? Wind Chill Wonderings ?

[turbocruiser]

Hi all, I was wondering, when the weather man says something like " The low will be 5 degrees but the windchill will make the temperature feel like -15 ", does that mean that things other than humans ( such as landcruisers, radiators, antifreeze, etc. ) will be affected in the same way as if the temperature really was -15??? In other words does windchill affect when antifreeze will freeze or when oil will flow or when parts will crack etc.??? Thanks.

(served at 33 degrees farenheit, plus or minus five

degrees of windchill factor) For All! Ah, come to think of it,

the windchill factor actually comes from the burritos, not the

beer, right?

 

[landtoy80]

The temp of the vehicle will be the same as the out side temp.
The more wind will make your vehicle cool faster.
Thats why they make winter fronts (cardboard for the rednecks) for semi's grill.

 

[e9999]

nope, windchill is a number that is only meaningful -if calculated properly- for a human or an object that would be at the same temperature as a human and be able to produce heat at the same rate as a human (and what would that be, besides perhaps some animals, eh?). What this number really represents is an equivalent temperature that would "cool you down" with no wind at the same rate as the true temperature does with the wind. In truth, it's really very rough and not quite exact but it'll do for the weather guys and the average Joe.
So, to make this clearer, if the outside temperature is 20F and the wind chill is 10F, then an inanimate object would end at 20F after some time outside, *not* at 10F, but a human would "feel" the temperature as being 10F cuz of the wind. Of course, the human would not end at 20F if still alive cuz of internal heat production. And of course a thermometer would indicate 20F also, not 10F.
Soooo, your truck will after a while be at 20F, but it might have cooled down faster cuz of the wind, in fact it will cool down as if the temperature was at 10F (at least until it gets to 20F).
Clear as mud?
HTH
E

edit: LT80, the windchill factor per se is not why they put cardboard up front. In fact, it would have no effect at all if the wind was, say, coming from the rear of the truck. If it comes from the front, it would just add to the speed of the truck, which may not be a big effect. The main reason is that if the outside air is much colder you need much less airflow through the radiator to achieve the same cooling effect, as you well know, I'm sure.

 

[ELLTEE]

Nahh. Your Cruiser is still comfy outside in the weather. Windchill is only how it feels to unprotected skin.
For example,
Temp 33 and a 20 knot wind means a wind chill close to zero or so, but water won't freeze.



LT
8)

 

[landtoy80]

As the vehicle goes faster the windchill effect will cool the motor faster than it would if it was stopped.
When it is -F out with no wind my semi is fine. Add wind and it runs cooler and the cab get cold. If the wind get real strongthe cooling effect will be stronget than the rate that the motor can rediate.
The fuel in a semi is heated from the motor and cycled back to the fuel tanks. Add strong cold wind and the tanks will cool faster. The same is with the fuel filter. They are next to the motor and heat from the motor heats the filter. When it is windy the filters don't get the heat needed to keep the fuel from jelling. On some semi's they have heaters on the filters.
So windchill does have an effect on vehicles.

 

[e9999]

LT80, what you say all makes sense, but it's not the same thing as the "chill wind factor" that the weather guys are talking about. The numbers would not be right for a heated filter, say. They only work for human temperature. It's the same basic phenomenon in play, namely convective cooling, but it should not be called "Wind chill factor"
E.

 

[landtoy80]

Its like the Heat Index, they both are just a way for the weatherman to get headlines about how cold/hot it is.