An old joke, but appropriate here.

 

CHANGE YUR PAINTS - SHEESH

Lou

 

so I learned a lesson many years ago when I built and flew model airplanes. An exhaust for heat if it is to be effective, needs to be 3x the size of the inlet to allow for expansion. I really doubt those slits do anything measurable. I could be wrong, but I'd be really surprised if there were any change in underhood temp if you blocked off the slits.

 

Hate to be the bringer of bad news but it is purely cosmetic and non functional.. Check out this vid and go to 3:45.. I wished it was otherwise.. don't shoot the messenger

 

But then found this.. What the hell.. It does exist... there is hope
( click on + on side door)

http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdriver...rthy-of-Praise

 

Straight from the website... (Thanks to av8or)

"Functional side vents expel heat and equalize pressure around vehicle at high speeds."

I think we can finally close the hatchet on this topic, lol.


-Sameer

 

i agree with you, they are functional :thumb: thanks for the link

 

Does that mean my C-west side skirts exert even more down force!?

-Josh

 

TFL must have not gotten the correct Lexus press kit...






Joe Z

 

This thread had me curious as to how the ISX50 models expel heat from the engine bay compared to the IS-F. For the sake of science, I pulled off all the engine covers to see what the difference would be.

To my surprise, the IS250/IS350 utilizes the same two holes on each corner of the engine bay to expel heat (Small rectangular cutout on top and a larger oval hole slightly below [it was difficult to photograph both holes in one shot but the red circle illustrates its location]):



From what I could see with my flashlight, the heat from the ISX50 would then exit through the fender compartment in what appears to be the same design as the 3rd IS-F picture you posted. The green arrows that I doodled up match the three holes of the picture you provided:



So are we back to debating on whether or not the side fender vents are real since the ISX50 utilizes the same/similar design?

 

^^^^The ISX50 has no visible side fender vents

Lou

 

Yeah, there's definitely no visible side fender vents on the ISX50. I'm just pointing out that all three 2IS models utilize the same ports to expel heat from the engine bay through the fender compartment. I think the question then would be whether or not hot air dispels through the IS-F's side fender vents (which would make them functional).

 

The IR photos in previous posts tend to indicate there is no significant heat difference around the slit. I still do not believe it is a "vent" and I am highly inclined to believe it is a styling add, not a performance add mostly because marketing screws things up a lot. the New Car Features book has never been factually wrong in the more than 20 years I have been reading them.

 

Should there be a visible difference in the infrared pic? If they did do anything, there wouldn't be any airflow while the car isn't moving.

 

Why not throw a smoke bomb in the engine bay and drive around...that'll tell you if they are there for looks or just move air around lol