Winterfronts…Yes? No?

Engines today, do not use the (aftercoolers0 from back in the day, which used engine water to cool the compressed air that the turbo has driven up several hundred degrees before it is packed into the engine.

Now, they use an air to air heat exchanger (charge air cooler) in front of the radiator, that can and most likely cools the compressed air back down to ambient/outside air.

By running a winter front with the charge air radiators, the air will not be cooled as much, which means less horsepower.

Probalbly not a big deal, but one of the reasons current engines are producing more power than those in the past, which only cooled the air to water temperature. On a 0 degree day, big difference between that going in and air that has only been cooled to 180 dgrees.

The early turboed diesels did not have a cooler at all. That hot compressed air went straight into the engine.

 

I'm starting to hate winter...lol

 

If you want one, get one, see how easy that was?

 

You and me both. Supposed to get down to 45 tonight, might have to turn the heat pump on.

 

Well, Stone, let's take a look at your analogy. If the temp is 100F outside and my front end is wide open, vs -15F and a winter front. I would be more than willing to bet that even with the winter front, I am getting more cooling thru there than in the summer. After all, it isn't like a big piece of cardboard or something totally closing off the radiator and CAC. There is more than ample cold air going on thru.

Now for those jokers who cannot get out of the cab and remove it when the temps get warmer, then your comments do have some merit.

 

The only thing about winterfronts that comes to mind is the CAC... It needs cool air to cool it down and if the Front is blocked, the CAC will not get as cool.... has anyone noticed a problem with this?

 

Yes, if the front is completely covered the CAC gets no or very little air. One of the reasons we had shutters that opened and closed years ago was that the engine fan would not stop when not needed. The older fans ran 100% of the time and in colder weather the shutters stopped the air so the engine could maintain temp. Bruce from Pittsburgh Power discussed an issue of winterfronts and said that very very cold air was not good either to be injected into the intake manifold.

 

And that is why there are openings even in the winter fronts. It is not like putting one on totally closes off everything. The volume of air is reduced, not eliminated, but the reduced air is offset by the lower temperature of the air moving thru. We are talking about 100F or more in difference in temps between summer and winter months of the air. And the substantially cooler winter air that goes thru is able to absorb more heat from the CAC than a hot summer air is able to do. Also, colder winter air is more dense. There is more molecules of air per cubic inch of space to absorb the heat. It really isn't that complicated. A winter front is more of a moderating factor in engine operation. Bruce at PP has it pegged right. Too much of any extreme is not a good thing.