Hood scoop
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A hood scoop (
Hood scoop functions
Cool air
In most modern vehicles,
Ram air
At higher road speeds, a properly designed hood scoop known as ram-air intake can increase the speed and pressure with which air enters the engine's intake, creating a resonance supercharging effect. Such effects are typically only felt at very high speeds, making ram air primarily useful for racing, not street performance.
Pontiac used the trade name Ram Air to describe its engines equipped with functional scoops. Despite the name, most of these systems only provided cool air, with little or no supercharging effect.[2]
Intercooler scoops
Some engines with
Scoop design
To be effective, a functional scoop must be located at a high-
The scoop will be most effective if it is either mounted high enough to clear the boundary layer (the slow-moving air that clings to the surface of a moving object) or if it is a NACA duct, mounted below the surface and designed to draw the faster-moving air outside of the boundary layer into the duct. A shallow scoop that is not a NACA duct may not admit a useful amount of air even if it is open.
Under the hood, an effective scoop must funnel air into the engine's intake in as short and direct a path as possible, preferably through a tube or channel that is insulated against underhood heat.
A scoop may be part of the hood or may be part of the engine's air cleaner assembly, protruding through a hole cut into the bonnet. Such a scoop is called a
Hood scoops and off-road racing
A hood scoop/top mounted intercooler can be beneficial, especially during an off-road rally race. Rocks and debris can be kicked up by a car in front, and those objects can damage a front-mounted intercooler. However, rock guards can be installed to prevent this problem.
References
- ^ "Hood Scoops: Purpose, Pros & Cons | Car Part". carpart.com.au. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- ^ Wheaton, Ryan (March 12, 2023). "From A12 to Z28: The Ultimate Muscle Car Glossary". Muscle Cars Illustrated. Retrieved October 11, 2023.