These could be a nice feature for the air-cooled among us.

These *might* lower the speed at which the motor-box "breaks vacuum", that
is, the speed at which air being shoved into the side grills is coming in
faster than the cooling fan is blowing it out. In a prefect world, the
motor box would always be pressurized, thus the cooling fan would present
less drag, and the chances of sucking up hot exhausted air would become
nil.

But is this worth $250? I'm not sure.

G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett
Corporate Communications Counselors
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree

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-----Original Message-----
From:   Kent Christensen [SMTP:lkchris@USWEST.NET]
Sent:   Tuesday, December 14, 1999 1:41 PM
To:     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject:        Re: Air intake "scoops"

re:  Are these really functional as air scoops or are they merely
cosmetic?

I've always questioned whether any horsepower gained by air scoop ram
effect could overcome the extra aerodynamic drag created by the
scoop.  Clearly, for a scoop to be effective, the system must be
closed from the scoop to the air mass meter, and that will be
difficult.  The scoops are merely cosmetic and it's a good thing
they're open at the rear.  I'd be willing to bet the official SA parts
manuals call them "trim" and not "scoops"  and they'll be on a body
page and not a fuel system page.