Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
Yes, if the bottom of the car is smooth and streamlined, then a pointy nose will either not help, or it might even hurt a bit if it redirects air the "wrong" way. So, to make a well designed pointy nose, you would have to determine where the natural stagnant point is -- and put the pointy nose there.
If the bottom is smooth and the ground clearance is properly designed, then a blunt front end lets the air "decide" which way to flow i.e. it is not forced to go where it doesn't "want" to go -- which means it will be lower drag.
BTW, one of the main things that was tweaked on the Schlörwagen was the ride height: if it was too low, then the drag increased, and if the ride height was too high, this also increased the drag. The right height was between 6 and 8 inches, if my memory serves...
|
But even a perfectly smooth bottom, if the car is low (IE not an Aptera or offroader), saps energy because the air has to be compressed. So you'd want to direct as much flow as possible upward.