2017 F150 has front wheel air curtains

[Frank Lee]

Took pic in dealer showroom a few weeks ago.

Trucks also have shuttering grille blocks.

[freebeard]

Now if they could just get the wheel up behind the aircurtain so it does some good...

[Hersbird]

Ford is really ahead of the others IMO on almost all fronts. Fiat is killing the Ram by comparison. Besides dropping an outsourced diesel (which could end up costing them hundreds of millions) what has Ram been doing lately? GM has some improvements but look at the new Raptor, the new 10 speed, the new aluminum, they have a 5.0 Ecoboost on the horizon for crying out loud. My brother's 2015 F150 seems like a luxury car, muscle car (it will run mid 14's in the 1/4 mile), and tow beast (it has about the same tow rating as my old 2500 Duramax) all wrapped in one and it's only an upgraded XLT trim, they seem built really well.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Now if they could just get the wheel up behind the air-curtain so it does some good...

Poises the question, can an air-curtain be used in other locations, and on other openings?

Perhaps at the C-pillar on coupes/saloons?

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Now if they could just get the wheel up behind the aircurtain so it does some good...

Maybe the air curtain makes more sense in this application because you can't have tight wheel gaps on a truck with a lot of wheel articulation. The air curtain helps the most right where it is. I don't know just thinking.

[freebeard]

No doubt there is more opportunity than a stanced BMW.

It's interesting to contemplate whether there is more or less churn in a wheelhouse cavity that hardly has a wheel in it.

And there's no opportunity to articulate it with the wheels face anyway.

[Hersbird]

I wonder if it helps or hurts road spray?
Aerodynamic Designs Help Cut Water Spray - Article - TruckingInfo.com

[Frank Lee]

Re: Road spray (worthy of it's own thread): Dumb S.O.B.s at MNDoT have been cutting center- and fog-line "rumble strips" into the roads... to save lives... because dumb em effen Minnesotans can't be trusted to know where the middle of the road is and stay on their side.

These aren't the old-school tar strips laid on top. Oh no, they have a pavement cutter than cuts mile after mile of divots into the surface:



Since they've been doing this I've had an exponential increase in rock chips and road splash being kicked into my windshields from passing vehicles. Now, I don't mind being passed but it does irritate me more than a little when the dumb bastids think they need to cut back into the right lane as soon as they've put about three feet between their rear bumper and my front.

So, yeah, rocks. Two mechanisms: jarred loose from their uuuuundercarriage when vibrating over those divots and/or those divots collect rocks and water and debris which is then kicked up by their tires.

Even if the roads are dry, if it rained earlier in the day and the divots are full of water, that isht gets kicked up just like if the whole road is soaked.

Plus nobody can be expected to squeeze their phat asses into mere sedans and coupes these days so with all the SUVs and PUs we have bigger tires with more aggressive treads sticking further outta the wheelwells followed by wakes the size of barns so that alone also increase the amount of rocks, water, and other miscellaneous debris being kicked up vs the old days.

Also it is my understanding that the failure mode for pavement is when it collects moisture and that moisture freezes and expands, breaking the pavement up. These water collecting divots seem to me to be a perfect way to guarantee prematurely broken-up pavement.

I called MNDoT with my concerns but haven't heard back yet.

Re: F150: I'd like to know the Cd and how much these two tricks improved it.

[Hersbird]

Those cuts are terrible. On that note, We have them on the white line side and I have been known to creep over there to pick up some muddy spray for the tailgater behind me. Didn't think there might be some bonus gravel in there as well. LOL!
They have the reflective dots or wedges glued on to the center lane down south. I remember the first time I saw them I asked my dad why we didn't have them back in Montana. He said because there would be plows full of them every winter.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Now, I don't mind being passed but it does irritate me more than a little when the dumb bastids think they need to cut back into the right lane as soon as they've put about three feet between their rear bumper and my front.

They give you a whole three feet in MN?

I've grown accustomed to letting off the gas and maybe braking to get my three feet in MI.

As far as spray from tires, start at the source, and work from there.

Right?

Carbon Sport Performance Concept - Technical & Hardware