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Old 06-13-2009, 05:41 PM   #61 (permalink)
aerohead
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wake

Quote:
Originally Posted by stevey_frac View Post
Ok, so i was thinking about this. I think i can build a basic metal frame that attaches to the axle, and the little air foily bit that hangs off the back bumper. V1 would be covered in Coroplast. If it offers gains, V2 would be covered in aluminum sheet metal, and painted either black, or the same color as the car.

For some reason it feels like i'll be increasing the wake though, and that there will be 'more car' that the low pressure 'wake' will be 'pulling' back.

also, if i can get some sharks with frikken 'lazers'...
Steve,I think that the "wake" already reaches well under and towards the front of the car underneath.The bellypan typically won't increase frontal area,and the angled diffuser actually does reduce the wake area,and increases the pressure there.Both good things.--------- A quick and dirty way to think about aero,is that the first 33% of an ideal vehicle is used to accelerate the surrounding air from zero,up to the speed of the car,then the last 2/3rds of the car is used to provide a gentle ramp for the air to slide back to where it was before you came along.Ideally,it requires quite a "back" on a car.That's where the "teardrop" comes in.When we fashion cars to be more like the teardrop,we approach zero profile drag (the largest component of aero drag) and highest mpg.

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