Quarter Panel Vents - Do they do anything really?

[garagefujimoto]

On most Supras I have owned:

1: The vents in the door jams #62850/62860 (see pic) are rotted.

2: The B-Pillar trim/vents #92955A (see Pic) are loose/faded/worn.

Do these really do anything of actual value?
I suspect it has something to do with air pressure when closing the doors but all the new cars I see don't have anything that looks like this visible.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/EPC/291420/catalog.aspx?F=6102&P=1

 

[Poodles]

Most newer cars have stuff like that hidden under the rear bumper. It allows fresh air in and more specifically out.

For instance, the Miata is lacking much of anything in this department, and turning on fresh air on the A/C without cracking a window will cause you to have very little flow out of the vents because of the pressure.

Grimjack had new rubber pieces made for his door jams, might ask him.

 

[GrimJack]

Actually, I'm pretty sure I just bought new ones from Toyota.

 

[Poodles]

Hmm... that you did.

I know someone had the rubber cut for theirs at one point. Hard to keep track with so many builds and so many years :rofl:

 

[destrux]

The rubber flaps in the door jamb vents aren't really needed unless you park where you might get debris in them. There are water drains about 1/4" diameter directly below them in the pinch seam. Might want to pull the vents out though and take a close look down there with a flashlight to make sure there isn't a pile of dead leaves and mud in there though. Mine were like a swamp. I flushed them out with a hose using a zip tie to push the crud out the drain hole. It would have rusted out there, I must have cleaned out five pounds of mud on the one side.

Funny thing is, they were actually clogged with the remnants of the rubber flaps that rotted and fell into the drain holes. How ironic.

I think the lower door jamb vents help move fresh air through the rocker panels to keep them dry, in addition to offering exit vents for the A/C. I wouldn't eliminate them.