A grille on a vehicle allows air to flow through the radiator and maintain a cool temperature. It can also benefit the air conditioning and heating systems. Some vehicles filter incoming air, while high-performance vehicles use cold air for more horsepower. Grilles were not always incorporated into vehicle designs, but are now a focal point for some manufacturers.
A grille is a device found on a vehicle that sits directly in front of the radiator. Air flowing through the grill can pass through the radiator and maintain a cool temperature. Even the air conditioning benefits from cool air flowing through the vehicle’s grille and over the air conditioning condenser. Other areas that typically contain a grille include the area directly at the base of the windshield, the side of the front fender, and the dashboard of the vehicle. Anywhere air is meant to flow easily through the vehicle, a grill will be in place.
Vehicle heaters typically draw cool air from the shroud at the base of the windshield. This air is directed through the heater box and passes through the heater core. This heats the air charge and is sent into the passenger cabin or up through the defroster vents. While many vehicles take in fresh air through a grill in the hood, only a few actually filter this incoming air. Some high-end vehicles use a filter to clean the incoming air and remove irritants like pollen.
On high performance vehicles, a charge of cold air is often taken from a front fender grill and ducted into the induction system. Engines receiving a cold intake air will produce more horsepower than a similar engine taking a warm intake air charge from the engine compartment. Many times these air intake grill openings are not real openings, they only appear to be. Some vehicle owners will fabricate real openings that connect to these faux grille openings to draw fresh air into the engine.
Vehicles of the 1980s and 1990s stuck to a monochrome design theme that did away with an actual grille opening at the front of a vehicle. These vehicles took air in through the radiator directing the air under the nose of the vehicle up and through the cooling system. These vehicles often overheated and were very susceptible to cooling problems stemming from damage to a small rubber flap under the front bumper. This fin was meant to direct air up through the radiator; however, it was frequently damaged by getting too close to a curb.
Designers began incorporating the actual grille openings into vehicles in the late 1990s and some manufacturers such as Chrysler have opened up their company symbols. Chrysler’s four-bar crossover aperture is synonymous with its entire product line. Other manufacturers have simply chosen to chrome the entire area, creating a focal point in their product lines.
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