is still being done in dribs and drabs.
The new Bugattis Veyron makes 1000hp, but it also absorbs 1000 horses into its cooling system, and 1000 more through the exhaust. Up to 70% of the energy in petrol will be converted into heat. It is amazing to know that the cooling system on a car traveling down a freeway dissipates enough heat to keep two average houses warm.
The easiest rule of thumb to know is that any high performance engine will require an upgraded cooling system. The higher the power output of the engine, the more heat it produces. This means that more heat needs to pass through the radiator.
The heating situation is compounded when forced induction is being used to produce the power. Not only do forced induction engines crank more horses, they also inherently create more temperature because the compressor heats the intake charge in a turbo and with a supercharger a certain amount of the engines power is being used to drive the blower.
A nice big radiator and a good water circulation system to feed it is necessary when making big power. The size of the radiator will depend on a few factors such as how much horsepower you are making, how well the radiator is exposed to a nice dose of fresh cool air when moving and how well hot air can escape the engine bay. Even the ambient climactic conditions and temperatures need to be factored in. For example some of our mates in Darwin will need to take a closer look at their cooling system then some person living in Sweden.
But the cooling system is not all about ridding the engine totally from heat. An engine works at its optimum at a bit of heat in its pants. When the engine is cold, the components wear out faster, the engine is less efficient and emits way more pollutants. What the cooling system is designed to do is to allow the engine to heat up as quickly as possible before doing its thing. At this stage the cooling system needs to keep the engine working at a constant temperature.
The ideal temperature for the engine to operate at is 93 degrees Celsius. At this temperature the metal parts wear less, the combustion chamber is hot enough to totally vapourise the fuel for a better combustion process, and the oil has had a chance to warm up and thin out, allowing for better lubrication of the components so that the engine does not have to work so hard and waste more energy to turn its own parts.
The most common method of harnessing the heat is with liquid. In the past some cars were air cooled, with Porsche sticking with this method up until the mid ‘90’s. This worked by having the engine covered in aluminium fins to conduct the heat away and a big fan to ensure there is enough air flow to direct it into the atmosphere.
Liquid cooled engines direct the liquid throughout the engine to absorb the heat into the liquid. This takes it away from the block and keeps it cool. The water flows towards the radiator where the heat is exchanged into the air. It sounds simple but there is quite a bit involved. For a start the plumbing is quite intricate. A pump sends the fluid throughout the engine block, through the plumbing which is around every cylinder. It then travels to the cylinder head. The thermostat is placed just after this point where the fluid leaves the engine. If the thermostat is closed the water is directed back to the pump. If it is open it goes to the radiator which takes care of the cooling.
Without a cooling system an engine would not be able to operate for very long at all. Taking care to ensure that your car will be able to maintain a constant, steady operating temperature will translate to you having a great time in your ride without damaging components or the engine all together.
Words by Adrian “Wax dat ice” Paton
Photos by Jim “Yeeros” Skouras
Typical looking radiator hoses, nothing special but they play a part.
The pressure created by the radiator cap is essential.
A close up view of the radiator fins.
got this thru a friend
