Originally Posted by fourgearsavoy
Originally Posted by A12
Originally Posted by fourgearsavoy
Originally Posted by A12
Question if you take the radiator, water pump, thermostat, coolant or everything to do with liquid cooling out of the picture for engine cooling what would be the main component for cooling the engine?


Is this like that Schrodinger's cat question?

I think my answer is the state of the tune-up shruggy

Gus beer


Just trying to show how surface area, material, and air flow IMO have as much or more to do with engine cooling than flow rates and radiator cores. I've raced air cooled motorcycle engines for a long time and in the late '70's early '80's high performance motocross and off-road motorcycle engines became liquid cooled and we dealt with the overheating issues and mostly (but not exclusively) the problems were caused by lack or reduced air flow. On air cooled engines it relied on the surface area of the cylinder fins, the material (aluminum) and the air flow across and around the cylinder and cylinder head fins. When we went to liquid cooled engines all we were basically doing was using the coolant as a medium to take the primary source of heat engine combustion and taking it to one or two aluminum radiators and dissipating that heat to air. No real rocket science except in air flow with radiator side panels as scoops and our engineers even came with side panel or radiator "shrouds" that had opening that created a "chimney effect" that would help remove hot radiator air from behind the radiators at slow speeds or even at a standstill. Engines are still air cooled in my opinion they just use coolant to take that heat to a radiator or air cooling area. That's why I feel or know that air flow, surface area and material are most important. Check out this air cooled, 500cc single, hemi head, twin spark plug 60+ HP motocross bike from the early '80's. Lots of aluminum cooling fin area with lots of space for air flow. BTW most liquid cooled motocross bike still use the same basic size aluminum radiators to this day. Only a few things have changed like special radiator coating rather than black paint to better dissipate heat or small electric fans on the backside of the radiators for extreme slow moving conditions. AIR FLOW IMO is a key element.

Yeah I get the airflow deal. All you have to do is look at the duct work on a cup car to see the science behind air flow to EVERY component on the car that generates heat.

Gus


up up up

And as I mentioned before, a small piece of duct tape added or removed or a hotdog wrapper and either overheating, too cool or just right.