Al Seim":3kw1topx said:
Radiator Screens
1. Screens, block-off plates or tape that serve only to protect
or restrict air flow to the radiator(s) and/or oil cooler(s) are
unrestricted, but must be located a minimum of 2” behind
the stock radiator/cooler opening.
BUT - on rereading this, is there an error? Should "minimum" read "maximum"....??????
No, it shouldn't read "maximum". Somewhere along the line it got hacked up, and isn't totally right. The PAC fiddled and fiddled with this rule and it's wording for a while, so my brain is trying to remember it all at the moment, but I don't think that's exactly right. The main issue was regarding this...
Greg Gauper":3kw1topx said:
I was under the impression that the wording was going to be modified to match the SS/IT rules which permitted screens to be attached "behind the grill" with no regard to distance....it just had to be "behind the grill"
....what about cars that have no grill? The Miata is the prime example, where there is simply just a huge, wide mouth. Should these cars just be allowed to mount a screen/block off plate right up flush-mounted to the backside of that opening? If so, than they've effectively smoothed off that entire opening and vastly improved the aero of their cars. Whereas cars like Greg's (and mine), there is an interlaced plastic grill that's part of the bumper cover, right there in front of the radiator. Flush mounting to the back of that won't really do anything to cleaning up the front end aero. Then there's also cars like the RX-7's, that had a grill that was its own entirely seperate piece that bolted inside the mouth of its front valence, and every Prod RX-7 I've ever seen doesn't run. Point being, there's a whole lot of "grill openings" out there, and we're trying to make it all fit without favoring one kind of a design over another for whatever reason.
To my best recollection, the "must be a minimum of 2" behind the opening" wording was added for cars like the Miata, who could otherwise be able to flush mount their screen. What I remember was a wording more like this:
Radiator Screens
1. Screens, block-off plates or tape that serve only to protect or restrict air flow to the radiator(s) and/or oil cooler(s) are unrestricted, but must be located entirely behind the stock grill. On vehicles where no stock grill was ever present, the screens, block-off plates, or tape must be a minimum of 2” behind the stock radiator/cooler opening.
That wording was designed to allow cars like mine or Greg's to just simply mount directly behind their stock grills, but to also prevent cars without any grill to flush-mount their screens/block-off plates to the front of their car, and effectively totally seal off the front of their cars.
Like I said, this got fiddled with a lot, because there are a lot of different types of front ends out there that we're trying to cover all in one relatively simple and not super-wordy rule. I believe it was not the PAC's intent to make that "minimum of 2"" thing to apply to every car. Guess we'll have to look at it again.
On a personal note, I liked the simple IT style rule of "minimum 1/4" mesh screens can be mounted inside/behind the stock grill/radiator opening to protect from rocks and crap". Bam. Done. No wiggle room. No grey area of possibly improving ones frontend aero with "screens". Do your air blocking back at the radiator, where it'll have very little effect on your aero.
