Quote:
Originally Posted by BackOff
Personally I think it there for looks and to give the hood latch some slight protection from crud.
Some little strip of plastic is not going to do anything to adding cooling.
Some of these newer car motors are nothing but plastic cover mania when you pop the hood.
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The idea is to direct all possible airflow through the radiator. For those situations where the engineers were trying to keep the engine temperatures controlled under extreme stress.
Presenting a more 'finished' engine bay would also be a consideration, but it is primarily a functional piece too.
I'm just basing my comments on those of a Toyota Engineer who mentioned it when asked in an interview when the 5th gen was being introduced, and seeing how airflow is managed on cars during my years of working on cars in consumer car repair, and professional racing.