Radiator fan dust storm

[NewArt]

When I drive into a dusty garage or parking lot when my rad fans are running, I get a lot of dust blown up from the floor in the front of the car. I've looked but I don't see any dam or duct or anything that should divert this air blowing directly downwards. Is this normal?

[911monty]

Unfortunately, yes this is normal. If you remove the inner fender well lining you will see a plastic cover behind the fans that directs the air downward. If you look from below you will see the fan resistors in these outlets. There are air guides that help to deflect the air outward from under the car, but don't deflect all of it.

[Retroman1969]

I'm reminded of a hovercraft when I'm parking or idling along on a dusty bit. Great clouds billowing violently from under the car. Just add it up to another quirk.

[thstone]

After air is pulled thought the rad's, it ends up in the space in front of the front wheels on the other side of the fender liner. From there, it is exhausted below the car ahead of the front tire. The fans blow surprisingly hard when on high.

If you look from under the car, you can see where the air comes out through a plastic cover. Some cars might not have this piece since it may have been knocked off by a curb or parking barrier.

While driving, there is a constant stream of hot air from the rad's (whether the fans are on or not) coming out ahead of the front tires and streaming along the outer edge of the car. I know this because after removing the door seals to reduce weight on my Spec Boxster, there wasn't a complete seal of the door to the chassis and I could feel a steady stream of hot air coming into the cabin next to my left leg like a heater duct! To reduce the heating load inside the cabin, I ultimately replaced the door seals despite the added weight.