Rear window vents

"Discerning" (discerning2003c5z) 01/07/2019 at 12:50 • Filed to: None

1

23

Someone made a post about these things in the past, but they came to my attention again recently.

Back then, I assumed they were a recent thing people liked to do and that they didn’t serve a real purpose. Just track your car with your windows up completely. Maybe they would be beneficial if you had no ac and you wanted to crack the windows, but I bet most people who do this have ac.

But today I was looking at photos of early 90's WRC cars - a practice that I am certain is normal. I imagine that’s what most of the people in my office are doing right now.

That’s when I saw this:

It’s a 1995 EVO 2 RS in WRC spec. In the back window is that window vent - albeit a little hard to make out. The front window appears to be cracked as well.

I assume it’s hot and humid and muggy, and some air passing through a car without AC would be well appreciated.

But the odd thing is that I can’t find any actual technical articles or documents that describe the benefit of these things from back in the 90's.

I anyone has ever come across anything - I'd love to read it.

Discerning > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:03

1

Quick note: kinja + w riting post on phone = stupid auto correct mistakes

HammerheadFistpunch > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:08

1

I would guess the main benefit to these would be to allow venting without buffeting.  Then again...why have vents when cracked windows does the same thing?  Who knows.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > HammerheadFistpunch 01/07/2019 at 13:12

2

maybe as a way to keep mud/rain/snow out, instead of those covers that smokers use.

vicali > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:16

5

Fresh air won’t come in the roof vent if it can’t get out. I expect the holes/mesh/shape helps keep the mud and water out.

Co-drivers are fussy, but if they are not happy you’re not going to win.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:16

1

i felt youth 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:18

0

I always assumed these were just so you could leave your window cracked while its parked on a hot day without leaving it open. a tiny bit more secure if you’re leaving it street parked or in a busy parking lot for a long time. 

Discerning > HammerheadFistpunch 01/07/2019 at 13:19

0

That’s what I figured to. But then I noticed that the front window is cracked. Wouldn’t that cause buffeting? Why no solution for the front. Either way I’d love to find a technical article on it - but no dice.

I nterestingly, there is no such feature on modern wrc cars. But maybe they have naca ducts i just can’t see - pumping in fresh and pulling out stale.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:20

1

I think they’re mostly an aesthetics piece, but they might cut back on wind noise with the rear windows cracked as well? I miss having power windows because I liked to crank the heat (front defrost and foot blower) in the winter with the rears cracked. Can’t really do that with crank windows since rain comes at random near me. I also like to have the driver window and rear passenger cracked on the highway in the summer to keep air moving without AC on.

Discerning > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/07/2019 at 13:23

0

I am nearly positive that the present application is 99.9999% aesthetic.

What  puzzles me is that the WRC cars of the 90's were sporting them. But maybe it's just a solution to deal with interior heat before ducts and plumbing in modern cars

Discerning > vicali 01/07/2019 at 13:25

0

I thought as much. What’s interesting is that it’ s hit or miss based on photos I’m seeing. If that was the case - what did the coup es do (Collin Mcrae for example)?

wafflesnfalafel > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:26

0

Yeah - I’ve seen those and assumed they were rally “styling”. The biggest issue is that they still let rain in, so no real advantage over just cracking a window, (and a more traditional plexiglass units like from Weathertech would keep the rain out.)

Discerning > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/07/2019 at 13:27

1

In modern applications, it’s probably that and aesthetics. But I’m surprised to see them on 90's wrc cars and equally surprised I can’t find any articles about them.

Unl ess Tommi Makinen’s team just did it for fun. Ha

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:28

1

But are those aesthetics in motion?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:30

0

Maybe it had to do with a protective cover to make sure your arm doesn’t go outside the car? Similar to nascars window nets. And they kept the windows so they could adjust mid race?

Aremmes > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:30

0

I bet these things are there to keep dust and debris from entering the car.

RallyWrench > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:31

1

Race car cockpits are hot, and fresh air ventilation is critical, especially in rally cars where the cockpit can easily become dusty and you don’t run with windows down. That’s why the intake and window vents are as high as possible, better for cleaner airflow. If the cabin is filled with smoke or dust, you need to clear it as fast as possible. Force air in front the front, and out the back. 
Most purpose-built race cars don’t use the OEM dash vents, but will have a separate blower and vent for defrost or driver cooling. They also generally don’t have functional windows.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:36

0

maybe it was just to stop the window from rattling when you have it a bit open. My Galant VR-4 would do that on rough roads if the windows weren’t either all the way up or down. 

vicali > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 13:36

0

Nicky kne w better than to complain.. lol

Actually what makes more sense would be that production classes would use these because you could slap one into the window without much fuss. A full WRC class car is going to have ventilation systems way lighter/ more engineered than this.

AestheticsInMotion > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 01/07/2019 at 14:20

2

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 15:22

1

They were used back in the day to help create air flow through the car (air goes in the roof scoop, out the rear windows) . They were common up until the mid 2000s when there was a big debate at the WRC level about the benefits VS disadvantages of running AC. Up until the 2000s firesuit rules weren’t heavily enforced and it wasn’t uncommon to see drivers and codrivers in t-shirts at the hotter events (Richard Burns was typically seen in full t-shirt and shorts at many events). Then they started cracking down on firesuit use so teams started looking at if the performance gains from a comfortable driver offset the power loss from running the AC. The AC won that battle and now all the teams just run AC i f needed.

Craig Stampfli > Discerning 01/07/2019 at 17:29

0

That is an Evo 3 RS, not a 2, and they work in conjunction with a roof vent. Rallying is typically a windows up sport and as others have said, co-drivers like to be kept a bit comfortable.

JMKarstetter > Discerning 01/08/2019 at 01:39

0

I wonder if it could be used to help get dust out of the car. I would imagine there is some sort of ventilation in these, whether it be A/C or possibly outside air pushed into the cabin using a vent some where, these rear window vents being used to let the air out of the car.

Discerning > Craig Stampfli 01/08/2019 at 07:12

0

You’re right about the 3. I should have known from the front bumper