[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [New Search]
On 9 Nov 2005 at 22:12, J. Jonik wrote: > Yeah, it's a touch more fuel efficient to have a Streamlined vehicle, > without the Open Vents etc, but besides that...one reason I keep up my T-3s > is because it's impossible to find replacements of such practicality and > fixability that have wing vents. Maybe it's a claustrophobia thing. Air is > nice. Can't imagine why anyone would buy a car without them. I agree. I love my vent windows. The word out there for decades has been that driving 65 with the windows down is less fuel efficient than running the AC. I've always thought that this was probably a comparison between AC with all the windows fully closed, and no AC and all the windows fully open. That seems like a pretty unfair comparison, because I don't think many people would actually do this. Personally, I can't imagine driving at highway speeds for long with all the windows fully open. This is just a guess, but it seems very likely to me that opening your vent windows about 1-2" at the rear edge might even improve your aerodynamics. There is a point where the air noise is minimized, and I'm guessing that this is a pretty good operating point. I believe the same thing would apply to the side pop-out windows. Opening the windshield fresh air vents under these conditions dramatically improves airflow inside the car, and makes for a nice internal environment. This weekend I read in one of our weekly automotive columns, one which generally seems to give good, rather than entertaining, advise, that even the original claim is unsubstantiated. It makes me wonder if anyone has really ever done this test. -- Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org Madison, WI 53711-3054 USA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~