ORIGINAL: Chickenthief
Can anyone explain tthis to me:
SNIP
How come they dont have to operate in the same temperature range?
Actually, they do. The internal temp is the thing that counts. You have to interpolate when measuring outside temps.
Why is it so important that a car is run at the correct temp, but the other two types of engines are "overcooled"?
Not really "overcooled." The engineers who decide on the size and shape of the cooling fins are taking the heat transfer rates from inside parts to the outside fins into consideration. In fact, on airplanes, we sometime have to put baffles inside the cowls in order to direct enough cooling air past the cylinder fins. Look at some heli engines. They have large "heat-sink" heads to make up for lower rates of air flow over the fins.
CR