Temporary unemployment gives you time to just look at, and think about, your SSR, and sometimes gives you stupid ideas.
I got to looking at the metal trim bar on the front of the hood, the one that says "Chevrolet" on it, and wondered what was behind it if you removed it. (It's only held in place by 3 or 4 push screws)
Turns out, that the OUTER metal layer of the hood ends just above the trim bar. The INNER metal layer of the hood continues down behind it. That inner layer COULD be trimmed back so that it too ends just above the current position of the trim bar. That cut could be made without risking hurting the exterior finish of the vehicle. That would give you a sort of air scoop hole right in the nose of the SSR.
IF you did that, you would find that all of a sudden you have a MUCH more direct, and larger, access opening for COLDER outside air to feed the engine air intake (The intake opening is a narrow one located at the bottom edge of the air cleaner cover).
Colder air is denser and thus the engine can make more pwoer using colder air than by using the hot underhood air.
This colder air benefit would be present whether the vehicle is moving or standing still.
But, there's a second effect too. Once the vehicle is moving, this colder outside air would be rather forcefully blown right into the area where the air intake draws air from. So, as speed increases, the proportion of air drawn by the air intake from the OUTSIDE as opposed from under the hood, would increase. This is good.
I tried to imagine what an SSR would look like without that trim piece in place, but need to defer to Buffy's digital photo manipulation skills there. Buffy?
Personally, I think it might make the SSR look a little more "aggressive" with a huge wide air sucking intake scoop opening rather than the trim bar.
Feedback?
Jim G
