Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank Lee
Maybe my interpretive skills are faulty, but it looks to me like the smoke tracer off the back of the Sunraycer was no better than the one off the EV1. For darn sure the Sunraycer doesn't suffer separation back there.
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This is not full scale, but note the smoke trail angle on the back of the Loremo model.
I've seen smoke test do some unexpected things.
Also, smoke testing doesn't really seem to show things like turbulence very well.
As an example, just look at the apparent lack of turbulence on the image of the convertible, which we all know is an aerodynamic mess
And note the distance of the smoke stream from the windshield which has attached flow. On some cars, the smoke stream hugs the hood and winshield, while others have a good 6" or so of distance.
I much prefer to see tuft testing done at the same time that smoke tests are done.
( Am I the only one sick of seeing SUVs and trucks that are shown with a smokestream over the top of them to give the impression that they are aero ? )