As Crash said, the resistances to flow are all in
series, so it doesn't matter from that standpoint
whether the restriction is forward or aft of the
radiator. Yes, the air is compressible, but it really
only becomes relevant at mach numbers greater than
0.3. Your intuition is right - what matters is the
change in velocity (speed and direction) of the air.
The cramming effect you mention is exactly what
changes the velocity of the air (and, for a given
mass, thereby changes the momentum), and this is what
causes pressure drop, and flow reduction. That's why
laminar (straight) flow is easier on pressure drop
than turbulent (swirled) flow.
--- conan <conan@intrex.net> wrote:
heard of but not seen mention
> here yet is the air itself compressing and impeding
> the flow through the radiator core.
> Apparently it's easier to suck air through a
> restriction than try to push it through.
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