What Is an Air Scoop? Definition, Meaning and Concept

An air intake is an automotive component originally found on aircraft. It is designed to allow cooler outside air direct access to an engine, in order to increase performance. This is accomplished by mounting a raised opening in a car's hood that allows outside air to flow directly into the engine compartment. These scoops can be mounted facing forward or backward on a car's hood, but must be high enough to avoid the slow-moving layer of air that remains on the car's body as it moves. This is also known as the boundary layer.

The air intake can be decorative or functional, with the decorative varieties consisting of a raised metal or plastic mount with no actual opening for air to enter the car. Functional air intakes can also be closed to the outside when the car is not moving, and opened by use of a driver-activated lever or switch, or automatically, as a result of an air pressure difference when the car is moving. traveling at proper speed These scoops should be mounted in a high pressure area such as near the windshield and can be attached facing away or towards the windshield as the pressure created will drive air towards the scoop regardless of which direction Look.

Inside a car engine, the air temperature can be 50°F (28°C) warmer than the air outside the car. This warm, interior air is much less dense than the cold air outside, limiting engine performance. The cold air taken in from the outside by the air intake must be channeled directly to the engine air intake as quickly as possible, in order to receive the full benefit of the air temperature difference.

Problems with an air intake can include increased noise whenever the engine is running and difficulty warming up the car in cold temperatures. Additionally, an intake scoop can allow debris or water to enter the car's engine, degrading performance and possibly causing engine shutdown. An air intake will often have water channels to mitigate this problem, but they can become overloaded in heavy rain or if the car drives through a large puddle. Although an air intake scoop is used to increase a car's performance, users should be aware that any such accessory will slightly increase the vehicle's coefficient of drag, meaning any performance gains should offset any losses. .