I’ve discovered the simple brilliance of the Rally roof vent on Subarus and I want the optional on more than just STI Spec C’s.
Thanks to twitter I came across another example of a roof vent found standard on Subaru STI Spec C’s and after researching a bit on how well they work, I’ve come to the conclusion that most new cars (if not every car) should have this ingenious bit of engineering at least optional on the spec sheet. Check out the tweet I came across below.
日本の技術を結集して作った燃費もパワーも落ちない最強のエアコン pic.twitter.com/uvPPTUmdTq
— 気まぐれインプ乗り (@impreza321) July 7, 2018
And here’s someone on Youtube demonstrating how to open one up.
Translated, the quote says. “The strongest air-conditioning that does not fail fuel economy and power made by bringing together the Japan technology.” That roughly translates to, “This roof scoop does a really good job at keeping the car interior cool without robbing engine power or the fuel economy.”
I love air-conditioning and the way it makes a two-hour drive in 100+ degree weather feel rather refreshing thanks to my cars air-conditioning unit. So this bold claim that a simple roof vent is better than AC? Rubbish!
But after a bit of googling around, it looks like I might be wrong. According to some Subaru Impreza enthusiasts who either actually own Spec C’s or DIY their own roof vents, the darn thing actually does a good job at keeping you cool.
This bug eye owner with a roof vent says that,
I Love this vent (roof vent)…it blows soo much air when I’m driving…I never have to have my windows down. the other guy is right, it blows more air then having all 4 windows open.
And it’s pretty much the same comments from roof vent owners in the entire thread. Granted, because of simple physics, you can’t actually make your car air cooler without added energy, having dry, clean air in place of dusty heated air can be quite comfortable, so I tend to believe these Subaru owners.
In rally driving, none of the race cars come with AC. In addition, dust can be a problem seeping into the cabin, obscuring a driver’s vision. But, by adding a roof vent and a scoop around it to make it aerodynamic on their racecars and shoving air into the cabin at speed, you’re raising the cabin air pressure. A positive pressure environment means dust is less likely to come in, and because it’s positive pressure inside, warm air rises to the top and is shoved out. So, you have a cool(ish) dust free environment.
I reckon some drivers now have cool suits pumping cool liquid around their body so keeping cool isn’t all that of a problem but still. Roof vents work and they should totally be optional on every car!
